Handibear Hills Horse Sanctuary
Prince Edward Island | Yogi Fell
May 17, 2023 A little bit of rain falling this evening. It is much needed for newly seeded fields and pastures that have bee slow to green up. My fences at the summer pasture are in bad shape. It will be a while before the herd can be moved. I have a promise of fence …
April 4, 2023 Tiny steps in recovery, it was a big day Monday, I was able to hobble out of the apartment, plop onto my chairlift, do a transfer to the walker and get outside and land my butt into a car seat. All of this in honor of an appointment for an orthopedic consult. …
January 12, 2023 Fiona is the gift that keeps giving. A grove of trees has been the wind shelter for the herd for years. The grove sheltered them from the NNE and SSE winds when munching hay bales and it was a safe place for them during storms. The grove is a mess and very …
December 27, 2022 Happy New Year, may we, herd and all, prosper with good health in ’23. 2022 stretched the learning curve, just a whole lot more than I liked. We survived. Fiona knocked a lot of us on our butts. It will be a while to recover from that blow. Today Allen and Erik …
December 15, 2022 I am in recovery mode. Recovery from the worry of storm prep. The big worry, “will we lose power”. That put me busy preparing the generator. Will the west door be snowed in, then I found the shovel and hung it by the door. The stalls were prepared with hay and water …
November 29, 2022 Today the sun is shining and that is a plus in the lifting of spirits. The herd is sorting themselves out since the loss of their mates. The pecking order has changed, day to day their order of entering the stable changes. Then of course we have changed the …
November 15, 2022 We have survived Fiona, just!! But there is so much wood that has to be moved. One man on a regular basis, 3 hours at a time is not going to put much of a dent in the wood mass. But the good thing is a spot is being cleared in …
October 22, 2022 21 days without power was discouraging. I do have a generator, costly to run though. It gave us water and barn cleaner and lights in the barn. The workshop, tack room, and my apartment are on a different circuit. No lights gave me the excuse to hit the feathers with my …
September 30, 2022 It has been a grand summer, Maxine and 2 Trailblazers did the 11K Gunn’s bridge loop today. It was reported that the flies were not too bad possibly due to the lovely breeze. They met some motorcycles on the way. A most respectful meeting ensued. This makes me happy, it is always …
September 28, 2022 And wasn’t that a blow? I have trees down everywhere, much the same as everyone else. I have a great crew helping. The Bunkhouse flipped but does not appear twisted. The crew is clearing trees so when the time comes it will be cleared to put it to rights again. The …
September 15, 2022 It was said by Frank Baum that “No thief however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire”. I have found that life is a continuing learning experience. Especially with horses. Injured Art has certainly been a learning experience …
August 18, 2022 Marcel Proust said. “Let is be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom”. Hay detail is a big thing with horse farming. I am ever so grateful to John Bagnall, Donald Johnstone, Brian Waugh, Erik Osinga and all my hay …
July 25, 2022 Sunny and warm days have been the norm for the last few weeks. We can’t stop for the rain and it appears we keep on trucking in the heat. I am in awe of my student crew. They kept picking Tansy Ragwort in the barn field. They did not give up in …
July 13, 2022 This month Grandfathers advice rang true. Truly you get 3 good travelling days, or in our case working days during the full moon phase. Yes in our case it was hay days. I am grateful for good weather and good help to have the loft full of square bales. I remember as …
June 28, 2022 Summer programs, student orientation week, my oh my we are busy, Just preparing the yard and the special activities take a lot of planning. Maxine, the amazing program manager, has it all under control. I am so pleased to have Sanctuary programs continue under her guidance, it is a lovely thing to …
June 15, 2022 Good News, Dr. Green has done a good job. The skinnies have been on the pasture for 3 weeks. They are looking so much better. They finally shed their winter coat. Older horses and those not doing well tend to keep a long winter coat. The second week of June the rest …
May 18, 2022 Spring is finally showing us a bit of rain today and with a bit of heat it should bring on the pasture grass. The olders of the herd really really need Dr. Green. This is a term most of us old farmers use when the new pastures will put on a bit …
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, …