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frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Yesterday was one of the few days that I hated everything 4 footed, furred, or feathered! I swear I don't know why these critters get so dumb sometimes....sigh.
Decided to catch the mini horses and do some maintenance. No big deal, right? NEGATIVE! Actually, it started out ok. I walked up to the first one and gave her a rub on the nose and she dug around in my pockets looking for a treat. I needed to get some worm meds into them so I reached into the pocket she had her face in and took out a tube of wormer.... you'da thought I pulled out a stick of dynamite! This gal turned on her heels as quick as any cutting horse in the history of the world. She headed for the furthest corner away from me. I had brought them up into a fairly small pen the night before so she didn't have much room. WHATEVER! I went to the next horse...put my hands on her - no halter, no lead - and got the wormer into her. Moved to the next one - same thing. No halter, no lead - gave her the wormer and she smacked her lips looking for more. Decided to go back after mini #1. Nope - she's not having it. So, I herded her into an even smaller pen. This pen has a lot of tractor implements in it parked next to the fence and fairly overgrown with tall grass....so I didn't want to push her too hard and have her injure herself. This pen is the former hog pen and at times has housed the mini's also.
We're going around and around. It is not my way to give up once I start to catch a horse. I will spend all day if I need to - and that was my intent with her. No real pushing because it's really hot and, like I said, I don't want to frighten her into hurting herself. GRRRRRR! After about a half our she's tired and sweaty and I'm not too happy either. She stops heading into the corner and starts eyeballing the hog panels. Now - hog panels are 34 inches tall, and these horses are not much bigger. After 3 or 4 times of sizing them up this crazy (*()&&&^%*% decides to just try and jump it. From a dead stop she pops right over that fence....well...most of her anyway. Her front end cleared it just fine, but her back legs both got caught in the panel. OMG...I'm sitting there watching her stand with her front feet on the other side of the fence and her hind end high off the ground with both back legs stuck. I'm thinking she's gonna break both back legs.
Now - if I was smart and not panicked - I woulda stepped right over that fence and wormed her while she was stuck, lol. But, nope - I got worried about her. She had most of her leg over, but from the hock down she had her hooves and fetlock joint wrapped around the next lower opening in the panel. Hard to visualize...but believe me...it wasn't good! I managed to work one hoof backwards which allowed that leg to pop free and she got it on the ground. The last leg was not only stuck in the fence, but her (ground-length) tail was wrapped around the foot and then around the fence and acted effectively just like a rope to basically tie that leg to that stock panel. ARGH!! She spends a few seconds sawing her leg back and forth trying to get free and I'm worried that she's cutting it to pieces on a sharp point on top of the panel. She's looking back at me and I can see the resignation in her eyes... I shoulda stepped over that fence and wormed her! I keep telling myself that now, lol! Sooooo, finally I get her tail unwrapped from her leg and get her leg unwrapped from the fence and she totters off. I couldn't even get a good look at her to see if she's injured - but she's walking and I'm pissed so I just let her go.
As if that's not enough...The little Nigerian dwarf doeling is in a buck pen - again. She's so stinking little she can get through all panels on my place and into any pen she wants to. I need to sell her. Anybody want an undersized, but so very cute ND doeling? OH, by the way...may be bred. Cheap? LOL
Found two hens on hidden nests.... don't want any more chicks. Found a different nest with no hen on it so I start picking up the eggs when I notice the smell... almost too late... I managed to toss that stinky egg away just before it exploded!
Did I mention that yesterday I hated all furred, four legged, and feathered critters?
Decided to catch the mini horses and do some maintenance. No big deal, right? NEGATIVE! Actually, it started out ok. I walked up to the first one and gave her a rub on the nose and she dug around in my pockets looking for a treat. I needed to get some worm meds into them so I reached into the pocket she had her face in and took out a tube of wormer.... you'da thought I pulled out a stick of dynamite! This gal turned on her heels as quick as any cutting horse in the history of the world. She headed for the furthest corner away from me. I had brought them up into a fairly small pen the night before so she didn't have much room. WHATEVER! I went to the next horse...put my hands on her - no halter, no lead - and got the wormer into her. Moved to the next one - same thing. No halter, no lead - gave her the wormer and she smacked her lips looking for more. Decided to go back after mini #1. Nope - she's not having it. So, I herded her into an even smaller pen. This pen has a lot of tractor implements in it parked next to the fence and fairly overgrown with tall grass....so I didn't want to push her too hard and have her injure herself. This pen is the former hog pen and at times has housed the mini's also.
We're going around and around. It is not my way to give up once I start to catch a horse. I will spend all day if I need to - and that was my intent with her. No real pushing because it's really hot and, like I said, I don't want to frighten her into hurting herself. GRRRRRR! After about a half our she's tired and sweaty and I'm not too happy either. She stops heading into the corner and starts eyeballing the hog panels. Now - hog panels are 34 inches tall, and these horses are not much bigger. After 3 or 4 times of sizing them up this crazy (*()&&&^%*% decides to just try and jump it. From a dead stop she pops right over that fence....well...most of her anyway. Her front end cleared it just fine, but her back legs both got caught in the panel. OMG...I'm sitting there watching her stand with her front feet on the other side of the fence and her hind end high off the ground with both back legs stuck. I'm thinking she's gonna break both back legs.
Now - if I was smart and not panicked - I woulda stepped right over that fence and wormed her while she was stuck, lol. But, nope - I got worried about her. She had most of her leg over, but from the hock down she had her hooves and fetlock joint wrapped around the next lower opening in the panel. Hard to visualize...but believe me...it wasn't good! I managed to work one hoof backwards which allowed that leg to pop free and she got it on the ground. The last leg was not only stuck in the fence, but her (ground-length) tail was wrapped around the foot and then around the fence and acted effectively just like a rope to basically tie that leg to that stock panel. ARGH!! She spends a few seconds sawing her leg back and forth trying to get free and I'm worried that she's cutting it to pieces on a sharp point on top of the panel. She's looking back at me and I can see the resignation in her eyes... I shoulda stepped over that fence and wormed her! I keep telling myself that now, lol! Sooooo, finally I get her tail unwrapped from her leg and get her leg unwrapped from the fence and she totters off. I couldn't even get a good look at her to see if she's injured - but she's walking and I'm pissed so I just let her go.
As if that's not enough...The little Nigerian dwarf doeling is in a buck pen - again. She's so stinking little she can get through all panels on my place and into any pen she wants to. I need to sell her. Anybody want an undersized, but so very cute ND doeling? OH, by the way...may be bred. Cheap? LOL
Found two hens on hidden nests.... don't want any more chicks. Found a different nest with no hen on it so I start picking up the eggs when I notice the smell... almost too late... I managed to toss that stinky egg away just before it exploded!
Did I mention that yesterday I hated all furred, four legged, and feathered critters?
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I do from mine 
One of the reasons I don't raise a steer anymore, too much. I have found a grass fed, organic source farmer who will sell smaller packages of beef. That's something I'm looking into.
