organize it

The vet clinic had rightly fully cancelled our stables vaccine clinic, which was scheduled right in the middle of March. They needed to assess protocols, evaluate what was important, etc. I was a bit worried because mosquitos are already out in force, but they know best and humans come first! They rescheduled with some tight parameters: only the barn owner would get and hold horses, most people did not need to be there.

Except for tricky Major. My delicate flower needs to be watched all day, as every single year he has had a reaction. They are milder now that we have a better protocol, but I still like to keep an eye on him.

So Major went first, I tied him and left the area, the vet (my favorite one!) walked up and gave Major what he needed this year, very minimal! And no IV banamine. For a few years that had really helped…but then it gave him ulcers. The vet laughed at that memory, how difficult can you be Major?! He did a quick assessment on Major and noted his weight was about 1050 (that is what not riding gets us!). (Note: if you do a few simple things with this clinic including dental, basic health exam, vaccines and fecal test, you get the colic protection plan, worth $5000, and other benefits.)

The vet stepped away, I untied Major and put him back in his pasture to finish breakfast. Now I had about six hours to kill, and needed to stay out of the way of the barn and vet. What to do…it would have been more fun to sit in the wood chair under the oak tree and just listen to the horses chew their breakfasts (I did that for a bit) but then I started my yearly chore: clean my trailer.

Major judging all my his stuff

Now the trailer has not gone anywhere for a month (nor it is planning too), but a year of grime had definitely built up inside. How does that much dust make it into even the corner behind piles of buckets? Of yeah, because horses and everything about them (ride camps, staging areas, tack) is dusty!

I started by just emptying most of the stuff out, having a keep pile, toss pile and donate pile. I was a bit more ruthless than in previous years, because if I haven’t used that green beta halter-bridle that I bought at the tack sale ten years ago maybe I don’t need it! A few other things resembled that: a thin girth Major doesn’t like, four soaking boots (they can live at home), a glue gun for a product that isn’t made anymore…

much neater, the floor is not gray dust!

I went to check on Major, he was done eating breakfast, but I took him out to eat some grass, good for the digestion I say. I kept an eagle eye on him, which he was mostly annoyed at, but he seemed ok, temp normal.

I'm fine mom, don't bother me, I'm eating

So back to work, and it took quite a while to wipe out all the dust (and cobwebs, and flyspecks!), and I finally re-organized my larger shelves: blankets/coolers, tarps/rope/safety, fly masks/towels. My smaller shelves are trailer needs (high-ties/ropes), and bathing stuff (sponges/soaps).

and found Major's birthday hat, soon to be used!

oh so organized…for now…

Went to check on Major again, oh great, now he’s laying down. Worried, but it was just a morning nap, whew! I finished my trailer chores, glad to have gotten that accomplished, and headed home. I checked on Major again that night (a bit stiff) and the next day (subdued and a little stiff, but eating grass and normal temp). Though I feel bad because some banamine might have made him feel bit better, I don’t think the ulcers are worth it in this case (mild reaction).

on the left, portable battery fan, been great this winter to keep mold away!

So we’re all dressed up with no where to go, but that’s ok. When we do finally travel somewhere it’ll be great!

seriously, I'm fine, can't you just let me eat without staring?