The older I become, the more horse crazy I get

Just a backyard rider trying to survive in the horse world.  Owner of a spoiled brat named Mary, who drives me insane just as much as she teaches me.  

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Current Reba beba update. We reached the point where she was allowing me to touch her, and then we had a big backslide because she got a cut and needed antiseptic...so back to square one. Just practicing eating with me near by, you can tell she's still not comfortable with it yet. She'll take a few bites and then step back and pause before approaching again. I'm trying hard not to move and just be there still. This is actually progress, she wouldn't even come up to her food bowl for the first few days after the antiseptic treatment if I was nearby, so the fact that she's even eating at all is a good start.

This approach is advice I got from the Shawna Karrasch clinic I went to a few years ago, and met at women who work at the rescue Reba came from. Like I said, we had made some strides with it, I could rub Reba on the back and neck for about 5 seconds before she would step away (key word step and not bolt away) so I'm sure we'll be able to get back there again soon.

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Still working mostly on just getting Reba settled, her personality is starting to come out as she gets more comfortable. Also learning the difference between a horse and a mule, had to redo my divider fencing and actually start running electric, after somebody helped herself to my garden and ate all my lettuce plants...

She's still skiddish, but we're making progress :)

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I've kind of been out of my horse girl era, Mary and the pacs have mostly just been hanging out. I'm starting to feel the itch again, and I ordered a new clicker so that Mary and I can start playing around and having fun again together.

Mary has all of her basic skills down, she has no issues with the vet or farrier, and I can easily do any medical treatment without issue, so there hasn't been any pressing need to do anything, which I think has partially been why I haven't been motivated. I think it's also okay to go through phases and not push myself back into it just because.

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I've been excited about miss Reba, but can't forget my OG best girl. Recently celebrated both her 17th birthday and 10 year anniversary together 💞 getting a new project who's an abuse case has been so eye opening on how much I've taken Mary for granted lately. It's actually incredible that she is so smart and curious and brave. Not that I don't think miss Reba will get there, but it's just been a good reminder that we had to build to this point where it's so effortless easy, and that didn't just occur out of nowhere.

Yesterday I let both girls out into my garden area to poke around while I was working there, which they don't have free access to. When I was done and was getting ready to put them back up, I literally only had to pick up the lead rope and Mary saw it from 20 feet away, and she immediately walked herself back into the pasture without me even having to move or intentionally train that as a cue. I really just haven't put that much thought into how much of a relationship we've built and how we can almost read each other's mind at this point, until having the direct comparison of a horse who's had a lot of reasons to not trust people.

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I unfortunately got disgustingly sick immediately after Reba arrived and still haven't fully recovered, so she's just been chilling with Mary, but look at them big ole mule ears on such a petite lady.

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New friend :) Reba is a little mule pony that came from a rescue that does law enforcement seizures. She's blind in her left eye from past trauma, and is low-key still feral. Her and Mary became instant friends. I'm looking forward to gaining her trust and embarking on this new project.

[gallopinggold]

I've kind of been out of my horse girl era, Mary and the pacs have mostly just been hanging out. I'm starting to feel the itch again, and I ordered a new clicker so that Mary and I can start playing around and having fun again together.

Mary has all of her basic skills down, she has no issues with the vet or farrier, and I can easily do any medical treatment without issue, so there hasn't been any pressing need to do anything, which I think has partially been why I haven't been motivated. I think it's also okay to go through phases and not push myself back into it just because.

[gallopinggold]

🌝

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We're all still alive, just chilling to try and survive the 90+ degree days here. The alpacas are obsessed with their fans lol

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There was a murder overnight, and the prime suspect returned to the scene of the crime

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Our first actual big snow of the season! Way less stressful this year now that the shelter has been finished. So spacious, and it's staying dry and much warmer than the outside. Got some straw bedding and lots of hay, so the gals should be warm and cozy overnight.

Mary did not start the day with the blanket on, but she started shivering once her snow blanket melted, so she'll wear that overnight with her cooler underneath until she dries out. The only downside is the girls usually don't go into the shelter until it's been a few hours of weather, but you know, better than nothing.

Also the tank deicer was literally one of the best purchases of 2024 for me, not a hint of ice in the tank today, and it saves so much time, energy, and stress to not have to worry about them having access to water. Makes for much more leisurely mornings too, not having to jump out of bed to go break ice, especially since I put out enough hay that they have 24/7 forage.

[gallopinggold]

Got shocked by our first snow for the winter yesterday. Super dry snow, which is unusual for here, and it was gone by the afternoon, but still came as a surprise

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An exciting weekend at the hobby farm, finally finishing up the DIY shelter! The previous shelter worked, but it was a little cramped for the alpacas and Mary, and they were reluctant to go in because of that unless it was very heavy rain. So we added in an extension that was approximately 16ft x 8 ft, which really adds some serious square footage.

It's a little wonky looking, but we didn't use any new materials other than hardware and the roof panels themselves! Everything else is either wood and posts we salvaged from the previous owners, or pallets I've accumulated over the years. So the wood is all a little warped, but it's still solid even if it's not pretty.

The pallet wall isn't super waterproof, but I was mainly using it as a wind block for them. I always save my feed bags since they're such thick plastic, and I used poultry staples to secure them to the pallets to fill in the gaps. I like doing it this way as well so that once we hit summer, I can pull the staples and open the slats back up for some airflow

Still have some work to do, like caulking where the panels join and putting up a tarp perpendicular to the pallet wall so its more protected for our annual snow, but overall a big improvement I'm glad to get done right before we hit the cold rain season.

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The rye grass is coming in strong, we love green grazing in late November

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Exciting morning for the gal pals, they get the leftovers from a party veggie tray to forge for in the pasture

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Sick with Covid for the very first time, but it does mean I get to catch the girls doing some hardcore mid day napping that normally only occurs when I'm at work

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I guess Google's AI will automatically generate "cinematic" photos in my gallery, and I can't with how stupidly funny this one is