Today is one of those days.
I love being on a farm.
I love having farm animals.
I love this life.
I'm also totally exhausted and fruatrated from today's events. That doesn't invalidate my love for it. It just means that it's not all cupcakes and roses! Some days really are hard. Today. Today sucked.
I was getting dressed when the driveway alarm went off. Turned on the front camera on my phone to see that damn mare running up the driveway and onto the road.
Pure panic. Threw on some clothes over my pjs, grabbed my boots, a halter and lead and went after her. You can't run at her. She spooks way too easy. At first she ran back down the driveway AT me then turned and bolted on the road again. Thank God it's open so drivers can see and there was no traffic.
Horse decides running through the ditch is a better way back to the herd which was watching her from the right side of the fence. And I swear shaking their heads!
Well 6 feet worth of snow and doesn't she get stuck. This gave me my opportunity to crawl down to her, halter her and hold her there til the kids brought me a longer lead. She had been struggling so much to get out she was exhausted. We both just sat there, me trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do next. Then the kids came with the longer lead, I hooked it up to her and she got a jolt of energy. We both made it up to the road again. Once I got her walked past our gate we shut it.
It's hard to keep that gate shut in the winter. It can freeze shut. And stopping the vans to open/close it can cause them to get stuck. It's a shitty entrance.
The rest of the day was spent with all of us (me and kids) putting up wood fences. Making a teepee type support than attaching them with 7 foot boards across, about chest height to the horses. Then crossers so they can't go under. Then a line of black electric flat rope. Came with the horses. Only problem is my energizer won't make it hot. IE send enough energy to zap them so I called my brother to tell him to get the horse owner to buy me one asap!
They are now confined to a small area behind the house where the round bales are. DS and I moved the second water trough over so it not only helps block part of the fence but is easy access in the confined area.
As I was filling that trough, that one mare decided to go for a fucking swim knocking the whole thing over. Had to start over.
She is a royal pain in the A$$!!!
Her owner hasn't come to see the mares in a year. No money given for feed. It's a shitty situation because now I'm legally responsible with them being on my property. Sad to say that's the last time I try to help out anyone with livestock!
The only other thing I can do now is fence off each side of the house to the fence lines so even if she gets out she can't get to the front. I still don't know how she got out today. The fences are up at the back around the round bales. Dd thinks she got out where the fence is along the driveway and the snow is high enough maybe she stepped over.
If I can get a good enough energizer I can line this entire area with this wider rope/tape and pray it zaps her enough to stay back from it.
Come summer I'm going to have to put wood posts into concrete. She's destroyed all of the T posts we put in and torn down the field fence.
Funny enough when I herded all the horses into the smaller area my mustang refused to go on his own. He knows that area was not for him. I had to lead him in the give him a treat.
Also their shelter is on the OTHER side of the small paddock so now I gotta get one up asap. They have a wind break thankfully.
This is just a hobby farm and some days it feels like Hell. That storm blew snow into the shed through the tiny ass door with the pigs so I had to dig them out then pile in more straw. So far so good.
Lost my big gelding a bit ago tangled in fence at the back and torn to bloody hell. Was told it looked like wolves. I've got motion lights and cameras but we saw and heard nothing that night. I was told to put up barbed wire on the outside of the fences but with this mare just ramming her way through fences she will cut herself up bad.
Between the wolves, coyotes, Mrs. Escapee Mare, and way to much damn snow, I'm mentally and physically drained.
I keep telling myself it's not always like this. Today was a bad day but maybe tomorrow will be great, hang in there.
My horsey friend called today and said that I got this. She knows how hard and heartbreaking it can be but I'm strong and will be ok.