One Year Later

This blog has been up now for nearly 13 months and during that time I have continued to learn new things about horses, people and life. My wife's Grandfather Eller was one of the more interesting men that I have ever known. Even as a very old man he maintained the curiosity of a five year old child. He read constantly and was always looking for something new to learn. He loved sharing his new found knowledge with those around him.

That is how I want to be with horses, always learning and never believing that I have all of the answers. Here are a few of the things that I learned this year:

By pouring vegetable oil over a fifty pound bag of 2-1 mineral I have created a fat bomb that improves the health and appearance of my herd and over comes the lack of magnesium in our soil.

Some horses really do require something more substantial than a snaffle bit.

Baling twine, in large amounts, creates a perfect baffle when placed in a wash to allow sediment deposition and fight erosion.

If the interior of a loafing area is fenced in so that the loafing area is, in effect, a track around the interior, horses will spend much more time moving around that track than they did when the entire loafing area was left open.

By allowing wild grass to grow up in that 2 acre interior and letting the horses in to graze on it rotationally, I have saved about $200.00 each week in hay costs this summer.

Wire mesh fencing can be greatly strengthened by lacing two inch saplings through every other mesh.

I can ride much harder and much farther than I ever imagined if I take the time to train my body for the challenge.

My horses can be ridden much harder and farther than I ever imagined if I take the time to train their bodies for the challenge.

I have found something of more value than horses. Friends.

Some pain never goes away.