It's almost hard to believe that a few short weeks ago, we were covered in snow with temperatures below 0°. Great weather for book reading, hot drinks, warm fires and fuzzy clothes. But our caretakers had different thoughts! With extreme cold, comes preparation and extra challenges at the barn. Consistent temperatures well below freezing means caretakers had to work extra hard to keep fresh water available to our herd in both their stalls and in the pasture. Busting ice and carrying buckets of water (due to frozen hoses and spigots) is heavy work, as well as delivering almost 100 lbs of hay each day to snow covered fields. Some of our horses (senior horses and those with thin coats) needed a little extra warmth, too, so that meant blanketing them each night and sometimes during the day. Frozen grounds often results in frozen manure, which is so much harder to remove from the field. Furthermore, with such a cold weather our electric utility vehicle was too cold to run most days, so that meant caretakers had to use wheelbarrows to deliver hay and water and transport waste across the property! Lots of lifting and lots of walking, but we are so thankful to be able to provide the care our horses need.
We just want to thank all team members, management staff, caretakers and chore volunteers, who help our horses stay comfortable in the extreme weather conditions and did so enthusiastically! Thank you to Boo, BriAnn, Deana, Darryl, Joseph, Josh, Katie, and Marita, those “behind the scenes,” Brian, Jeanne, Joe, Justin, Kelly, and Ron, and all of our friends who send support through prayers, well wishes and donations.
With the warmer weather moving in, we're finalizing plans for upcoming Virtual programs and continue our Barn Buddies and Always Home programs. We're at work on some great added supports and program collaborations and hope to be sharing more soon. For updates and connectivity, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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