animal agony

Today I went out into the barn to find Don Pecos out of his stall. I must have left the latch undone, I can't come up with any other explanation (he can't possibly reach it). He had torn three bales of hay apart in the barn. Have you ever strewn around a bale of hay? It's quite compacted in the bale-- it covers a large area when thrown around. It is now in a colossal pile in the barn. He had also gotten into some supplemental feed I had stored in a plastic bin. I yelled at him, and he went back into his stall, so he knew he was in trouble. He also hid behind the door so nobody could see him. : )

I put him in the dry lot so I could keep an eye on him. I also decided that it was such a nice day, that I'd put the goats out there with him. They were enjoying the weather, so I thought I would also put a little platform out there (goats like stuff they can climb and hang out on that is up high). So I got a pallet and some cinder blocks and went to town. Well, Ernie liked that idea, too, but couldn't wait for me to finish. He had to test it all out while I was working on it. Trouble was, I was right at eye level with his horns. He smacked me in the nose with his horns (not intentionally), and it hurt! He also headbutted me in the head. He did enjoy it even more when I finished constructing his little plaything.

We let Cleo in later, and she was COVERED in cockleburrs. She had them matted in her forelock, mane and tail. The best way I've found to get them out is with baby oil, so we slicked her all up and spent nearly an hour getting them out. She also got a nasty, nasty bug bite in an "unmentionable" place, which, needless to say is painful. She didn't like me doctoring it up. I hope it is less swollen tomorrow.

I decided to bring my saddle in today. Since Major is gone, I haven't ridden (I could ride Pecos, but I don't have a good bridle for him, and I just wanna ride Major!) in a few weeks. I wanted to get the cobwebs off of the saddle and condition the leather. I decided I will keep it inside. My tack room isn't that secure, and I heard that the previous owner had some tack stolen. My saddle is expensive and I just think it is better inside, not as subject to the extreme heat/cold, humidity, etc. So, I went to the hardware store and bought what I needed to construct a sawhorse to keep it on. It won't be the best decor item to have around, but it is pretty in its own way!

I saw a sign in a farm supply catalog that said, "These premises are maintained for the comfort and safety of my animals. If you don't like that, go away!" How fitting for us!