Well, not the best of days. There is a lake to walk through to get to Cody's pen, luckily, at this point, not a lake in his pen. And it turns out the old shed where I am storing hay has a leak or two so I am going to have to figure something else out. I'm glad I hadn't gotten one of those Costco tarp garage thingies because where I likely would have put it is also a lake at the moment. Grandma's back yard does not drain well enough for snow to melt and it to rain and rain on top of that, the ground is pretty saturated.
Went out and worked with him even though it was miserable and raining. The only part of taking his blanket off and putting it back on that he doesn't like is me buckling and unbuckling the front straps. Going to have to work on that. The rain didn't help things any because I ended up putting a blanket back on a wet horse. I had a plan for today, we were going to work on moving his hip and moving his shoulder (separately). We were so-so successful. It was like he forgot what it meant to move his hip over from a tap. But we did get a few steps so hopefully it will be better next time. I guess it was just all around less pleasant and harder to concentrate for the both of us in that miserable rain. We did manage to get a couple steps of moving shoulders away in each direction.
At least with all this rain I can see where water tends to accumulate and try and figure out ways to redirect it. Now if only my brother will be willing to build a little addition onto Cody's stall to store hay in a dry place when he comes up this weekend or next.... (Key word there little, as it can only be about 4 feet wide by the 12 feet deep of his stall to fit within the 200 sq ft limit to not need a permit).
How many of you out there find yourself typing with a cat on your lap?
7 comments:
Can you try leaving the hay where it is but covering it with cheap plastic sheeting (visqueen)? It doesn't hold up to much wear and tear but it does repel water and isn't as expensive or cumbersome as a tarp. You can also get thicker plastic at hardware or building supply stores, but I think it's expensive.
Then if the leaky spots are small you could caulk them when the weather is drier.
Sounds like a yucky day to be working horses! I wanted to play with Bella today but we had gross weather too. I felt kinda like a pansy for not going out anyway, but just couldn't make myself do it.
Lol, I should take some pictures of this poor old building. It was on the property when my grandparents bought it 31 years ago, they added a manger and a stand and kept goats out there. Then, a lady that used to live across the street adopted a couple mustangs and kept them out there (the covered area is only maybe 12x12). Then one of the supports across the back was taken out so some people who were using the field to grow raspberries could fit their tractor in there. I think that was the beginning of the end for this poor old shed because the back roofline is far from straight anymore. I've got a bucket catching the main drip (good thing I moved my bale of alfalfa) and well, it's just a really sad old building.
Sounds like that old shed has seen a lot of action over the years!
I've put tarps over the top of my hay to protect from leaks. You can get them at Costco, two per pack, for a very reasonable price. Mine have lasted a couple years now.
To help build up some room beneath the bales, try collecting some pallets from the farmer's coop or anyone who'll part with them. It's not a huge amount of clearance, but it gives you a few inches. My tents have alder trees that were cut down last year for the same effect.
Hey, do you feel like a drowned....anyway your brother may or may not be up soon but you can still plan on sooner than later, I know the dilema you are in and can't offer any real assistance but maybe Jonny can, keep up the good work look forward to the days of the saddle.
L.U.,
Dad
Yeah, I have a tarp, and I have pallets stacked two high on top of another tarp, things seem okay so far, but it's supposed to rain all week and there are some damp spots on the ceiling that haven't started dripping, yet. Gotta love western Washington weather, eh Tracey?
Cat on lap...yep. And Cat gets quite insistent about getting petted if the typing fingers stay busy for too long. Sorry to hear about the rain. Your hay barn sounds like ours...old and leaky.
And of course the lake grew overnight and now his stall is half flooded :( Someone suggested some sandbags to help keep more water out, but what do I do with the existing water, haul the shopvac out and hope I don't electrocute myself? Going to be doing some research into drainage.
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