Now This Is More Like It

So ends the drama of the crappy hay...LMAO. The ponies survived. Whew!

My hay guy was a little sheepish when I went to pick out bales this morning. He really is a nice guy. Neither of us mentioned the delivery last week. Awww hell, everyone has to cut loose once in a while right?

I got the first load unloaded in my yard...


The second load is loaded and ready to haul to the ranch...


Oh yea, soooo much nicer...


Vs the leftovers from last night and this mornings feedings...


I tell ya though, I had to look over and dig through TWO stacks of round bales just to find 6 good bales. The hay situation is looking a little bleak this year. It just wasn't a productive growing year. The weeds got a head start on the grass and alfalfa and then the alfalfa was ready before the grass, in the mixed fields. By the the time the grass caught up, the alfalfa was rank, the weeds were big and rank and then the rains set in and the grasshoppers attacked. It was just a darn tough year to get good hay put up.

We usually get two semiloads delivered every year for the horses. Fifty-six big round bales. There isn't any left in the field I like to get hay out of that I would want. It's a native grass, a bit of crested wheat and a bit of alfalfa mix.

Mom and I will have to get in gear tomorrow and go look at the rest of the fields to see if he has any better stuff.

Ahhh well, such is life around these parts. There are so few good years anymore, sometimes you wonder how everyone manages to keep going. Somehow they do. We'll scavange through and find enough good hay to keep everyone fat and happy through the winter. Things have been a lot worse than this and somehow it all works out.

On a brighter note, the hay situation was very good on the Western Slope of Colorado. Everything around Grand Junction is irrigated so that is pretty darn consistant. The native grasses that are hayed up in the mountains was absolutely beautiful and extremely abundant this year. That is what I plan on as being the primary feed for my horses. Where I am boarding them, I've already made arrangements with the BO for them to only be fed brome hay out of his supply and I'll supplement it with meadow hay. Luckily, this is a guy who actually understood when I told him the irrigated alfalfa that most people feed would burn my horses up. Their systems simply are not used to that rich of feed. Nor do I especially like to feed my horses pure alfalfa. It might be pretty and it might smell wonderful, but I've just never had good luck with it. I presume because my horses were all raised on much cooler feed.

Other than a couple of more, must-do projects, I'm ready to go. Oddly enough, my mom seems very excited. She has been asking me when I think I will be able to get to my first barrel racing out there. Hmmm! Well, that kind of depends on Moon's foot. Which by the way is looking much better. We had a couple of cool days that subdued the flies, so I took the wrap off to let his wound get some air. It really shrunk up and looks really good. It's hot again and the flies are back in force, so I wrapped it back up yesterday afternoon. But anyway, back to competition, I do believe if I can get a couple of weeks of riding on Moon, we will be ready to go again by the end of September.

Megan seems rather subdued. I think reality is setting in. She has been staying at grandma's the last couple of weeks. We thought it would give her a chance to get used to it before I take off. Things seem to be going well. Megan has spent time with Shooter-who was desperately missing his attention, riding her new prospect-Spooks and the little turd even snuck a ride in on Boon-the black mare we bought back last fall. Good for her! Ya know, maybe not being under momma's ever watchful eye for a little while will be a good thing for her. Lord knows I am a strict momma. And more than a little bit overprotective. It happens when your toddler is as accident prone as Megan was. My mom will take good care of Meg-of that I have no doubt.

We all sat down and had supper together the other night and began formulating a game plan for next years rodeoing/horse showing. I suppose I better leave that for another post though...this one is getting kinda long.;)