A link to my essay just published on Streetlight Mag’s site:
READ IT HERE.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Monday, April 16, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
A sweet ride on the Big Bay
Yesterday afternoon I brought the horses in to relax in the barn with some hay and grooming, and with daughter’s help, got enough done to have time for a ride. Keil’s left hip felt tight to me, as did my own, and there’s nothing better than some walking to loosen things up.
It was nice to leisurely groom, tack up, note the horse hair literally covering the sleeves of my shirt, and get on with no fanfare. We have a new mounting block, one of the standard 3-step ones, in the barnyard. It’s taller of course than the 2-step blocks, but significantly shorter than my rigged up 2-step on two layers of concrete blocks that I have in the arena.
Most regular readers know I had a weak hip several years ago and became stressed about dismounting from the 16.2 Keil Bay straight to the ground. My nervousness transmitted to Keil and mounting was not always the most pleasant part of our ride. He’s sensible, so nothing bad was going on, but I felt my own confidence undermined our rides and I wanted to put a stop to it. The higher mounting block set-up made a huge difference in both mounting and dismounting. Keil quickly adjusted to my getting off at the mounting block and my only worry in the world was that the donkeys quickly formed a habit of waiting until I got on and then pushing the 2-step block off its concrete base. But for the most part the new arrangement saved the day and I no longer stood fidgeting with the mounting block getting it in the perfect position nor did I dread the end of the ride and the drop to the ground.
I’m not sure what prompted me in December to buy this 3-step block for the barnyard, but yesterday when it was time to hop on I had Keil line up to it and before I could second-guess myself, got on. I have this thing about not getting too dependent on having things one/the same way when it comes to riding or for that matter, horsekeeping in general. It’s good to be flexible and in my case it’s good to back down from needing to mount from the very high block. So I was very happy that I got on and off with this 3-step.
The ride was nice. Keil is very wide and it was definitely a stretch through the hips! My heels were not down when it felt like they were nearly perpendicular to the ground but by the end of the ride Keil was looser and so was I.
And in the barn aisle afterward I untacked him and he stood by the bench and I sat cleaning tack and we both had that sweet endorphin muscle release zen feeling going and I realized I hadn’t had even the slightest twinge in my right shoulder.
The Big Bay is good for the body, good for the soul. And he is now 29 years old! This is the year that I am exactly twice his age. But the joy he has brought and continues to bring is an infinite number. We’re a mathematical phenomenon.
It was nice to leisurely groom, tack up, note the horse hair literally covering the sleeves of my shirt, and get on with no fanfare. We have a new mounting block, one of the standard 3-step ones, in the barnyard. It’s taller of course than the 2-step blocks, but significantly shorter than my rigged up 2-step on two layers of concrete blocks that I have in the arena.
Most regular readers know I had a weak hip several years ago and became stressed about dismounting from the 16.2 Keil Bay straight to the ground. My nervousness transmitted to Keil and mounting was not always the most pleasant part of our ride. He’s sensible, so nothing bad was going on, but I felt my own confidence undermined our rides and I wanted to put a stop to it. The higher mounting block set-up made a huge difference in both mounting and dismounting. Keil quickly adjusted to my getting off at the mounting block and my only worry in the world was that the donkeys quickly formed a habit of waiting until I got on and then pushing the 2-step block off its concrete base. But for the most part the new arrangement saved the day and I no longer stood fidgeting with the mounting block getting it in the perfect position nor did I dread the end of the ride and the drop to the ground.
I’m not sure what prompted me in December to buy this 3-step block for the barnyard, but yesterday when it was time to hop on I had Keil line up to it and before I could second-guess myself, got on. I have this thing about not getting too dependent on having things one/the same way when it comes to riding or for that matter, horsekeeping in general. It’s good to be flexible and in my case it’s good to back down from needing to mount from the very high block. So I was very happy that I got on and off with this 3-step.
The ride was nice. Keil is very wide and it was definitely a stretch through the hips! My heels were not down when it felt like they were nearly perpendicular to the ground but by the end of the ride Keil was looser and so was I.
And in the barn aisle afterward I untacked him and he stood by the bench and I sat cleaning tack and we both had that sweet endorphin muscle release zen feeling going and I realized I hadn’t had even the slightest twinge in my right shoulder.
The Big Bay is good for the body, good for the soul. And he is now 29 years old! This is the year that I am exactly twice his age. But the joy he has brought and continues to bring is an infinite number. We’re a mathematical phenomenon.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Sunday, April 08, 2018
November Hill farm journal, 50
Pollen is floating everywhere now, even with the cold rain and in a few places locally, frost and snow. So many leaves have come out on the trees in the past few days, and my pollinator garden plants are going crazy. Our dogwoods are in full bloom. We have a volunteer baby dogwood blooming near the front of our driveway and are so happy to have it there.
I found the first tick on the Big Bay and the second tick (two total so far) on ME, the carpenter bees are still busy, and I have a bird nest in the “shelter” side of my mailbox. The bird building the nest kicked my little Keil Bay Breyer horse right out of there and I found him lying on the ground about four feet away!
It’s definitely springtime but we continue to have odd weather - 80s for a few days, then back down to low 50s with lows at freezing in the evenings. Our usual temperatures this time of year are highs in the low 60s and lows in the mid-40s. As it is, we seem to fluctuate between early summer temps and winter temps.
I’m working on getting ready for my three honeybee nucs, which are said to arrive the second week of May assuming the weather hasn’t slowed the bees down. I am very excited but need to review all my beekeeping school notes and literature, and plan to do the online “Beekeeping Like A Girl” sessions as well before the ladies arrive.
Yesterday we slept in a little (truly, just a little) and when I looked out the upstairs window this is what I saw:
I found the first tick on the Big Bay and the second tick (two total so far) on ME, the carpenter bees are still busy, and I have a bird nest in the “shelter” side of my mailbox. The bird building the nest kicked my little Keil Bay Breyer horse right out of there and I found him lying on the ground about four feet away!
It’s definitely springtime but we continue to have odd weather - 80s for a few days, then back down to low 50s with lows at freezing in the evenings. Our usual temperatures this time of year are highs in the low 60s and lows in the mid-40s. As it is, we seem to fluctuate between early summer temps and winter temps.
I’m working on getting ready for my three honeybee nucs, which are said to arrive the second week of May assuming the weather hasn’t slowed the bees down. I am very excited but need to review all my beekeeping school notes and literature, and plan to do the online “Beekeeping Like A Girl” sessions as well before the ladies arrive.
Yesterday we slept in a little (truly, just a little) and when I looked out the upstairs window this is what I saw:
What would they do if they could come all the way in?
Monday, April 02, 2018
A day with the Big Bay and a Monday morning hahaha
Yesterday after Cody’s ride with daughter I groomed the Big Bay from head to hoof, brushing out his tail completely, and his mane, and trying to get some of the shedding hair off him. He enjoyed the attention, and I suspect thought we were going to ride. He had come in from the field when he saw me in riding boots and toting my helmet. I took them out in case I had time, but he also needed a hoof trim, so that took precedence.
He was enjoying solo time in the barnyard when husband came out with the rasp, and stood nicely while all four hooves were trimmed. No halter, no holding. I went in and brought out not one but four peppermints, one for each hoof, and gave them to him as the final hoof was being trimmed. He Being the Big Bay, he immediately wanted MORE. But seemed happy enough to lick my hands and shirt for the next 10 minutes.
A couple of weeks ago he and Cody (not sure who, or in what combination) broke the very heavy strip of metal that allows us to use oak boards as stall walls and lower/remove them when needed. The entire piece of metal was bent off the wall and three or four of the boards cascaded down like dominoes on top of each other at that end. I’m grateful no horse was injured! When husband made the repair we decided to take the boards out and let Keil Bay have a double stall. I’m still fretting about him lying down to sleep, though I haven’t seen him doing the nodding off thing in the field at all since the chiropractor was here.
I think he likes the double stall. He’s a large horse and although he always slept in a 12x12 stall with no problems, this double one gives him plenty of room to stretch out. He’s never closed in, but I’m now wondering if maybe he would feel more secure BEING closed in for a couple hours a day. With warmer weather coming I can bring him in during the peak heat time and see if that works.
At the end of the day I was sitting with him in the barnyard and when I finally got my things and headed in the backyard gate, I turned back to see this:
I have no doubts he would follow me right into the house if it were possible. It is always in the back of my mind that it SHOULD be possible. A living room with horses. Wouldn’t it be grand?
I’ve written here before about our issues with neighbors’ dogs running loose and coming in the pastures. We’ve also had issues with coyotes. Once the new fencing was in and the farm became fairly secure against dogs, at least those not able or willing to jump a four or five-foot fence, I’ve been able to relax a little, but I let all the neighbors know several months back after hearing a dog barking in the field one night that I would be calling the sheriff if I found any dogs on my property and if any equine injuries occurred as a result of dogs that don’t belong here would be utilizing NC’s livestock law to recover any medical damages.
All but a couple got angry with me and the neighbors directly adjacent determined their dogs deserve to run free and are so well-trained they don’t need to be on leashes. My response to that was to copy the county dog law and send it to them and to reiterate that I would be suing for damages if I or any of my animals are injured as a result of their dogs running free on our property. So they begrudgingly put their adult kids’ dogs on leashes when they visit and parade up and down our fence line (they have more acres than we do, and plenty of other space to walk the dogs, but our fence line has always been the place they come to, for whatever reason). This morning the adult daughter had her dog out there with a long lunge-line length leash on the dog but wasn’t holding it at all. The dog was trotting along our fence line and the daughter was looking over here watching the donkeys alert, flaunting the fact that she had a leash on but refused to hold it.
I was annoyed (our fence is well inside our actual property line so if the dog is at the fence, they’re trespassing) but not stressed since I doubt this dog would jump in. Cody was on guard and the pony would go after the dog in a split second but really, do my horses and donkeys have to put up with this kind of ridiculous behavior? But I refrained from doing anything other than standing on the front porch keeping an eye on things. Suddenly the dog took off down their long driveway and wouldn’t come back when his owner called. Off he went, running down the lane toward another neighbors’ duck pond, more horses in fields, and I had to laugh at the notion that their dogs are so well-trained they don’t need leashes. The daughter ran to get him and 15 minutes later came back holding the dog’s leash.
Interested to see how the rest of the day goes and if they bring the dog back out to “run free.”
And very happy to have the Corgi run in back so mine can run free without leaving the property. Which begs the update: Baloo allowed me to slip his harness on yesterday! So he’s only a few days away from exploring the new space.
He was enjoying solo time in the barnyard when husband came out with the rasp, and stood nicely while all four hooves were trimmed. No halter, no holding. I went in and brought out not one but four peppermints, one for each hoof, and gave them to him as the final hoof was being trimmed. He Being the Big Bay, he immediately wanted MORE. But seemed happy enough to lick my hands and shirt for the next 10 minutes.
A couple of weeks ago he and Cody (not sure who, or in what combination) broke the very heavy strip of metal that allows us to use oak boards as stall walls and lower/remove them when needed. The entire piece of metal was bent off the wall and three or four of the boards cascaded down like dominoes on top of each other at that end. I’m grateful no horse was injured! When husband made the repair we decided to take the boards out and let Keil Bay have a double stall. I’m still fretting about him lying down to sleep, though I haven’t seen him doing the nodding off thing in the field at all since the chiropractor was here.
I think he likes the double stall. He’s a large horse and although he always slept in a 12x12 stall with no problems, this double one gives him plenty of room to stretch out. He’s never closed in, but I’m now wondering if maybe he would feel more secure BEING closed in for a couple hours a day. With warmer weather coming I can bring him in during the peak heat time and see if that works.
At the end of the day I was sitting with him in the barnyard and when I finally got my things and headed in the backyard gate, I turned back to see this:
I have no doubts he would follow me right into the house if it were possible. It is always in the back of my mind that it SHOULD be possible. A living room with horses. Wouldn’t it be grand?
I’ve written here before about our issues with neighbors’ dogs running loose and coming in the pastures. We’ve also had issues with coyotes. Once the new fencing was in and the farm became fairly secure against dogs, at least those not able or willing to jump a four or five-foot fence, I’ve been able to relax a little, but I let all the neighbors know several months back after hearing a dog barking in the field one night that I would be calling the sheriff if I found any dogs on my property and if any equine injuries occurred as a result of dogs that don’t belong here would be utilizing NC’s livestock law to recover any medical damages.
All but a couple got angry with me and the neighbors directly adjacent determined their dogs deserve to run free and are so well-trained they don’t need to be on leashes. My response to that was to copy the county dog law and send it to them and to reiterate that I would be suing for damages if I or any of my animals are injured as a result of their dogs running free on our property. So they begrudgingly put their adult kids’ dogs on leashes when they visit and parade up and down our fence line (they have more acres than we do, and plenty of other space to walk the dogs, but our fence line has always been the place they come to, for whatever reason). This morning the adult daughter had her dog out there with a long lunge-line length leash on the dog but wasn’t holding it at all. The dog was trotting along our fence line and the daughter was looking over here watching the donkeys alert, flaunting the fact that she had a leash on but refused to hold it.
I was annoyed (our fence is well inside our actual property line so if the dog is at the fence, they’re trespassing) but not stressed since I doubt this dog would jump in. Cody was on guard and the pony would go after the dog in a split second but really, do my horses and donkeys have to put up with this kind of ridiculous behavior? But I refrained from doing anything other than standing on the front porch keeping an eye on things. Suddenly the dog took off down their long driveway and wouldn’t come back when his owner called. Off he went, running down the lane toward another neighbors’ duck pond, more horses in fields, and I had to laugh at the notion that their dogs are so well-trained they don’t need leashes. The daughter ran to get him and 15 minutes later came back holding the dog’s leash.
Interested to see how the rest of the day goes and if they bring the dog back out to “run free.”
And very happy to have the Corgi run in back so mine can run free without leaving the property. Which begs the update: Baloo allowed me to slip his harness on yesterday! So he’s only a few days away from exploring the new space.
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