Thursday, July 05, 2007

Happy hay day.....

it is my opinion (such that it is) there are just some things one must do to be considered a "real horse person"... now, don't take me wrong here, if a person is taking lessons and doing whatever they can to be around horses, and working on their skills, there is a lot to be said about that... I did it for years before I bought my first horse, Silver. But once you own a horse and get the full measure of what it is all about, only then do you appreciate what this "love" is all about.

So, just what are these "things" that makes you a horseman... well, I think mucking stalls and chipping ice of out buckets on a day in January when it's about 10 degrees qualifies as one, changing your whole day's schedule so you can be there when the vet arrives, is probably another one... AND... bringing in hay on the 4th of July is definitely another one!!!!! Such was the case yesterday!!!!


Ed had all good plans to finish up the front yard, but then I broke the news that a load of hay was coming in, and he (happily) said that would be more important. So, we headed over to Teresa's and then to the hay barn to pick up a load and get it into the barn. It was fun work, the four of us work well together (Teresa, David, Ed and I) and we made short work of it!!!! Still have a few more loads to do, but this was certainly a good start.

The hay this year is real nice. The hay man (another David) said its the nicest he has seen in almost 10 years. He also said, though, if we are going to luck out on a second crop, we need some rain.... badly!!! But for this cut, its been perfect weather. I know the horses were certainly excited to get a taste of it last night.

After we finished with the hay, and had a wonderful lunch prepared by Teresa, I took advantage of some "extra hands" and got Tonka into his harness. He was a bit jumpy at first, so I asked Teresa to "get onto his head" and be my guide for awhile. He finally settled into it and we did some pretty good ground driving. I really need to do more harness work with him, but I find that I need the extra hands around and probably will for a while yet. There's more to this than meets the eye, and I have a real appreciation for quiet carriage horses. One day, Tonka and I will be in that place, but for now, it's slow and steady work.
After a day full of farm work and horses, we headed over to the Flagg's for an evening cookout. Good food all around, however, a steady rain showed up about that time, so plans for the fireworks were cancelled. All in all, it was a great 4th of July and I hope all of you can say the same.......