When I was five I started taking English riding lessons. I loved it. From that moment on I lived and breathed for horses. I rode as frequently as possible, weekly lessons, summer camps, and the odd trail ride. When I was in my early teens I was actually quite good, winning several first place ribbons at Trillium Circuit shows on school horses. My family was not poor but certainly never in a position to buy me the horse I dreamed of.
Flash forward 35 years.... I have a horse. King has been part of our family for only a month now and it's been the most wonderful month. We've had our issues though, such as his absolute refusal to budge an inch when I wanted to lead him from the pasture for a ride, vet check, farrier, etc. This we worked through and I think we are both better for it.
There is just something about the smell of a horse. The other night after putting down fresh hay for the boys I stood beside King in the dark. His horsey smell literally brought me to the brink of tears for all it's nostalgia and concrete realization of a lifelong dream. It was a bitter-sweet moment for me... but then that isn't the point of this post.
King's owner told me that he was at the bottom of the pecking order all his life. If King was eating hay another horse wanted he would simply move away. Such is life in a herd. However, a month in to life with Benny and Roger and King is, well King of the herd. It was funny to see him pin his ears and toss his head towards the donkeys this morning. The donkeys instantly respected this new pasture mate's gesture. I think King likes having a higher position and our always easy going donkeys don't seem to mind the shift in herd dynamic at all.
Catching brief interactions like that make it worth getting up at 5:30am to do chores. I only wish I could spend more time watching them because I know I'm missing lots of good stuff!
Today's commute: 85 minutes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Blogging my way through a year of hobby farm living!
Many friends have told me I should write about life on my hobby farm. To me it's just my life, it's what I do - feeding the animals, hauling water, collecting eggs, planting a garden, dealing with a commute to my job in the city. I've been doing this for just over two years now, so it feels a bit late to be starting a blog... perhaps it would have made more sense to start such a blog the day we moved in, not once my husband and I have pretty much settled in to our new lifestyle.
But then I thought about it. So much happens daily, some things are routine and others are once in a lifetime experiences. Every day through the seasons is a challenge and a joy. So here we go...
Background
My husband K and I bought an 11 acre farm 100km from the city where we grew up, and where I still work. The farm was established in roughly 1870, in fact, our kitchen is the original house. The barn, outbuildings, and house grew with additions and changes in use over the years to what we have today. And, we are in the process of changing things as part of the property's evolution. More on that later.
Cast of characters
Several roosters (too many!) and numorous hens.... I really need to count them.
two donkeys named Benny and Roger
one horse named King
three barn cats named Onslo, Chairman Meow, and Elwy
a three-legged dog named India
three house cats named Cairo, Tegan, and Sheba
yours truly and K
Opening scene
It's early January, a time for resolutions and hunkering down for the winter.
This morning was typical. I was out of the house by 6am filling two 5 gallon pails with water from a tap outside the house and carrying them to the barn...did I mention that there is no running water or electricity in the barn? I will count my steps next time, but for the time being, trust me... it's not a fun distance to be carrying that much water to top up the water trough. Twice. I think of it as a full body workout!
I love feeding time. Bringing hay out to the donkeys and horse, or "the boys" as we like to call them, is a treat. I could hear Benny's quiet almost scratchy hee-haw this morning before I could see him, I love that sound. And King's nickering is such a wonderful sound too, it's worth being up that early in the morning (even though I know it's for the hay in my arms and not me specifically). The chickens by this time are busy in the coop and squabbling over laying boxes like each 12" square was prime New York real estate.
As I mentioned, there is no electricity in the barn (yet!) so back in November I ran an extension cord from our workshop/garage to power the chickens' heat lamp, a light, and a heater for the big water trough the boys use. That single light bulb in the barn does a lot to chase away the heeby-jeebies in a way a flashlight never could. Or maybe it's just that in two years I've grown accustomed to the shadows and creaking sounds and feel at home with them now.
Today's commute was not that bad, only 80 minutes!
But then I thought about it. So much happens daily, some things are routine and others are once in a lifetime experiences. Every day through the seasons is a challenge and a joy. So here we go...
Background
My husband K and I bought an 11 acre farm 100km from the city where we grew up, and where I still work. The farm was established in roughly 1870, in fact, our kitchen is the original house. The barn, outbuildings, and house grew with additions and changes in use over the years to what we have today. And, we are in the process of changing things as part of the property's evolution. More on that later.
Cast of characters
Several roosters (too many!) and numorous hens.... I really need to count them.
two donkeys named Benny and Roger
one horse named King
three barn cats named Onslo, Chairman Meow, and Elwy
a three-legged dog named India
three house cats named Cairo, Tegan, and Sheba
yours truly and K
Opening scene
It's early January, a time for resolutions and hunkering down for the winter.
This morning was typical. I was out of the house by 6am filling two 5 gallon pails with water from a tap outside the house and carrying them to the barn...did I mention that there is no running water or electricity in the barn? I will count my steps next time, but for the time being, trust me... it's not a fun distance to be carrying that much water to top up the water trough. Twice. I think of it as a full body workout!
I love feeding time. Bringing hay out to the donkeys and horse, or "the boys" as we like to call them, is a treat. I could hear Benny's quiet almost scratchy hee-haw this morning before I could see him, I love that sound. And King's nickering is such a wonderful sound too, it's worth being up that early in the morning (even though I know it's for the hay in my arms and not me specifically). The chickens by this time are busy in the coop and squabbling over laying boxes like each 12" square was prime New York real estate.
As I mentioned, there is no electricity in the barn (yet!) so back in November I ran an extension cord from our workshop/garage to power the chickens' heat lamp, a light, and a heater for the big water trough the boys use. That single light bulb in the barn does a lot to chase away the heeby-jeebies in a way a flashlight never could. Or maybe it's just that in two years I've grown accustomed to the shadows and creaking sounds and feel at home with them now.
Today's commute was not that bad, only 80 minutes!
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