New Barn!!

Okay, the new barn has been built!! Yay! And the horses apparently love it because this morning it was full of fresh poop lol. I wasn't able to get pictures during the building process because I had to go to work, but I did get this one. Sorry it's cluttered but it's also really the only one that has humans next to it. Look how tall it it.

Below is the view from the house.

We went with the 24x16 barn so we can build two 12x12 stalls. We also went with one that is eight feet tall in the back and ten feet tall in the front. Since it's up on a cross tie foundation it is actually a lot taller, but this allows us to eventually build a loft in it and there's no danger of a horse rearing and hitting it's head. We're also planning to close in the front a little bit and maybe put in some insulation (for sound protection and warmth). You can click to enlarge any of the pictures.

Because it's so tall it makes my horses look like midgets.

Galaxy was a little unsure at first.

But after exploring some they were both fine.


In fact it wasn't long before Galaxy was asking for hay.

My cute, dirty, furry little Chrome.

No idea what they were doing in this picture.
Can't tell if they were chasing the cat or playing.

Anyway, that's all for tonight. I'll try to get them cleaned up a little and get some more pictures. Or I may just wait until the nineteenth when I do Chrome's progress report. Here's a good idea on how much he's grown. Since coming to live here with me he's grown out of two holes on his halter!! It's almost time to buy him a new one. I'll try to get a picture soon to show how far that is. Night all!

New Barn

I'm excited because we finally found the barn we want for the horses. It's actually a three sided loafing shed, kind of like the one below, only ours will be 24 feet long and 16 feet deep. It will be 8 feet tall in the back and 10 feet tall in the front. We'll be able to make two 12x12 stalls with a four foot aisle in front. I'm really excited and can't wait for them to get it here. It should be here by the middle of next week, possibly a bit longer if they have any hold ups at all. The horses will be happy since it's finally getting cold, not that they care lol. I stand there and shiver and they don't even feel it. They're so lucky to have thick fur coats. I need fur hehehehe. It will make feeding so much easier though and grooming and treating rain rot and checking for lumps, bump or cuts, etc. Things like that.

Second Road Walk - Pictures!

Okay, the pictures are finally here! I decided I was too tired to edit them last night so sorry you had to wait until this morning. So here they are.

Chrome wanted to check out my vehicle and then he spotted a rug that we had accidentally left outside, so we had to check that out. For people unfamiliar with how a horse's vision works, things like this rug (e.g. dark objects on the ground) look like holes to the horses and they can't tell how deep it is, so they prefer not to step in it. It's the same with water, they don't know if it's shallow or if they're stepping off into the ocean lol. :) I thought he was very brave.

"Whoa! What's that?"

"I don't know if I want to step on it Mom."

"Oh, I'm standing on it already. Not so bad."

Then it was Galaxy's turn.

"Whoa! I'm not walking on that!"

"Oh grass. Never mind. I'm good."

All Galaxy had on her mind during the whole walk was eating grass. She's going through a growth spurt so she's hungry all the time. :)

Chrome was very alert, but he walked eagerly on. I think he really enjoyed himself. Occasionally he would try to turn back home, but that was more, I think, because it was close to dinner time than being nervous or anything like that. :)

"Mom, why are you walking backwards?"

"You should probably pay attention to where you're going mom!"

Galaxy was being a total mare during the whole walk. Take that in whatever context you would like. :)

In the above picture she wanted Chrome to walk with her instead of on the other side of the road.

Chrome was happy being the leader and walking on his own. That's what I love about this colt. As long as he's with someone it doesn't matter if they are human or equine. I think he's going to make a perfect partner.

I love the above picture because of the sun and his shadow. Below are some pictures of him walking through a mud puddle. He was so great he didn't even hesitate. I think it's funny how I kind of subconsciously compare him to the mare I grew up with. She hated water!

Galaxy didn't care as long as she had grass to eat.

Sorry they were dirty, we didn't have time to groom if we wanted to get the walk in before dark. Galaxy's back looks gross because of the MTG I have to put on her for the rain rot. We got a lot of it with the last treatment, but it was so widespread and her winter coat is so thick that it's taken a second treatment. Let's hope we get it all this time. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Second Road Walk & Dinner Time

We took Chrome and Galaxy on their second walk on the road. We took the same short, dead end road as last time and they did fantastic!! Before you get all upset I did take pictures, I just haven't edited them yet. As a matter of fact they are uploading off my camera right this second. I'll do a follow up post with the pictures. Chrome made me proud because he walked right through mud puddles, he listened very well, never spooked and he even trotted on lead (still learning this). Just wait til you see the pictures.

Also, if you remember the story I told about Chrome at dinner time. When I check on him I ask him if he's done yet and if he nickers that means he has finished. I finally got a video of it, so here it is! :D



Isn't he just so cute?! Anyway I'm going to start editing pictures so I can post them. :)

Full Friesian Alert!

Disclaimer: No photos. Sorry.

I love when Chrome shows his Friesian side! For those of you who are not very familiar with the Friesian breed here is a description of the Full Friesian Alert:

"FFA: Affectionately known as "Full Friesian Alert", this is when a friesian spies something interesting/spooky and does a "four on the floor" jump and leg plant, head craned high, ears perked, totally tense and stares at something."

It is from Legacy Friesians page telling All About The Friesian. It is a very interesting read for those considering owning a Friesian or if you're just curious.

So anyway, back to Chrome. When I feed them I usually halter him and then turn him loose and he walks to his bowl to eat. When I walked over to tie him up our cat appeared at the edge of the ditch, startling him. He made a leap straight into the air and scrambled back a couple of steps, then puffed himself up in FFA. A lot of people actually describe seeing a Friesian in FFA like see a cat all puffed up, back arched with it's hair on end. Friesian just seem to grow as they puff themselves up. I was so proud of his response. He didn't try to run away or anything.

About ten minutes later one of our Silver Duckwing game roosters flew up onto the gate right about Chrome's head startling him again. Normally he isn't so reactive, but I think the cat had him on edge. He flew backwards and hit then end of the rope, then he stepped forward off the halter pressure and stared at the rooster like, "Oh ok. It's just you." I was so proud of him. Some horses, when startled, then start fighting the rope because they feel trapped. This results in a broken rope, halter or possibly even an injured horse. I did have him tied with a quick release knot so if he had decided to fight it I could just step forward, pull the rope and release him. Anyway, just thought I would share. :D