Lucky.
Trying to simultaneously feed two horses two different feeds that both of them like is no easy task. But it must be done.
I don't feel like getting into the politics of being the owner of the second horse on the pasture, when the first horse belongs to my father-in-law's niece and, if a problem arises, little diva-horse Tina's folks get first dibs on the solution. It's akin to being a mail-order second wife to a strict polygamist. Let's just say that, while there are advantages to sharing (a really nice horse shed, buried electrical lines, help if I needed it), I would rather have the pasture to myself and my animals. Such is life.
Still, the only issue with the two horses so far...this week...has been feeding time. Tina gets fed grain twice a day. I don't want my horse to have grain. I want her to have alfalfa pellets with a little oil mixed in. So how do you feed two horses two different things (and keep Daisy's size from intimidating Tina's owner's father, who is an absolutely obnoxious know-it-all-who-doesn't-know-it-all when it comes to animals and sees Daisy as a threat because of her size when it's his daughter's horse who, though lighter, is far more likely to freak out and kill one of us and, even at just 800 pounds, is quite capable of doing just that. Ooops, I got into the politics there)? Well, you feed Daisy her alfalfa--with a little sweet feed mixed in until she learns to like it as much as the cows do--and then lead Tina to her own trough, out-of-sight of Daisy, and set out her grain. It's really not that tough; Daisy stays where she is supposed to, and it requires that Tina's tiny mom only handle Tina, which she is quite capable of doing.
I've taken over the morning feeding of both horses (all by myself!) and share the duty with Tina's people in the afternoon until everybody gets used to the situation and to Daisy's 1,800 pounds of mellow horsiness.
This morning, while Daisy was eating some of the grain I had already put in her trough, head down low, I sorta bent over and poured the rest of her alfalfa into the trough, which was kinda noisy and spooked her just enough that she lifted her head quickly...and I felt the "whoosh" of air from her Buick-sized head waft just in front of my nose.
If I had been just a wee little bit closer, dear reader, I would have had the head-butting of my life that, if it didn't jam my nose innards into my brain innards and END my life, at the very least would have broken my nose and thrown me back into the arms of the electric fence, where I would have lingered, zapped all the while, for the next, oh, 8 hours or so. It was quite the wake-up call, friends.
Lucky.
It's a fact of farm life that farm animals can kill ya, pretty easily, and have. Payback is a bitch, I suppose. For instance, I'm pretty hesitant about getting one of those enormous pigs, because pigs will EAT farmers--and the children of farmers--if they happen to fall into the pen. And, they're really smart--one of the 10 smartest animals on the planet, yo--and I've heard even from Ol' Crusties that it isn't easy to kill a pig when they look at you just so.
My little heifers, who probably weigh between 500-700 pounds now, could easily flatten me, swing their heads around and lay me out, step on my muck boot-clad toes and break a few tiny bones. Even the sheep, as sweet as they are, could seriously hurt, well, a child. I make Stevie stay right next to me in the pasture, and Mark is always held (and wants to be). Tina is a small horse but has been known to run at a person in the open pasture only to cut away with feet to spare and flip around and kick up her legs. It's rather intimidating. And Daisy's massiveness is a constant reminder that she is capable of great carnage at any time. Her temperament says "I'm a big sweet draft, bred for a gentle temperament and strong work ethic for hundreds of years" but her body says "this is why they used my forehorses in medieval battles".
You can count on me being much more careful from now on. And only feeding when there is someone there who knows what I'm doing.
I don't feel like getting into the politics of being the owner of the second horse on the pasture, when the first horse belongs to my father-in-law's niece and, if a problem arises, little diva-horse Tina's folks get first dibs on the solution. It's akin to being a mail-order second wife to a strict polygamist. Let's just say that, while there are advantages to sharing (a really nice horse shed, buried electrical lines, help if I needed it), I would rather have the pasture to myself and my animals. Such is life.
Still, the only issue with the two horses so far...this week...has been feeding time. Tina gets fed grain twice a day. I don't want my horse to have grain. I want her to have alfalfa pellets with a little oil mixed in. So how do you feed two horses two different things (and keep Daisy's size from intimidating Tina's owner's father, who is an absolutely obnoxious know-it-all-who-doesn't-know-it-all when it comes to animals and sees Daisy as a threat because of her size when it's his daughter's horse who, though lighter, is far more likely to freak out and kill one of us and, even at just 800 pounds, is quite capable of doing just that. Ooops, I got into the politics there)? Well, you feed Daisy her alfalfa--with a little sweet feed mixed in until she learns to like it as much as the cows do--and then lead Tina to her own trough, out-of-sight of Daisy, and set out her grain. It's really not that tough; Daisy stays where she is supposed to, and it requires that Tina's tiny mom only handle Tina, which she is quite capable of doing.
I've taken over the morning feeding of both horses (all by myself!) and share the duty with Tina's people in the afternoon until everybody gets used to the situation and to Daisy's 1,800 pounds of mellow horsiness.
This morning, while Daisy was eating some of the grain I had already put in her trough, head down low, I sorta bent over and poured the rest of her alfalfa into the trough, which was kinda noisy and spooked her just enough that she lifted her head quickly...and I felt the "whoosh" of air from her Buick-sized head waft just in front of my nose.
If I had been just a wee little bit closer, dear reader, I would have had the head-butting of my life that, if it didn't jam my nose innards into my brain innards and END my life, at the very least would have broken my nose and thrown me back into the arms of the electric fence, where I would have lingered, zapped all the while, for the next, oh, 8 hours or so. It was quite the wake-up call, friends.
Lucky.
It's a fact of farm life that farm animals can kill ya, pretty easily, and have. Payback is a bitch, I suppose. For instance, I'm pretty hesitant about getting one of those enormous pigs, because pigs will EAT farmers--and the children of farmers--if they happen to fall into the pen. And, they're really smart--one of the 10 smartest animals on the planet, yo--and I've heard even from Ol' Crusties that it isn't easy to kill a pig when they look at you just so.
My little heifers, who probably weigh between 500-700 pounds now, could easily flatten me, swing their heads around and lay me out, step on my muck boot-clad toes and break a few tiny bones. Even the sheep, as sweet as they are, could seriously hurt, well, a child. I make Stevie stay right next to me in the pasture, and Mark is always held (and wants to be). Tina is a small horse but has been known to run at a person in the open pasture only to cut away with feet to spare and flip around and kick up her legs. It's rather intimidating. And Daisy's massiveness is a constant reminder that she is capable of great carnage at any time. Her temperament says "I'm a big sweet draft, bred for a gentle temperament and strong work ethic for hundreds of years" but her body says "this is why they used my forehorses in medieval battles".
You can count on me being much more careful from now on. And only feeding when there is someone there who knows what I'm doing.
posted by lulu | 7:38 AM
2 Comments:
oh my - I forgot my farm training and what mayhem farm animals can wreak upon my loved ones. I'm so glad you had your 'hellooo' wake-up call, and so proud of who you are and what you do. Luv ya, Grammy
That's true. Someone I know was in a bad accident with a horse. Try to stay on the animal's good side and be careful! Glad you're not on a pig farm. :-)
-tyler
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