Friday, April 29, 2011

Perfect day for a motorcycle ride

But I doubt we'll be riding.  Cliff had a previous commitment to help his brother (who always comes through for Cliff if he really needs help), and then there's the calf I'm supposed to get a call about today.  


And then there's a problem with Sassy, one of the horses who lives here.  Yesterday she figured out she can get into the tall pasture with Bonnie-the-Jersey-cow.  Nephew Mike saw her going in; she simply followed Bonnie through the gate as though she'd been doing it all her life.  
Now, Sassy's owner has been putting her in the stall at night because of her tendency to gain weight.  Cliff and I have put up a stretch of electric fence that limits the horses' pasture experience, keeping them off all but about five acres of grazing.  
I figured I'd have trouble getting her out of the six-inch-high clover and grass, but she let me halter her and lead her back to the horse pasture.  I put up a dummy wire at the gate, figuring she'd think it was electrified and leave it alone.  No dice; she was right back in there in no time.  
So, I put her in the stall for the night, and this morning I confined her to the large lot, which is where I took this picture.  You can see what horses do to limited pasture:  They literally eat it in the ground.  If you don't like that, you can give them the freedom to roam fifteen or twenty acres and watch them founder.  Ruined pasture or ruined horses; that's the choice.  
Anyhow, when Cliff gets home from helping his brother, we'll rig some different sort of new gate for Bonnie, one through which no horse can enter without getting a nasty shock.  

3 comments:

  1. Glad you are having such a nice day there. It's windy and on the chilly side here. It seems it is always something when it comes to those animals around there. Hope you get the new fence in place. Have a great Friday!

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  2. Sassy sure lives up to her name! Sounds like my kind of horse, I love a horse with character :-)

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  3. Sassy has a mind of her own!! I'm glad you're getting some nice weather, us too! (finally)

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