Brett's Wednesday Project

We set up the barn and the pasture to maximize turn out for the horses.  The stalls in the barn are on the west side of the aisle, towards the pasture.  Each stall has a back door that opens to a run-out.  This way the horses are not confined to a 12x12 box stall but have the option of stepping outside and soaking in the sunshine, or rain, as the case may be.  The back of each run-out has a gate that opens into the pasture. 

The horses stay together out in the pasture 24/7, except when we have a cold storm in the winter or a very hot day in the summer.  The stall that Mufasa uses has, over the years, become more and more dipped in the center so it doesn't drain off into the pasture the way the others do.  As a result, he has a muddy, boot sucking, marsh in his turnout when it rains.  And, he likes to stand outside in the rain and not in his nice dry stall. 

There is a very cold storm coming this weekend.  Mufasa's run-out still hasn't completely dried from the last storm.  Not good.  This forecast is for the village below us so it will be colder and wetter with more snow here than the forecast indicates.

Brett hooked up his dump trailer to his truck and headed down the mountain for supplies.  He bought decomposed granite and pea gravel.

First he worked with a shovel to break down the dirt that had mounded into a hill at the back of the turnout.  I helped a bit but I'm not as fast or as efficient with a shovel as he is.  I offered some advice.  I flunked  "Good Wife 101: Don't Offer Advice."   I just can't help myself.  I need to go to remedial wife training.

Once it was level, he brought in wheelbarrows full of the DG and spread it around.

 He spread the pea gravel on top.  Pea gravel is small enough that it doesn't get caught in the horses' feet so it works well in muddy places.  We have it around the horses' wash rack.  We are hoping that it works as well in the run-out.  If not, we'll go to plan B.  I have no idea what that would be so hopefully we won't need to go there.

While Brett was working, I mucked the pasture.  While I was checking on Jackson's water, Flash tipped over the unattended muck cart.  Which was half full.  Then he tried to leave the scene of the crime and pin the blame on Winston.

Then he and Jackson played tug-of-war with my rake. 

Thanks, guys.