Weekly Check In

 If you follow me on Instagram, you'll probably already have seen some of the following photos. While I do really enjoy the ease of posting things there, I also like keeping more of a diary. I started posting here just for myself, way back in the day, and somehow found a great community I'd love to see thriving again. In that spirit, I am going to try to keep up with a more detailed post here every week or two.

Boarding. Ugh. While I love many aspects of it and have happily been boarding for 10+ years, it's just not working for me anymore. There aren't any other options here (that I am aware of - I'd love to not have to drive to the barn feed 2 or 3 times a day!). I feel all sorts of weird about it - where I am is home to some great people, but I just can't keep justifying paying for self board and sharing very limited space and amenities when we have a place of our own that can be utilized. Especially when I'm not happy, for whatever reasons.

These metal signs just came in the mail. I'm excited to hang them by the barn doors. Also, if she's going to have her own sign on the barn I guess that means Sophie needs to stay :)

I don't know if it's all legitimate complaints or that I'm just getting really grumpy. Emotions aside - moving them makes sense because my drive time will be the same, I'm already doing all my own feeding, chores, and maintenance, and of course I'll be saving board fees. An extra bonus is that my place is a much more efficient set up and it's just me there, so I should save a lot of time both with daily chores and fitting in rides.

Replacing these window panes and repainting was a massive time sink. It's about 5' square and is the top part of a pair that would have originally been about 10' high. Obviously I don't have any 20' tall buildings suitable for them, yet after over 100 years they're still solid - the house on site is of the same era so it all fits in. Someone had a chicken coop set up, but that hole is going to be covered by some cabinets along the wall, under window height.

I'm most excited for the improvements to come, though - a ring on site, trailer parking, and hot water are going to be epic! Plus of course I'm itching for more garden space :) 

Sticking a tiny garden and path in here. The window looks out from the tack room, with the dry paddock on the other side of the path.

The compromises are of course still there - it's all rustic and quirky at best, and the stall part of the building is oddly sized (about 12' x18' with a 6'x18' covered space on the front) so it's going to be a shared run in shelter set up rather than separate stalls. I do have another 12x12 stall I can utilize if it turns out they can't/won't share but fingers crossed they'll be OK - I'm kind of hoping to use the second stall for hay and shavings. 

Looking a bit tidier than last week, with the doors rebuilt and a fresh coat of stain.

Plus, this kind of stuff doesn't come cheaply. Despite the property and barn already being ours and paid for, I'm estimating we're going to be about $15k in to this project at the end of the day, with me doing everything but driving the trucks and excavators :) To be fair, more than half of that is going to be materials for the ring. I know that's peanuts when it comes to horses and real estate - but it's still a fair bit of board dollars.

 I think the biggest puzzle is that I won't have power. We set up the service at the house for outbuildings, but we never ran the cable out.  I'm reluctant to do it now and potentially share hydro bills with tenants. I've been researching electric power boxes/generators and I think we'll be fine. For the amount of lights I use and electric fence it should last a couple of weeks between charges, more if I hook up a solar panel to it. In an emergency I can always run an extension cord from the house.

Bridget's request - power doesn't matter, just plant more pasture!

On a more horsey related note - Bridget has her first vet appointment tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me that she's fit and ready to make a foal!

Look what I found in the barn! An assortment of foal and yearling sized halters...just in case I need them again :)