Getting My Blog Started

Daughter Courtney is showing me how to set up a blog so I can share mine and our family's experiences with all who are interested. It is none too soon (over 6 months since we moved). This is for those of you who want to keep track of the Villhauer family and our adventures on the farm. And, I hope that some of the stories, experiences, trials and triumphs will be of interest and help to others wanting to know about small farm living.

Our first challenge with this blog is going to be getting it to go back in time to post our first challenge, which was purchasing the farm, and then getting moved in.

My first blog attempt was published, and then I had no time to add to it. Down in Florida for Christmas with my extended family for the holidays, and with twin sister Carol's help, (She has a farm blog.), I decided to change the blog host to the one she uses. So here it is!

For Better Or For Worse

     Like marriage, when we take on an animal, we should commit to its care even at times when it may not be doing too well, and requires extra time and attention.  I had a chicken concern last week.....the two hens hadn't laid for 2 days and one looked kind of sick.....thought maybe she had a cold
                                                     too. Even the dog seemed mopey and

Abbey was having eye and ear issues. I guess because my cold had gotten me so down and lasted over a week, I was thinking every one was getting it.  Wednesday evening, the chicken was standing in the fountain water, drinking and looking like she was falling asleep. I could pick her right up, which I did... and while I was holding and petting her, a shell-less egg came out, down my pants and onto my shoe.  I was concerned about her being egg bound.

One treatment I found on several sites was: "A warm water bath can also be of great help (shallow water, of course, you don't want to drown the hen).  Often the hen will pass the egg into the water. Make the water as warm as you would like to take a long soak in."
     It is interesting that when I put the hen back down, she got back in the fountain and I decided to add warm water to it for her, and she stayed in there awhile. This was after the egg had already come out on my leg, but before I read about this as a treatment.  I just thought she looked cold and that warm water would help.

       There were two eggs laid Friday... so I was hopeful that the red hens were back into the swing of things.  All our chickens spend a lot of time in the barn during the day.  They love picking through horse manure... really make a mess of it in the stalls if I don't get them cleaned out first thing in the morning. They also dig through the manure pile regularly.  I find them resting in the horse stalls on the clean bedding and sitting around the feed bins sometimes.  I never should have given handouts of sweet feed to them while there in the barn. The red hens are not as pushy/mean to the Plymouth Rocks and they are all about the same size now. The roosters may be larger than the red ones at this point.

     The horses are settling in more and more each day. The vet (Emily) came out Thursday to check Onyx's eye, teeth and do a base line blood work up. Onyx's teeth are good.....we will decide on floating in the Spring.  I am having the full blood work up done at the U of I in Champaign.  Emily thought Onyx's weight looked good. (I think she has filled out these past several weeks.)  So hopefully the issue of keeping on weight is not a problem. The one bad piece of info is the white spot in the right eye. Emily says it is a cataract that could have been there since birth. She also doesn't think Onyx has any vision in that eye.  The occasional blinking is from touching the eyelashes. She did say it might be possible that Onyx sees some (shadows) when her pupils are dilated.  So....I guess I bought a horse that is blind in 1 eye. I know.....buyer be ware at those auctions.  But, for better or for worse... I will do the best I can for this horse.  I don't think it is going to make a huge difference with her trail riding. I just need to keep it in mind while working with her and riding her.
    
     Britney came for the weekend, and neither of us had a huge amount of school work to do, so we walked, hung out, and she got to meet the new horses and cow.






     We even got a bunch more work done around here. We had a busy, productive weekend. We moved some more bales of hay around, transplanted some more trees and bushes and worked on moving the 13 tons of dirt that arrived Friday afternoon.  We are filling in some around the corner of the garage where the drive curves, raising the ground level behind the barn where the horses have to step up to get into the stall, adding dirt to the garden area to raise it up some, and filling in the multitude of holes + dips in the yard, round pen, and pastures. 

     Courtney and I (with help of Mike, Dan, Britney and Joe) got Zorro loaded in 42 min. on Sat. It took 2 hours the first time with our trainer's help.  Once Zorro was loaded Sat. we went down to Marj's and unloaded both of them.



This is where we tie the horses to groom and tack them.

    

      




Courtney leads Zorro into the arena.





Marj shows Courtney several ground exercises.












Then Courtney works on her own.

 

Marj does some desensitizing.

Then it is on with the saddle.







 And Courtney is off and riding.


After getting pictures of Courtney's lesson, I went ahead and worked Onyx at the end of the big riding arena. I needed some help at one point, which I got from Marj while Courtney was  practicing.


     A little later Richard (Marj's husband) who is a no nonsense kind of guy, stepped in to help me.  Wow....did he ever have a way with Onyx. Britney said he reminded her of "The Horse Whisper".  He was really tough on Onyx, but in no time had her complete attention, submission, and respect.  After our 1 1/2 hour lesson(s) it took 30 min to load Zorro.  This time Richard stepped in after about 15 min when we weren't getting anywhere.  In 15 min he had Zorro walking on to the trailer. Amazing.

     This week has gone pretty fast.  I still have this daw gone cold.  Joe has been super busy at work.  I rode Onyx Monday at my lesson and my trainer is letting me barrow a saddle and bridle until I buy one.

       I won my flight (C group-which is made up of the worst golfers) in the golf tournament Tuesday.  That's the first I have golfed in 3 or 4 weeks.  I hit my drives farther than ever before.  It must be all that horse wrangling I have been doing, built up some arm muscle.

     Onyx is finally lunging quite well, and very responsive to the bit I am using.  Actually , there is no bit, just a nose and chin strap (called a hackamore)  I rode her around the big pasture Wednesday.  She was tentative but willing, although pushed the speed of her walk when we were
headed back towards the barn.  I did
several loops of the figure 8 which I had mowed a while ago. Onyx jumped once when a morning dove flew up from the grass right in front of her, and was concerned along the front with the traffic near by. But it was fun, felt good, and seemed safe. 

     Courtney arrived just after I put the saddle back. I showed her how to drive Zorro away when he cuts in during the lunging.  We also lunged him with the saddle on and then Courtney rode him.  Zorro kept grabbing the lower chain of the hackamore in his mouth. He is such an ornery little punk. He did not respond too well to the turning with the hackamore, but did respect it when pulling back for stopping. He needs a bit. Courtney also needs to get a saddle.  

     Chuck is doing well and appears happy here on our farm.

Feeling Comfortable

     Things are going well. I must admit I had been nervous the whole weekend Zorro had arrived.  I just worried about SOOO much.  Was Zorro feeling okay? (He has had some loose stools, has laid down a few times and was pawing when tied up.)  I got up early and went to bed late Sat-Tue to walk him around and check on him.  I was worried about he and Onyx getting along; worried about how it is going to go when we go to load either of them on a trailer; worried about Zorro "pushing" Courtney around; worried about Courtney, Joe, Dan or I getting hurt by one of these horses; worried about surprise expenses (vet visit etc.)  By the end of last week things
                                                                                   finally seemed
to be coming customary.  We are all settling into a routine and I am feeling comfortable with this new norm.  Onyx has figured out which is her stall now and goes right through her old one.  Poops are looking more normal.  The horses are becoming good friends and learning what we expect of them.  I know I will become more and more relaxed and comfortable as time progresses.

     I bought a used saddle last week that ended up not fitting so I had to return it.  I had another lesson with Marj. She is training me as much or more than she is Onyx. 

     Joe bought a used round pen off Craig’s list.  We got it put together and set it up in the old orchard, right near the barn for convenience.












     It has a walk through gate for easy access.  I have used it some, but need to get in there and level off the ground and fill in some of the holes and ruts.  The area also has old thistle stems that are like big sticks sticking out of the ground that I want to remove.  I have let the horses graze in there a few times to help “mow” it down some. 

      Joe bought an old, used dirt bike.  It is actually fairly small but should be fun for the non horse people to ride.  Dan helps Joe unload it and Joe goes for a spin.

     Then Joe gives Dan instruction and Dan is off and running/riding.  The head light and tail light are broken, so the bike will not be ridden after dark or go out on the road.  Jason, the manager of Beck’s Seed, has given us permission to ride horses and motorcycle on the dirt roads around the seed plots.  We need to get a motorcycle helmet... the roller blade helmet is lame.

       Monday night Marj came over to help us load Zorro on the trailer.  We had tried Sunday with no luck.  Well, it took us two hours to get him to go on.  We tried several different approaches.  Marj also worked with him quite a bit to wear him down.  He is a stubborn little boy at times, but once he knows who is boss, I think he will be good to work with.  Being so young though, I know he is going to keep testing us and “pushing the envelope”. 
Here he is watching Joe hook the
trailer to the van.  We ended up using Onxy after about an hour, to put her on so Zorro would feel more comfortable about getting on.  Onyx loaded right on the trailer and stood in there for the next hour.  She has come a LONG way since our first trailer loading.  Next Monday I am going to try out some saddles at Marj’s and hope to borrow (or maybe even buy) one.

     Chuck has been “feeling his oats”  The other night when I went to bring the horses in, he came charging along behind them.  Usually he stops a good distance away, but this time he kept on a comin'.  I didn’t want him to get too close so I threw up my hands and yelled.  Well he stopped, but pivoted, jumped and kicked up his heals all at the same time.  Then he jumped


up and down like a frisky goat.  He is so cute.... but I need to be careful around him....and he needs to learn to stay back... or some one might get hurt, like ME.  Here he is hiding in the tall grass to take his nap.



     Our hay was cut Friday night and we bailed it Monday afternoon.  We didn’t harvest the back pasture, only the two front ones, but got just over 300 bales this time.  These are much better hay bales.  We even sold some right out of the field.....to the lady who sold me the saddle.....which she
                                                     picked back up when getting the hay.

Never a dull moment here at the ranch.










     Some old bales that aren’t going to be very good eating.... we have sold to a lady (cheep) who needs them for seating at an outdoor country wedding.











These are the 100+ bales we sold right off the bailing wagon, with Dan and his two friends who were our hired helpers.
       

Horsing Around

     Wow....has this ever been a very busy week and weekend.  Courtney bought a horse (a Paso Fino named Zorro) who was delivered on Friday at about 6pm.  Here he is being backed off the trailer.  The two ladies (Linda
                                                     and Shelley) who brought him from

Michigan wanted to be sure Courtney felt comfortable with him and that he was okay after the long drive here. 






 




 



     First we turned him lose in the paddock  to let him stretch his legs and get his bearings.  He seemed to think food was more important than walking around.


     Then Linda got him, walked him around, gave him a chance to meet Onyx, and brought him back around
to the front of the barn.




     Next she and Courtney saddled him up so Courtney could ride.  Linda went first and then Courtney had her fun.
















     It was getting late and getting dark, so there was not a lot of time to ride.

      Anyway, it had gotten so late, they took me up on my offer for dinner and spending the night. We put the pony they had brought along to keep Zorro company, in one stall, Onyx in the other and Zorro shared the paddock with Chuck. 

        Saturday morning, Linda (Zorro’s owner) put one of her extra saddles
on Onyx and gave her a try.  Then she
had me climb aboard. 







 







     Linda lead Onyx around at first
and then turned me loose with my new horse.





     Next Courtney was put aboard Zorro and then we rode around the paddock together.
















     We also decided that the two horses were getting along so well, that we would put them out together.  Onyx is definitely the lead horse, but Zorro is a very willing follower, and actually prefers to be near her.


 










     Chuck just eats grass, stays out of their way, but watches and likes to be fairly near by. 

       Carol arrived a few hours after the two ladies left.  Saturday afternoon and most of the day Sunday we had a good time talking, walking the dogs, and messing around with the horses. I wanted to keep an eye on Zorro, to be sure he was adjusting okay.  We were a little concerned about colic yesterday because he had some rather loose stools earlier in the day, and had laid down twice. We rotated the horses off and on the pasture 2 times but mostly kept them in the paddock. I walked Zorro around when I had seen him lie down the first time. 
The second time he was just rolling in the dirt.  By evening his stools were much better....so I think he will be fine, Carol brought lots of garden produce, so we had a vegetarian dinner Sat. night. Sunday we did a few chores, and continued to mess around with the horses, walk and talk.  It rained several times throughout the day.  It was a nice lazy day.

        Last Monday I had a training session with Onyx at Marge’s that went very well.  However, getting Onyx in the trailer was problematic. She went in fairly well, but I didn't get her hooked up fast enough and Dan did not get the butt bar latched quick enough and Onyx backed out of the trailer.  But I had no rope attached to her halter at that point, cause I was trying to get her hooked in the trailer and she got lose in the yard.  We managed to coral her back into the paddock, re-grouped and tried loading her again.  The second time, she had all 4 feet in the trailer but backed out immediately.  The third time she would only put her front feet in.  (By then I was a half hour late and running a gamut of emotions.)  I tried calling Marge, my instructor, but she didn't answer. (She was on the mower)  So then I decided to walk Onxy around so that we could both calm down.  After about 10 min when she was more relaxed and I got my nerve back up, we tried loading her again. She went in and I got her hooked up and Dan got the butt bar down and we were off for Marge's.  Marge worked with Onyx first. She would show me an "exercise" and explain its purpose and cue me into the body language I should use and what we should see in Onyx.  Then I would do the same exercise. Marge taught me six different exercises that I will work on all this week.  Onyx got the hang of lunging right away so Marge said she has most likely been lunged before.  Marge uses and teaches the Clinton Anderson training methods. It all makes soo much sense to me and we could see Onyx "getting it" with each new exercise.  Marge says Onyx is a horse that wants to please but has troubles staying focused.  She is smart and caught on quickly though.  We worked for 1 1/2 hours, accomplishing a lot.  When it was time to load to go home, it went very well.  Marge believes this was primarily due to the work we had done with her prior to her getting in.  She was a lot more respectful at the end of the lesson than in the beginning.  So, because of that, she went into the trailer better and is understanding who is in charge.......I think she is learning to trust me as well.
       When I tried working Onyx here at home by myself, I was not near as successful.  I e-mailed Marge, decided to go back Friday for another lesson, and she worked with Onyx for an hour.  Again when I brought Onyx home, she would not lunge for me, so Marge came over right away and worked with her 15 more min.  Then when I tried, I had success.  I am still nervous about the whole thing....so need to work through that.  We had planned to continue to let Onyx settle in some more and get some of the groundwork exercises done before riding her. We also need to find some time to try on some different bridles and I need to buy a saddle.
        The first egg laying chicken figured out to lay in the nest box after 4 days.  Then a second one started laying, but the eggs were shell-less.  She was “dropping” them from the roost area and most broke from the 6” fall.  The others I gave to the dog.  Three days ago the eggs started coming out with hard shells and in the nest box....so all is well in the chicken coop.
        Our Bible Study Group is coming at noon today for a picnic and farm tour/visit. I have school work, need to clean house, and am going to do some cooking.