Manure

I spent 2 1/2 hours or so shoveling manure Saturday. That's what horses are good for: eating and pooping. Half the barn is stalls and the other half is more or less open. The horses like to use that area as their toilet. See, horse will run around in the pasture all day long and as soon as you put them in a trailer or a stall, plop - they poop.

Somebody told me that when folks think a horse is colicky, the first thing you do is put them in a trailer. If they don't poop, something is wrong.

Anyway, nobody had cleaned out the barn in some time and since now 4 of the 5 horses living there belong to us, I figgered it was my responsibility. I wore a big ol' blister on the palm of my hand, then tore it open, and because I was wearing the wrong socks under my boots and working my feet funny racking, I have two small blisters on the inside of both ankles.

During all that, Jerry the farrier came out and did all the horses. He is an all right guy; someone we can count on when the revolution comes.

Today, though, I am a bit sore. A lot of hip and lower back action shoveling and raking. And for all that, I did not finish, but will be doing more again next Saturday most likely. That barn needs a lot of work. I reckon we will do some riding as well.