November 24, 2021
We prepared for a storm, the big blow. Monday night the wind did blow, Tuesday was a fizzle, we will see what Wednesday brings. Cape Breton certainly did not escape the battering. There are a few good things when you live on a hill. Of course we have not walked the fences yet. The wind loves to topple my old trees.
On Sunday, Peas tangled with some wire, it caused a nasty abrasion on her left hind leg. Of course mishaps usually happen after hours and on weekends . I am most fortunate to have KVC on tap. Dr. Versteeg came within the hour and tended to the wound. I gave her a booster shot of Tetanus Toxoid. I always keep a couple of treatments on hand for emergency. We always vaccinate for Tetanus (lockjaw) in the spring. I was taught to always boost again if there is an open wound injury. Large open wounds on legs are difficult to heal. Time will tell if we are doing a good job.
There was lots of barbed wire fences on the land years ago. I have tried to eliminate all of it. Two or three times a year we walk the land and check fences for anything that will harm the herd. The wire seems to find ways to surface. Especially now when the ground is wet and muddy. Maxine and Kim walked the fences and found the scene of the crime. I replaced all the barbed wire fencing with 3 strands of straight wire, perhaps the barb wire gremlins are angry at me. Murphy’s law has been busy this week.
Trailblazers herd management this time around, was to deworm the herd. They learned to measure and weigh the horses. This is important because we treat according to their weight. I buy the product in 200ml packaging. So they also learned to draw the meds from the bottle. And everyone treated a horse or two. That was a feel good day for me. I don’t want to give those pesky parasites a chance to sit in the gut system and eat any of my hard earned feed. The fall treatment is to eliminate the bot larvae. |You have to wait for a hard frost to keep the flies out of the picture before you treat for Bots, it was a long weight this fall. Now that cooler weather is with us, It is time to remove the fly stickers from each stall. I think I will start removing them from my apt as well. There was a terrible host of flies this fall.
The Sanctuary and I are most fortunate to have Maxine Williams living at the barn. She loves horses, she knows horses, and she understands the work that needs to be done. Maxine is Covid’s gift to the barn. March 2020, Max and her partner emigrated to Canada and PEI on the essential worker program. Gert is driving long hall and is away many weeks at a time. The country closed down about a week after they arrived. I had offered them accommodation on their arrival, they are still at the Sanctuary. Lucky Us!! My knees are feeble, I am a bit feeble too. Having Max at the Sanctuary, to my hearts delight we have been able to restore the Trailblazer Youth Program, Ladies night, and the popular Smalls Sunday program . She is the energy and the legs of our programs. An anonymous donor has been covering her wages. A horse farm is not a 40 hour week job especially in the winter, we are underpaid, but we do it for the love of the horses. Love and hugs from Yogi and the herd.