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<\/p>\nThere are no days off when you have animals in your life.\u00a0\u00a0Despite the time spent I wouldn\u2019t trade my lifestyle for anything.<\/p>\n
My mornings begin at 7:00am when I head straight out to feed the horses breakfast.\u00a0\u00a0My horses eat a local grass hay which is a mix of Timothy, orchard, brome, and clover.\u00a0\u00a0After feeding I prepare the next 24 hours of meals so come feeding time I can just grab and go.\u00a0\u00a0Each horse also eats different amounts so if someone else needs to throw them a meal it\u2019s all ready for them.<\/p>\n
When I return to the barn to clean the cats are waiting patiently for their kibble.\u00a0\u00a0There is Kitty Cat who adopted me five years ago, Whiskey Kitty who I had fixed about four years ago and who permanently moved in last year, and most recently Smokey Kitty who I had fixed this winter.\u00a0\u00a0They all tolerate each other which makes me happy.\u00a0\u00a0Cats are loved and fed so I\u2019m off to clean manure.<\/p>\n
From about November through May my horses come into their stalls at night so I clean every morning.\u00a0 I use local pine shavings that are bagged.\u00a0\u00a0I wish I had a spot for bulk delivery to be housed.\u00a0 With our winter snow it\u2019s just not an option to have them delivered outside.\u00a0 Once stalls are clean I add a scoop of pelletized bedding to the urine spots and cover with shavings.\u00a0\u00a0Shavings are added as needed.\u00a0 I clean the auto-water bowls and clean the feed\/supplement buckets daily.\u00a0\u00a0Lastly, I vacuum the barn aisle.<\/p>\n
From about May through October the horses live outside 24\/7.\u00a0\u00a0I clean the manure in the turnouts daily.\u00a0 I fill water buckets daily and scrub out about weekly.\u00a0\u00a0Manure is disposed of year-round in a dumpster that is emptied weekly.<\/p>\n
Horses are fed, barn chose are done, now it\u2019s time for my breakfast and my cherished morning latte!\u00a0\u00a0If you follow me on Instagram you know how loved it is!<\/p>\n
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In winter my riding and training takes place in late afternoon.\u00a0\u00a0If the horses get sweaty and hot they can just stay in the barn afterward so that timing is best.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s also the warmest part of the day.\u00a0 \u00a0In summer I like to ride in the morning, after chores, before it gets too hot.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s also a lovely way to start the day!<\/p>\n
The horses are fed lunch around 1:00pm year-round.\u00a0\u00a0In winter they are brought inside with the sunset and fed their supplement buckets and a hay snack.\u00a0\u00a0They are fed dinner around 10:00pm.\u00a0\u00a0In summer they are fed supplement buckets and dinner just before dark.<\/p>\n
I water and groom my arena footing bi-weekly depending on traffic.<\/p>\n
The summer months are for farm projects so much of my time is filled with those.\u00a0\u00a0This summer I\u2019m working on adding a layer of stone dust then sand to my turnouts to cover the native dirt which is incredibly slippery when wet.\u00a0\u00a0The turnouts are about half-way complete.\u00a0\u00a0I will finish them this year and they will be rid of mud!\u00a0 I will also be painting my fence posts so I need to finish wire brushing the old paint first.\u00a0\u00a0In July I haul and stack a years worth of hay.\u00a0\u00a0Probably my least favorite job but it keeps me in shape!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Weeding and weed whacking around the farm is never ending.\u00a0\u00a0And then there are the things that you\u2019re never expecting but are just part of it all…broken hot wire, leaky faucet, the vet calls…<\/p>\n
I love having my horses at home.\u00a0 I can imagine it any different despite all the hard work that\u2019s involved.<\/p>\n
For those of you that keep your horses at home, what is your favorite part and your least favorite part of it all?<\/p>\n
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