June 14, 2023
Good things are happening on the hill. I have 2 super SKILLS student workers, Fidel and Asia and John, another super student starting when High School is finished. Our main focus has been Fences and fencing. Fiona was a big help NOT!! On the front fields we have had to replace 40 + posts, there will be more posts needed, when we tackle the back 2 fields. We have wire in place, one more corner post and we will be able to tighten the wires. It will be a grand day for the herd when they will be able to move to summer pasture.
Preparing for summer visitors, includes making the place pretty, planting the flower tubs, much weeding, mowing and refurbishing the farm truck. My thanks to Bev and Scott Haslam for finding a new bench seat for the truck box so our visitors can enjoy the farm tour in comfort. My truck tour is famous, maybe infamous, for the joy ride down and up over the hills of the south pastures.
Nutrition is always a hot topic at the Sanctuary, for the horses and myself. I take a lot of supplements in the winter, it is cheaper to get them in the bottle than buying the fresh raw food needed to provide the nutrition I need. It is a great day when I can forage for greens, start a garden and get my vitamins and minerals from nature. The same for the horses, we can supplement all we want, but it is difficult to improve on nature. It makes such a difference when the herd can hit the grass. Us oldies have always called it Dr. Green. It concerns me to see so many horses wearing blankets after winter is over. How are they going to get their Vitamin D? The concern: that horses must have strong bones. Vitamin D is a known factor. 25 years ago Dr. Meek advised me to take 2000mg of Vitamin D to keep my bones strong. If I need that much, the question is how much does a horses need to keep the bones strong? I feel that blankets and flysheets are preventing the sun from doing its job. The second question is, if they insist on using the full body covers, winter and summer, especially on young horses, are they supplementing their diet with extra Vitamin D? That is a question for further research. Another of my pet peeves, horses in the field with their tails braided. I do not know the reasoning that anyone would take away the horses’ best fly defence. The fly whacking potential is so much better with a full flowing tail. In my experience braiding the tail breaks the hair at the top, so in the end you do not have a full flowing bushy tail.
Zoe Novaczek has been a Trailblazer for close to 25 years, and since Maxine retired last fall to build her tiny home, Zoe has been managing the barn. Trailblazers are now under her leadership and doing great things in the barn with the horses. The Smalls program (ages 6 – 9) will be starting soon. It just hasn’t been decided on the day. It is hoped that Trailblazers will be able to assist with the little ones. But to find a day is the question, that time has come when the older Trailblazers are working at summer jobs so days are scarce when they can all be together. Our Smalls program is 2 hours long and an introduction to barn chores and fun with the herd. There is no set fee, you can make a donation to help with the barn keeping. The day is under discussion, keep an eye on the Website and Facebook pages for news.
I am not poor, I just spend all my pension keeping the farm and the horses healthy. We (the directors and I) am most grateful for any donations. We get regular donations through PayPal from the Web Page. This winter has brought several large donations in lieu of flowers from friends of the Sanctuary. So sad for the lost of friends, but it is lovely that they remember the Farm Truck drive. Tack has been donated, that we can sell or share. The Sanctuary does not have charitable status to provide a tax break, so I am very thankful to folks who love horses and the care we give. Except horses, I cannot accept anymore horses. There is a lot of generosity and kindness shown to Handibear Hills Horse Sanctuary. Thank you. Love and hugs from Yogi and the herd.