Bea, My set up is similar to your's except for the separate pastures. I have a 3 stall barn and the stalls open to the pasture and the two horses use two of the the stalls like run-ins. The doors are only closed if the weather is Very bad--blizzard and wind coming from the direction that blows snow into the stalls, or the footing is so icy that it's not safe for them to be out. Usually only happens once or twice a winter for a couple of days. If I had more than two horses or an aggressive one that was picking on the other, I would have to set up separate pastures like you have done. Mine get along fairly well, so they do OK having access to each others stalls. The 3rd stall is extra large (10 x 18 feet) and that is full of hay, like yours. I like to feed hay outside in the pasture unless the weather is nasty, so that's why I take it out a ways into the pasture on the sled (taking it out keeps the manure away from the barn and I don't have to pick it up when it's out a ways--it just composts into the ground naturally). It probably sounds like more work than it really is--I take out only about 25 pounds of hay at a time and divide it into 2 piles. With snow on the ground, the sled glides like butter, but then it's more difficult to walk through the snow ... without the snow, there is more of a drag but easier walking ... although you would be surprised at how easily the flat bottom sled slides even on dry ground. It really isn't a big deal. It just sounds tougher than it actually is.
My friend's horseback coast to coast trip was amazing! She did it in sections because she did the northern route and stopped during the winter. She came home for the winter and had the horses trucked back and forth as she resumed or stopped for the year, except for the last winter when she left them at a ranch in Montana and then drove out the next summer to finish the trip. She also took a year off in between after her father died and she just didn't have it in her to take on such a huge adventure that year. It took her about 3 years to do the whole 4500 miles from the Atlantic Ocean at the eastern most point of the US in the state of Maine to the Pacific Ocean in Washington state. She wanted to go all the way to the western most point of the US, which was Cape Alava, Washington (or something like that) but it wasn't accessible to horses. She found a place close to that for the end point and she gave me a great picture of her and the horses with their feet in the Pacific Ocean. What an adventure!!!! She wants to write a book ... I don't know if she has started it yet, but it was some kind of trip and I can't wait to read more about it. She has told me a lot, but I'm sure there is a lot more that will come out in the book. She didn't have a crew or anything like that--just rode out and looked for a place to stay every night--sometimes at a farm if people let her (people were VERY helpful and were usually very excited to help her), or sometimes just camping out where ever she could find good grazing for the horses, water, and a place to pitch her tent. She is quite an adventurer. She has also hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and many of the NY Adirondack Mountain high peaks and is part of this "I hiked the Peaks" club or something like that. If you want to read news articles about her trip, just do a search on her name Deb Yavorski. A bunch should pop up. It's interesting reading. There is an Arabian farm in Iowa where she stayed for a couple of days that wrote a lot about it and posted a lot of pictures on their website. There was also a short video when she was interviewed by a news person in Illinois that shows the horses walking along the road afterwards. There is a low quality longer video on youtube too. Some guy just stopped her along the road and interviewed her.
Dee, the horse and the farm you described sounds wonderful for getting back into horses! Who knows, maybe after you get the second hip done, you may want to get a horse of your own! If not, I'm sure they have lots of horses at the farm that need riding. Leasing is also very popular where I live because people have horses and don't have enough time to ride them. You may want to explore that route too if you decide you want to ride the same horse more frequently and feel more like you are the "owner". Most of the lease arrangements around here are like this: You just pay for the board or care for the horse if you have the facilities at home and you have use of the horse like you were the owner. You may also need to pay for the farrier. But, it's usually a pretty good deal vs. owning one yourself. I'm so glad you have a date for your second surgery--better to NOT put it off. Hips are funny--they can go downhill very quickly. I can't wait till I discuss my next one with my surgeon. I see him March 19.
Jaycey, I hear you about lifting. I'm being pretty careful. I don't want to mess up this nice new hip. :biggrin: I've found that when carrying water buckets to my horses, it's easier to carry it in the hand on the surgical side. It seems to put less stress on that hip and transfer the extra weight to the other leg. I'm still only carrying 2 or 3 gallons at a time. And, if the weather is warm enough, I only have to carry it about 10 feet to a small water tub just inside the pasture. When it's colder, I have to use the electric heated buckets in the stalls, which is a little farther to go. But, it's working out OK. I love being able to take care of my horses again and it's good exercise too.
I really need to lose weight, and quite a bit of it. I'm usually a very stubborn, motivated person, but eating is my downfall
... I think I might try joining Weight Watchers to get more support and actually have to be accountable, even if it is just to myself and the number in the record booklet they give me. I know I would feel SO much better overall if I lose significant weight, and my new hip will last longer if I don't have so many pounds pounding on it all the time.
I still have a lot of aches and pains in my body that I think may be exacerbated (or even caused) from carrying around so much extra weight. I'm a pretty active fat person, so the hip will see lots of action and wear. My surgeon has already told me that I'll get at least another 5 to 10 years out of my hip if I lose 50 pounds, and that would still leave me quite overweight. He's not expecting me to be skinny minny, but I know he would be happier about this if I lost a good chunk of weight. I know it's best too.
I think I get enough exercise, I just eat too much of high calorie foods, and just pain old too much in general ... and I eat for emotional reasons too. My appetite was still OK after surgery, but I was so focused on the immediate recovery stuff that I didn't think about eating that much, so I ate more reasonable amounts. Now, I'm getting bored more often and also getting nervous about returning back to work and feel myself wanting to eat more to deal with it. Kind of a weird situation, but I really need to deal with it.
I also don't want to be riding my horse as heavy as I am now. Makes it more difficult and also not fair to her to have to lug so much extra weight around. I really packed on the pounds the last couple of years especially. I'll never be a featherweight and don't want to be, but I do need to be a healthier weight. I know what I need to do ... it's just tough to get motivated and stick to a healthier eating plan.
Dorothy
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United Kingdom
