Monday, February 13, 2012

More Projects for Brett

After our beautiful weather on Saturday, clouds moved in giving us a "real" sunset.

We went to a potluck dinner at the community clubhouse and while there, it started to rain.  Not much, but enough to chill us thoroughly.  Brett woke up in the middle of the night and thought it was snowing -- and I believed him.  It was that cold.

Sunday, we spent most of the day living in the middle of the clouds.  This happens often; it is part of the deal when you live on top of a mountain.  Clouds tend to sit there.  We brought the horses into the barn Saturday night and opened the gate to Kalvin's paddock so he could run around the pasture if he wanted between downpours.  Apparently, he felt Brett needed more projects.  He busted the wood barrier that gives the donkeys a safe haven in their stall.  The wood was broken in half (looks like he chewed it and then bashed through it) and the donkey turnout was full of Kalvin's manure.

We put Kalvin back in his paddock and Brett set to work replacing the piece of wood.  This time he used a piece of vinyl fencepost so it won't get chewed up.  Flash and Tuffy inspected it --

On second thought, I think Flash is inspecting the fly mask.  
We're not really sure what to do about Kalvin.  He doesn't seem very happy in his paddock but he is destructive to the property and aggressive with the other horses so we can't let him out into the pasture.  His owner has a full time job now so she isn't up to visit him as regularly as she used to (we are a good hour drive away from her home and job) so I think he is bored.  He is also VERY attached to her and I'm sure misses her a lot.  I'd suggest she move him closer to her but that would mean going back to living in a stall -- and I think he'd go nuts -- unless he was ridden every day which I doubt she has time for and I'm not sure his foot could tolerate.    It's not an easy situation.  But then, these things rarely are.

Lastly, as I was coming back up to the house after breakfast I noticed this bird in one of the trees.  I've never seen it before.  Any idea what kind it is?  TexWisGirl?


9 comments:

  1. lol that reminded me of scences from the Donkey Sanctuary, when the donkeys had chewed up two rows of cedar logs from their fence and enjoyed getting in and out of the paddock into the parking lot, to taste the grass on the other side of the fence. :)

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  2. European Starling, dearie. :)

    hate that for kalvin. seems like he's bored, unhappy and a bully to boot.

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  3. Didn't Kalvin do ok with Jackson and Flash? Why don't you alternate? I sure would not want him living in a stall either. No life for any animal.
    Here, it can take me awhile to introduce a new horse...sometimes two weeks or more. On the weekends or when you are home, what if you babysit him while he is in with the others when they are eating hay? If he gets aggressive move him back to the other place. They probably need more time getting used to each other. Hope something works for all of you. In 30 years, I have only had one horse that could not be with the others...he was a racehorse and never had been socialized.

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  4. sometimes a "Kalvin" will match up with a Llama, or such, rather than another equine.

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  5. Sounds like Kalvin is the kind of horse that cannot just sit. He needs a job or a second rider. Maybe his owner would be interested in a lease agreement with a local horseless rider.

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  6. Tough situation, taking care of someone else's animal. They really should be the ones worrying, not you. I am sure you must be getting paid for keeping him, so maybe that comes with it. One time, years ago, a friend of my daughters asked if her goat could stay at our house. Ya right.

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  7. Best of luck with Kalvin. Sounds like he needs a job, but I'm guessing with his bum foot and his owner away, that's not an option.

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  8. No advise as to the horse, but, the bird looks like a starling...a nusiance bird not native to the states...
    Tara

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  9. Poor Kalvin! Maybe she can find a new place to board him that would have room for him outside? Of course if she's still too busy to mess with him even if he were closer that isn't going to solve anything. It sounds like he needs to do something like clicker training or learning little tricks just to keep him brain occupied. So sad. Have they done new xrays of his hoof? Will he ever be able to be ridden again?

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Thanks so much for commenting!