Post by Zala on Nov 11, 2018 0:40:04 GMT -3
Fall is definitely here my friends! The leaves are changing, the days are cooler and there is definitely more rain!! The horses are all running around friskily in the cooler temperatures as the 2018 show season winds down to an end. We're already preparing the stallions for breeding season and the mares for foaling and rebreeding. It's definitely one of the more crazier times of the year. I already have a long list of mare owners who have requested breeding, deposits made, and all that, plus we get more in every day it seems! I took a weekend off for myself to just think about the direction the farm would be going and what the future held for us! I know we have a large assortment of horses, and definitely too many to house. I figured it was about time to thin the herd a bit to make room for the breeds we mainly wanted to focus on. I knew the Stock Horses and Morgans had always been a big hit in years past. Our Gypsy herd is small but growing, same with our Minis and Thoroughbreds. I absolutely adore our Hanoverians and other Sporty types, but when do you come to the end of your rope?? With so many strings attached, it gets pretty overwhelming sometimes and you feel like the strings become a noose of sorts. I have thought about it over and over again how many mouths we had to feed and care for, and how hard everyone worked around here. I could only shake my head at all the thoughts swimming around in my head. What was a girl to do?! Finally I came to the decision that it might be best to sell off some of the stock to lessen the load. I could lease out some of the breeding stock and focus on the breeds I really wanted to develop on the farm, and the other breeds keep to small herds. I had a plan carefully cultivating in my mind when the phone rang. Luckily it wasn't anything serious....just more breeding requests. Wow did I have my work cut out for me or what. I ended up making a list of things to do in the coming months, maybe put together a list of horses who would be better finding new homes with people who could give them even more attention than we could, and if we would be selling any of our foals from this coming years goal crop. Ugh, decisions, decisions!!! I decided to take a nap before doing anymore thinking. I shut off the ringer on my phone, and took a nap to clear my thoughts....
An hour later I noticed thick fog rolling in. Definitely Fall kind of craziness!! I slipped on my coat and headed out the door. Yeah my "weekend" wasn't officially over yet, but I was getting cabin fever already being cooped up in the house all day. I needed to do something. I headed out to the indoor arena, and what do I find?? JT giving a group lesson to about 6 little kids! He had always been stuck on kids and helping them do their best on and around horses. The group of parents noticed me and waved me over. One woman in particular; Rebecca Donelson, smiled excitedly and pointed to two of the children; her daughter and younger son. "See, their both out there now!" She said excitedly. "I told you he was a natural!" I said smiling, "Now it's your turn." I teased. "Oh no way, wait do you think I could?" The woman was so overwhelmed with my offer, she was nearly speechless. "Why not, I have seen it a dozen times over! My girls ride too." We discussed it further as the kiddos continued their lesson for a good half an hour more. JT noticed me in the crowd and gave me a nod which I returned. He was pretty much our Jack of all trades guy with the horses whether it was grooming, doing chores, taking care of sick or pregnant horses, or giving lessons when our resident trainers were I'll or on vacation, he pretty much covered it all. He even helped my husband out with the handy man stuff around the farm and had the same love of motorized vehicles; give me a horse any day thank you!! Automobiles drive me nuts with all their electronic gizmatrons and whatever you call its, they gave me a major headache! That's one of the reasons I love having him around, to fix the gizmatrons that continually break, or helping to find a new truck or trailer or box van or whatever for the farm! My hubby is the Jack of all trades with mechanicing, construction and pretty much everything, except the horses. He has loads of common sense about things, but he leaves me to do my thing with the horses. He'll pitch in his 2 cents worth about something, and I have the option to listen to it or sideline it for later.
As the end of the day and the kiddos lesson came to a close, I thanked everyone for coming and got ambushed by the little ones as they left the arena with their trusty steeds in tow to the barn we had labelled the Lesson Barn, or Show Barn 2!! JT and the other grooms helped the kids take care of their horses while their parents chatted at the barn door. I assisted in refilling water buckets and hay nets while the kids worked. That was one rule around the barn, you are to pitch in to help with your horse after each lesson to learn that it's not all about just riding, but also about horse management! All the kids and their parents had signed our contract which stated that. We even had a white board up stating the barn rules along with our schedule of events, and other barn related stuff. I am so glad we have things so organized! I admit I haven't always been an organized person, and it comes out to haunt me once in awhile! I'm just glad I got my head on straighter this time and can manage things better, even when it gets pretty hairy!!
After the parents had their little ones safely packed away in their minivan's and SUV's, I took a quick trip to the store for gas and some groceries. The cashier was one of the usuals when I came in, she asked me how my day was. She and the other female cashiers always liked to hear my horse stories. I told her how the day went we chatted it up for awhile until another customer came up to her line. We said our goodbyes and I headed out of the store. Before I could even make it back to the truck, my phone rang. It was my husband asking me to pick up something else in the store, omgosh!! So back in the store I go after dropping off my other purchases, man will I ever get any rest?!?!
An hour later I noticed thick fog rolling in. Definitely Fall kind of craziness!! I slipped on my coat and headed out the door. Yeah my "weekend" wasn't officially over yet, but I was getting cabin fever already being cooped up in the house all day. I needed to do something. I headed out to the indoor arena, and what do I find?? JT giving a group lesson to about 6 little kids! He had always been stuck on kids and helping them do their best on and around horses. The group of parents noticed me and waved me over. One woman in particular; Rebecca Donelson, smiled excitedly and pointed to two of the children; her daughter and younger son. "See, their both out there now!" She said excitedly. "I told you he was a natural!" I said smiling, "Now it's your turn." I teased. "Oh no way, wait do you think I could?" The woman was so overwhelmed with my offer, she was nearly speechless. "Why not, I have seen it a dozen times over! My girls ride too." We discussed it further as the kiddos continued their lesson for a good half an hour more. JT noticed me in the crowd and gave me a nod which I returned. He was pretty much our Jack of all trades guy with the horses whether it was grooming, doing chores, taking care of sick or pregnant horses, or giving lessons when our resident trainers were I'll or on vacation, he pretty much covered it all. He even helped my husband out with the handy man stuff around the farm and had the same love of motorized vehicles; give me a horse any day thank you!! Automobiles drive me nuts with all their electronic gizmatrons and whatever you call its, they gave me a major headache! That's one of the reasons I love having him around, to fix the gizmatrons that continually break, or helping to find a new truck or trailer or box van or whatever for the farm! My hubby is the Jack of all trades with mechanicing, construction and pretty much everything, except the horses. He has loads of common sense about things, but he leaves me to do my thing with the horses. He'll pitch in his 2 cents worth about something, and I have the option to listen to it or sideline it for later.
As the end of the day and the kiddos lesson came to a close, I thanked everyone for coming and got ambushed by the little ones as they left the arena with their trusty steeds in tow to the barn we had labelled the Lesson Barn, or Show Barn 2!! JT and the other grooms helped the kids take care of their horses while their parents chatted at the barn door. I assisted in refilling water buckets and hay nets while the kids worked. That was one rule around the barn, you are to pitch in to help with your horse after each lesson to learn that it's not all about just riding, but also about horse management! All the kids and their parents had signed our contract which stated that. We even had a white board up stating the barn rules along with our schedule of events, and other barn related stuff. I am so glad we have things so organized! I admit I haven't always been an organized person, and it comes out to haunt me once in awhile! I'm just glad I got my head on straighter this time and can manage things better, even when it gets pretty hairy!!
After the parents had their little ones safely packed away in their minivan's and SUV's, I took a quick trip to the store for gas and some groceries. The cashier was one of the usuals when I came in, she asked me how my day was. She and the other female cashiers always liked to hear my horse stories. I told her how the day went we chatted it up for awhile until another customer came up to her line. We said our goodbyes and I headed out of the store. Before I could even make it back to the truck, my phone rang. It was my husband asking me to pick up something else in the store, omgosh!! So back in the store I go after dropping off my other purchases, man will I ever get any rest?!?!
