Round Three

With the many other things that have been happening around the farm over the last couple of weeks, we also managed to squeeze in a third round of clipping. It is impressive how much hair some of our PPID/Cushing's residents can grow over the course of a year. We had several clips in round three and I'm hoping we might be done for the year. I've got my eye on a couple that we didn't clip in round three but might need to get clipped in the next week. Generally I don't like to clip anyone after early September so I don't interfere with their winter coats.  I'm not sure what our total count is for body clipping this year, but it would be somewhere around forty. That is a lot of hair, most of which winds up on our clothes, in our hair and generally everywhere you don't want to have horse hair.

Gus (letting us know his opinion of the situation) and Bruno ready to be clipped

Lily after her third clip

Maisie after her third clip

Rubrico, Walon and Toledo

Ricardo and King

Rocky and Toledo

Magic and Ripley

Cisco and Trigger

Ricardo and Hemi

Thomas and Apollo

Levendi and Moe

Homer and Revy

Convey, Baby and Chance

Roho

Walon and Wilson

Gus, Squirrel and Sushi

Sunday Stills

Mick, Johnny, Quigly and Taco

. . . a closer look at Johnny and Quigly . . . 

. . . a closer look at Quigly . . . 

. . . a closer look at Mick and Johnny

Bear and Happy

Mick and Sam

Asterik and Cocomo

George

Cocomo

Silver and Moses

Flyer and Gus

Lofty, George and Gus

Donneur and Cocomo

Blu, Ascot and Bear

Grand and Rip

B-Rad and Lighty

Digby and Paramount

Gibson and Moses

Romeo and Flyer

Lotus and Cocomo

Circle of Life

The last couple of weeks have made me wonder why I thought having a retirement farm was a good idea. We all have stretches at work or in life generally where it seems that despite doing everything right, you keep getting the wrong results. In the last ten days we have lost not one but two residents unexpectedly and the circle of life has felt a bit to real to me. In some ways it seems silly to say unexpectedly given that one of the residents we lost was 32 years old and had been with us for more than ten years, but it still wasn't something I expected in any way. The other resident we lost was only in his late teens, and I've had a very hard time accepting his loss simply because it feels wrong.  Life is supposed to have certain seasons, and it feels like this horse was denied all of his twilight years.  When I have the emotional reserves to relive the experiences I will write blog posts about these two wonderful horses.

In the midst of this our (already replaced) fence fell over, and we've still had a farm to run. This week alone we saw our vet on Monday, our dentist on Tuesday, and our farrier today.  Jason has been out bushhogging pastures, there are still morning and afternoon chores, and all of the other normal workload that has to go on regardless of circumstances.  Running the farm has felt a bit relentless and unrewarding the last couple of weeks.

I am reminding myself that life is not always valleys, even on a retirement farm where the circle of life is all too real at times. Every day is a new day, and I am admittedly ready for some less depressing days ahead.

Missy, Dawn, Maggie, Penny and Jake

Grand and Hemi

Duesy and Cody

Alfie and Taylor

Baner and Art

Art and Havana

Remmy and Merlin

Remmy, Havana and Sport

Dawn, Calimba and Maisie

Charlotte, Traveller, Dawn, Maggie, Missy and Jake

Traveller, Missy, Jake and Cinnamon

Cuffie, Diamond and Maisie

Flower, Innes and Sabrina

Bruno, Remmy and Merlin

Dawn and Dolly