Round Bale Slow Feed Hay Net

The slow feed hay net finally arrived!!  It's only been a few days, but so far I think this thing is going to be worth the money.  The horses figured out how to use it in a single night.  I was very impressed.  When they eat from it, it really is just like grazing.  Here is a short video showing them eating from it.  Sorry for the horrid quality... stupid cell phones...

Direct Link

Here are some more pictures.

This next one looks like my hubby has a horse head lol.

He was tightening the net because I wasn't able to tie it completely closed when we first put it on (I'm a wimp).  It's going to be so much easier to put on when the tractor is fixed and we can put it on while it's in the air.

The reason Rocky has so much hay in his mouth in the second picture is because hubby pulled some out and gave it to him.

Here is a further out picture so you can see the net.  It looks like they've eaten a ton of hay in a short period of time, but it's just because they pulled on it so it fell down on the sides making it look wide and flat.  I'm curious to see how long a bale lasts with the net.

Look at how filthy my horse still is.  I'm glad for the rain because we've been in a bit of a drought (we were under a burn ban) but I'm so tired of the mud....

Anyway I'll update more after we've fed a bale or two out of it.

Two Horse Tack - Buckle Nose Halter Review

Doesn't look bad for four days post colic...

I have two things to say before we get started in this post. First I'm sorry my horse is filthy and for the low light crappy cell phone pictures.  I'll get better pictures eventually (if it stops raining).  Second, I LOVE this halter!!  I have one other halter from Two Horse Tack (see post here http://rdxhorses.blogspot.com/2015/05/two-horse-tack-new-halter.html), but it turned into Rocky's halter, so I'm so excited to have another one for Chrome in blue!!

I was contacted by Two Horse Tack (click here for their website) asking if I wanted to test out and review their buckle nose halter (click here for the direct link to this halter).  Of course I said yes because I love the other halter so much.  In case there are people who haven't heard of Two Horse Tack I'll explain a little about their products.  They use beta biothane which is an alternative to leather.  It's stronger, more durable, easier to clean and more comfortable than leather or nylon and it doesn't fade or crack.  You can read more about it here (click here for link). In my experience all of their claims are true.  I honestly will probably never go back to leather.  I'm not going to get rid of the leather and nylon halters I have now, but if they need replaced I'll likely go with biothane tack from here on out. 

Now on to pictures and more specific information on this particular halter.

 Eating clover in January, just days after a snow, gotta love the South!

I LOVE how adjustable this halter is!  It has the buckle on the nose obviously, but it also has the throatlatch clip and buckles on both sides of the crownpiece. It is the most adjustable halter I've ever used.  I was pleasantly surprised that it has the throatlatch clip because that is a required feature in all of my halters.  I love it.  I also love the double clips on the crown because it makes it so much easier to fit it to the horse.  I've never used a nose buckle halter before (with the buckle on top), but I can tell I'm going to be a fan.  It makes bridling so much easier because you just unbuckle the nose and let it drop, then put the bridle on and the horse is never loose.  You don't have to unbuckle the halter, drop it off the nose and buckle it around the neck again.  It makes me wish I had cross ties because this would make it so much simpler to tack up in cross ties.

You can see how many ways there are to adjust it in this picture. My other halter (blog post linked at the beginning of this post) has an adjustable nose, but the buckle is on the underside which I love for making it fit Chrome's smaller nose, but it is still awkward for bridling.  I definitely think I'm going to prefer the nose buckle being on top.  I can't wait to try it out some more.  I'll update again when I have better pictures.

 Munching on his beet pulp.

I didn't know exactly what I was getting, so I was a little surprised how narrow the straps are, but I think they look really good on Chrome!  It looks less clunky than the other one and doesn't drown his face.  I really like it!  Obviously you have a choice on which size to get, so if you don't like narrow they have the thicker straps too.  I love how many options they provide.

 He found the hay bale in the truck hehe.

Chrome should totally be a model!  I'll definitely have to get better pictures on a less dreary day.

I had to share this picture.... classic example of why you have to pay attention to the background when taking pictures... it looks like he's eating Coral's head!

Here is an example of the nose piece unbuckled.  It can easily be slid back on the neck and then you are free to put the bridle on with no interference.  I love that!  Anyway I'll update again when I have better pictures.  If you've been on the fence about getting something from Two Horse Tack I vote go for it.  I'm a huge fan of the biothane and I've always had good experiences with them and they've always shipped very fast (keep in mind if you order something custom it's going to take longer to ship than something like this that they already had on hand).  Feel free to share your experiences below. 

Chrome Ride 147 - 100 Ride Challenge Ride 33 - Rocky Ride 15 (with us) - Rocky's New Saddle Pad

I got home from work and was surprised to see a box from the post office.  I opened it up and there was a saddle pad inside!!  Not just any saddle pad, but one made specifically for treeless saddles.  :D  One of my blogger buddies Olivia from Do It Yourself Horse Ownership sent it to me for Rocky, since hubby is most comfortable and pain free in the treeless saddle.  Thank you Olivia!!!  I'll email you tomorrow.  So of course we had to try out the saddle pad and since hubby was hurting from work, I had to ride Rocky.

Us taking pictures of each other lol.

In the first picture if you look closely you'll see Rocky's tongue hehe.

I just found out I have to go in early to work tomorrow, so I need to get to bed asap.  That means there won't be many words in this post.  I rode Rocky for ten minutes and he was good.  He tested me a few times by trying to turn toward the barn, but it was nothing that was difficult to work through.

 Looking at hubby.

When I went out to the pasture to get Rocky Chrome tried to stick his head in Rocky's halter!!  Then while I was riding Rocky, Chrome was screaming and galloping around!  My spoiled brat seriously doesn't like to be left out.... his galloping around was starting to get Rocky stirred up, which is why his ride was so short.  I wanted to end on a good note and I didn't have the energy (soooo hot and humid!) to deal with a fight if it came up.  Since Chrome was practically begging to be ridden and since I'm falling behind on my 100 ride challenge, I obviously had to ride him too.

He didn't disappoint.  He was fun to ride.  He's such a goofball!

 Sniffing the t-posts leaning against the building.

Remember what I wrote in this post (LINK) about hubby clearing the sides of the driveway and a path into the woods??  I said it was a secret.  Well the picture above and the two below are more hints.... ;)

 He was fascinated by all our hard work in the woods.

You can kind of see a hint behind Rocky too.

 He was stretched out again.  He's so weird.

 He was so excited to be going out on the road.

 I love this picture that hubby got!!

 Chrome shaking his head because of flies.  They are relentless.

 He wasn't wanting to stand still because of the flies again,

so we had to work on a lot of lateral flexion to remind him to stand still.

 I just rode up and down in front of the property.  We didn't go anywhere.

I only rode him for 22 minutes.  I cantered him twice on the driveway, but the rest was walking.

 He still looks for the neighbor horses.

Then he's resigned that they aren't there anymore.  Poor guy.  He misses his neighbors.  I've been noticing he stands more square more often.  It used to be that he always stood with his rear legs apart.  He's also building some of those quad muscles he needs for his stifles.  His thighs don't dip in as much as they used to.  I wish it was easier to get a picture to show you what I mean, but it doesn't really show up in pictures at all.

I had fun even though it was a million degrees outside with eight hundred thousand percent humidity.  Now I have to hit the hay so I can get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.  Night guys!

P.S.  I forgot to get pictures of the new saddle pad, but I will soon, I promise.

New Gorilla Cart

Does anyone remember the Gorilla cart that I've mentioned on the blog before?  We bought it in 2009.  Here are some pictures of baby Chrome from winter of 09/10 checking it out.

 And Zep! 

 I can't believe these were taken six years ago...

So yeah, the handy dandy awesome gorilla cart has finally been replaced by a new model.  It has been the most handy thing I've ever bought and we used the heck out of it.  The reason I finally broke down and got a new one is because the handle had been stepped on by Chrome and bent was so that the grip no longer spun out of the way to attach to a four wheeler or lawn mower, something in the axle on the front broke so it could no longer be backed up by the handle (although it still pulls forward and the bed still dumps out) and finally it had been in the sun so much that it became brittle and the front plastic part of the bed broke a huge chunk out of it so it no longer carried a full load.  We are still using the old one, but it was definitely time to add a new one.  The new one will be nice and broken in by the time the old one breaks down haha.

 Mac should totally be their paid model!

I love it!  As soon as hubby put it together I started pushing it and jumping in it to ride around haha.  As my dad said... I'll never grow up.  :D  The newer model has a much wider frame and bed so it will be a lot less likely to turn over.  Mac makes it look small but he's three times the size of a purebred Yorkie so don't let it throw you off.  It has a 1200lb capacity too!  Here is the link if you're interested.  I really hope this one holds up as well and as long as the old one did.  I'm going to do better about keeping it in a barn (out of the sun) and not leaving it in the pasture where the horses can beat up on it this time.  :)

Here are some comparison pictures.  First the old one.

 You can see how the handle is bent in so the grip can't spin around anymore.

Now some side by sides comparisons (with my ultimate photobomber dog hehe).

I can't wait to start using the new one to see how it holds up!  Sometimes newer isn't better, but this one definitely looks very well built and sturdy.