Meanwhile Back at the Ranch...
Here it is January already. I wish I could say that Spring is just around the corner. Actually, I don't like spring all that much what with the rain and mushy ground, inaccessable trails and bridle paths, yet most of our winter in Central Ohio and surrounding areas has been just that. We had a big Snow/Ice storm in December, just before Christmas, and soon after incredible rains and flooding. The ice storm brought huge branches crashing down all over the house starting at 3am and by morning it seemed a war zone on my front porch and all around the perimiter of my house. The whole neighborhood was really a mess. I didn't make it to work--a level 3 snow emergency--but did feel guilty. The next day was Christmas eve so we only had half a day of work, but the snow and cold temperatures made it a challenge. The horses could not go out even in the paddocks, but many of the boarders and clients came out to ride. Many people lost electricity, and our barn veternarian went without power for more than five days. She keeps horses as well, so I was surprised to see as much of her as we did, and that she was just as cheerful and full of her wry and leathery sense of humor as usual.

After Christmas we had the brief thaw. Most people would have done well to build arks during the holidays. I didn't see much of my horses as working in the contant pouring rain caring for the horses at the big barn had me wet and muddy through and through by the end of the day. What is sad is that at the "Big Fancy Barn" there isn't very much mud to contend with, but the stalls flooded and made the heavier work heavier still. When I was able to find some shred of energy I stopped by to check on Wyatt and Lady, even though I had to drive out of my way as the road was flooded at the little train overpass on the main road. In this though, I did get to see what was beyond skinner road and bowtown to get back to the main highway. This is an area where I could ride if I was feeling ambitious and Wyatt was sound--and if it wasn't pouring rain. The weather has turned cold again, with a new dusting of snow and more on the horizon. Stopped to see the horses yesterday. I had a hard time opening the sliding door--frozen, but the sun was shining and would have been perfect for the horses to be out munching hay. Got the door open, let my two out and considered letting the others out with some hay, but the heater has been removed from the pasture trough and no water. I didn't want to turn them out with hay but no water all afternoon and no one on the property. I threw everyone a flake of hay--I suspect most of my horses weight is from grain and not hay--which really makes me irritated, let alone my horses gut! After Lady and Wyatt frolicked a little and kicked up there heels they figured out no one else was coming out to play so they made their way back near the gate. When they heard everyone getting hay they reluctantly came back into the barn and went in their stalls. I gave them some horse snacks in there feed tub and shut up the barn, turned out the lights and said "Goodbye". Well, this is really the last thing I want my horses to put up with. At least they are eating better than last year, but they have spent the majority of their time this season shut up in a dark barn with no hay all afternoon. While it's pleasant enough for a horse to spend the afternoon outside where they belong, there is no one to put them out. The new owner spends very little time on the property due to his schedule and will hire no one on a regular basis to care for the horses as stated on the boarding agreement, hence, the horses stand around all day in an open pasture often exposed to cold rain with windy conditions (Ohio) and no shelter and no one coming for hours to bring them in, unless one of us, the boarders happens by or they stand in their stalls all day long with no hay in between the early morning and late night feed. This is a card carrying professional horse trainer. I'm sure he believes that he's taking great care of our horses, other than leaving them out in bad conditions, they are cared for about the same as some of the horses he's stalled for private clients--stand around in a dark stall, no hay, no real socialization with the other horses. Well, what does that say? Hm, what to do.

So, not only do I not see my horses enough, nor are they cared for as well as I would like, the last two months have me with extremely sore muscles--I'm waking up in the night with horrible muscle spasms--much attributed to the awful bedding we've been using at Fancy Barn since October-- you may as well be bedding the horses with limestone. No one there seems to get it--I'd never have this bedding in my barn if I ran one--and that's what has been ordered on purpose because it's "not as dusty" The stalls at this facility are bedded heavily so this bedding requires twice as much to prevent hock sores. This is the bedding none of the other barns want so it really is crap and it's much easier for the horses to get cast with it if it's not kept in the right place. We've had a lot of that going on too, horses getting cast with this bedding. Well, I warned them the problems this stuff would cause and now has, but everyone seems to look the other way, including the owner. You have to wonder--just because someone doesn't want to admit being wrong. Well, the bedding does have some benefits--you really cant fluff it up or use the dry bedding from the corners to make it last. It just gets wet and turns black in a hurry so you have to strip the stalls almost every day. Certain people in charge of the bedding and things like that at the barn like this because it takes more time to clean the stalls than we are supposed to be taking, and if we work faster than this person and our stalls look crummy, they can prove their point that it should take all day to clean the stalls to clean them right--or, that we suck at cleaning stalls but this person doesn't. I really love working closely with people who have an inferiority complex. It makes your job ever so much more enjoyable than if you worked with rational people.

Ok, there were some good things--Gwen and Brenda both called me on my birthday while I was at work getting irritated by J. and they were welcome and thoughtful calls--a reminder that I'm not really shut up all day devoid of reasonable people. Brenda invited me for birthday dinner with her family (gwen invite too but not able to make it) at her home complete with cake. I went and felt ever the "birthday girl" as her 5 year old son referred to me. Thank you Brenda, Dave and Ben--it was delicious and belive it or not, no one has ever done that for me before. The Birthday Girl is very happy! Alright--ending on a happy note :-)