Teaching Us A Lesson

 Yesterday had Hubbs and I heading in opposite directions, so, we kept the horses in for the morning.  It was soggy wet and foggy with temperatures in the 40's... perfect weather for ducks!  (Of which we only had 2!  It seems we are the cold weather hang-out, but not the rainy day hang-out for the 80-some wild ducks who stop quite often for breakfast.)

Apparently, the horses were a little upset with their circumstances, because they all chose to roll in the mud and completely cover themselves in filth.  

When I arrived home in the afternoon, I was greeted by a herd that looked like this...

Scarlet was the only one who showed any common sense.

Seeing the boys in such an awful shape, I grabbed a towel and some brushes and set out to clean them up.

After brushing off about a bushel of grime, they were still a little wet in some places, but at least had the worst of it removed.

Their furry coats provide a layer of insulation that keeps them warm during the winter.  However, when that insulation is soaked and muddy, adequate loft cannot be attained to keep them warm.  I'll most likely need to brush them all again today after they are completely dry.

As I worked, everyone thoroughly investigated the tools,

Ollie opted for a cover-up.

I am guessing they are hoping that they taught me a lesson.  

They'll be going out to pasture today.  Hopefully they will all roll in the grass and remove some more of the dirt in their coats.

Not perfect, but certainly better than they were... I moved from the herd to the pig yard to say hi to the girls.  Hearing me, Ginger came out of the house first,


followed by Faith, and then MaryAnn.


It seems that they have just become one happy family. For this I am so very grateful!


We've had to close the hens up in their yard for safekeeping this week.  We suffered a predator attack and lost one of our hens.  The only way to discourage this from happening again is to keep the hens in their yard and break the predatory cycle.


Yes, it's always something!  Such is life on the farm.  We must always be ready to adapt!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Yes, if you have animals and acreage, it is always something unexpected happening! We like to let our chickens, turkeys and guineas free range periodically until something happens to kill one. Then they have to stay locked up for days in their over one acre chicken yard. Oh, they are so convincing the grass is greener on the other side of the fence! 😂 RHill, TX
THE BEARDED ONE said…
THESE ARE ALWAYS AMAZING AND VERY INFORMATIVE...WHEN I HAD HORSES THEY DID THE SAME THING AND THEY HAD A BIG PASTURE TO LIVE IN...I NEVER CLOSED THEM IN EEXCEPT WHEN I FED THEM AND RUBBED THE DOWN...BUT..THEY LIKED THE MUD..SMILING...KEEP SMILNG SENDING US BEAUTIFUL PICS AND LOTS OF PRECIOUS COMMENTS...HAVE A SUPER DUPER FANTASTIC DAY !!!!!
Jeannie said…
This post was very interesting. I admire horses, but they have always been a mystery to me. I like the insight you provide into their hidden lives.