April 27, 2022
Sometimes horse hair, dirt and dog slobber is good for the soul. Depression is a difficult condition to overcome. Mine was brought on by poverty and hitting brick walls, building a place to live, childcare, etc etc. With the help of a full time job, my doctor’s little pink pills, my brother the Psychologist, checking out the fact that I needed better nutrition to fight the dark days. He bought me a 15 cu ft. deep freezer and for ten years sent a winters supply of B vitamins and other winter supplements. Just about the time it was difficult to get fresh greens from the garden, and I certainly didn’t have the money to buy any. I was thoroughly chastised by the brother!! (Did I forget everything I learn about nutrition at University????!!!) He was right, Vitamins and Mineral supplements add to good health for people as well as animals. As a farmer I knew that. But when you are down, it is really hard to make good decisions. I found with a steady income it was easier to plan and with better nutrition it gave me the energy to follow through with the plans. Children and Horses did save the day. No matter how down you are, you have to provide meals and get the barn chores completed. During that time there were only 2 horses. The horses appreciated the effort probably more than the child. Some days it took all day just to get that done. Life got easier when I went back to my roots with a better garden, foraging the woods, raising some livestock. I was eating much better. The greenhouse on the front of the house made it possible for me to have greens all winter and flowers in the spring. All this lifted the spirits immensely.
Nothing has changed much, Vitamins and Minerals are the same. The science of nutrition has changed, it has become very precise. Now we know precisely why an apple a day keeps the doctor away. We know now why fish gives brains. We know why selenium is so important for the animals and us. I have fed a cattle mineral for 20 years or so. I had to stop due to the warning, that it may contain a medication toxic to horses. I put out an ALERT on the Facebook page and this column in February. I found a new replacement mineral from Ilsleys Feeds. It has everything the herd needs. The only BUT, the word horse is on the bag, so the same 25kg is 3 times the cost of the cattle mineral and CRA demands HST. In their minds horses are not livestock. Ours is not to question or reason why??
I know the rain will help the pastures, I just wish it could be a warm rain. It has been a difficult winter keeping weight on the old ones short on teeth. Obie’s teeth are worn to the gums. Art has a loose tooth and food gets stuck. We pull out his tongue and pull out the wad of hay that lodges between the teeth. The oldies are taking their time to shed out, which is not a good thing. The problems are age related and just gives the job of horse keeping the necessity of attention to detail.
To date Maxine has plans for Wednesday and Thursday day camps. The first week will be June 29 and 30. And every week thereafter during the summer. We will be posting on the FB page and the Website. Handibear Hills Horse Sanctuary.com. And now with the weather a little warmer we will be providing Comfort Around Horses, for Ladies night and perhaps for Laddies night if there is a need. It will depend upon the number of students I will be given through the provincial student grants. There is lots of work preparing the farm for the summer. I hope we have a busy summer with tourists. We are a destination described in the PEI book of “Must See” by Erin Moore. The farm truck with a new battery is ready to go to the fields to visit the herd. A major reason the Island is so pristine: The month of May is road side cleanup. Get your bags at New London Waste Centre.
Be kind, give a horse a hug. Love and hugs from Yogi and the herd.