Update on Colt & The Truth About "Growing"

Many of you have inquired about Colt's progress. Thank you so much for your concern...and, I'm happy to report that he seems to be coming along nicely. He's still on stall w/run confinement, and I can exercise him daily on a lunge line in the round pen (weather/footing permitting). This has been a good opportunity for us to work on the ground work exercises that Mike Bridges showed us at my Project 5 clinic last fall...Colt's gettin' pretty good at 'em!

I'm sure he's as bored as can be, but he has some toys to play with lots of grass hay of course. In fact, he's finally gained some weight! Colt's beautiful photo in my header is a nice one of him, but he's awfully thin IMHO. That photo was taken after a full summer of riding and showing. He was on green pasture and also getting alfalfa and grain...he's just a growing boy!

Colt's also enjoying his daily dose of brushing and a couple of treats too.

We have an appointment with Dr. Knox at Idaho Equine Hospital on March 12...Yeah!!, six weeks is finally getting here! So, we'll keep praying that he's recovered enough from his injury that he can be started back in training. We're letting the Doc determine that for us.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and healing thoughts for Colt...they are obviously working!

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The Truth About "Growing"

Over a week ago, the Sunday Stills photo challenge was the letter "G," and I chose the word "growing" as my subject.

I got a lot of comments about how other folks around the country were wishing they could see something growing in their neck of the woods.

Well, in all honesty, there really isn't anything actually "growing" here either...except for the first onset of nasty weeds which don't really count as plants in my opinion ;~)

My post for Sunday Stills showed My Man spreading fertilizer on the alfalfa fields...the weather was perfect for it. The annual spreading of fertilizer is the first thing we do to prepare the fields to grow alfalfa. The alfalfa is actually in it's dormant stage still...and will be for a while longer.

We had watched the weather forecast and just as predicted, three days after the fertilizer was spread, we got this:

A nice blanket of really wet snow!

Which is perfect...as the snow melts, it takes the

fertilizer into the soil with it!

This photo was taken on Feb 24.

Taken yesterday, the only green in this photo

of the alfalfa are emerging weeds.

So the next step...we spray for weeds, and that has to happen before the alfalfa comes out of dormancy. Without spraying for weeds, the first cutting would be full of cheat grass and other obnoxious weeds that are potentially harmful to the animals. It also prevents the weeds from choking out the alfalfa plants. A stand of alfalfa will only last 6-9 years, and it all depends on how you care for it. We want our fields to last...it wasn't cheap to put in new alfalfa.

But, it really is warming up a bit...a lil' above 50 yesterday! I can actually see some green coming in parts of the yard that are sheltered and close to the house...so, spring is on its way...we just have to be patient.

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My Man was busy this weekend replacing a nasty barbed wire fence. I wish I had gotten a before photo...but of course I didn't. Trust me, it's one of those fences that made me cringe and it's finally taken care of!

My Man had to play with use the big back hoe

to move out some large boulders and then put in

a juniper post, stretch the field fence and

add the top rail. I like it!

This photo makes the fence look crooked...it must

be the angle of the camera and the slope

of the ground...it really is straight...honest!

It's nearly impossible to get a post into the ground

when it's this close to the rock rim, so whoever

put in the original barbed wire fence used

this simple but effective solution to hold

the steel post against the rock...so, why

try to reinvent the wheel...it's holding

the new fence just fine.

From my post about the wild horse adoption and the Faces of the Homeless, there were lots of questions in the comments...sorry that I haven't answered them. But they are good, serious questions that deserve more than a brief blurb. I'm going to do a post, and try to answer all of your questions...see you then!