New Hoop House for the horse! (pict heavy)

[canesisters]

UPDATE! I moved the hoop-house the other afternoon. Took about 1/2 an hour.

I snapped a lead rope to the middle of each side and then tied them together tightly so that they pulled the sides in several inches. Then I cut the wire ties holding it to the 4 t-posts. (NOTE - if anyone should want to do this... cut the ties FIRST, THEN pull the sides in a little......<SPROING!>) Then I just stood under it, put my hands against the roof, lifted a little and walked off. It took several very short trips - that thing is heavy - but I got it moved about 20yards to a drier spot. Then pulled the t-posts up (easy in this mud) and re-drove them back in at the corners. Then untied the lead ropes <SPROING! again> and re-wire-tied the hoop-house to the t-posts.
I love this thing!

@bobm - Gail was scheduled for a checkup this past Tuesday. Doc said (as usual) "I can't believe she's still getting around as good as she is - should'a been dead years ago" (stall-side-manner is not his strong suit). He put the thing in to check her teeth and one fell out! He said 'Well, that was eaiser than I thought it was gonna be'. She's down to about 9 teeth now and only has 2 sets ( I think) that match up for chewing. Teeth checked, wormed, diet discussed, etc. Same'ol, same'ol. Prognosis - "She'll probably keep on getting by just fine, till she dies". LOL - thanks Doc, see ya in 3 months.
She's having a hard time finding the feeder now that it's been moved a few yards.. I'm suspecting that her vision has gotten worse than I had thought. Might have to see if I can find some sort of cheap-o little battery radio to hang in there or something.

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm happy it's working out so well for you Cane! A little radio is a good idea, and maybe some solar lights?

 

[canesisters]

Thistle, I put a string of solar Christmas lights up in top of the arch when I first bult it. But maybe something that makes a little noise to give her a 'target'.

She had still been 'off' her feed since the dental appt. and I've been trying everything to get her going again. Yesterday I took a mixture of thinly sliced apples and carrots out hoping that she would pick up some feed along with them. "Miss Nimble Lips" managed to get all the apple out and leave everything else.
Okey-dokey - you want the apples huh?
I grated up 2 apples last night and boiled them in about 1/2gal of water. This AM I re-heated it and poured it over her pellets to make an entire bucket of apple flavored mash. She was still in there eating when I left for work. Ha-HA!
I'm curious to see how much she actually gets eaten before I get home. I can just see me cooking for the horse 2x a day now. LOL

 

[buckabucka]

How old is this horse? She is so lucky to have such a great caregiver. I don't think I could bend the hoop by myself, nor do I think I could move it!

 

[Nyboy]

She is a lucky horse to have you!!!!!

 

[canesisters]

She turns 34 in April. I've had her since she was 8.

@buckabucka a couple of folks have mentioned how hard the hoops were to bend. I think that I must have gotten a lighter guage than most folks. The ones I got were easy to 'bend' by just lifting up the middle. I put one end against the t-posts, then raised up the middle enough to kick a barrel under it. Then crawled under and stood up, pushing the arch up as I went. The free end stuck in the ground enough for me to go around and push it closer until I had the 6'tall x 6'wide arch. Then just drive the other 2 t-posts in to secure it.

@Nyboy I've been real lucky to have her. She has been the most difficult horse I have ever heard of. When I talk with other folks they can't believe some of the problems I've had with her. But I have learned more from this one horse (my 2nd ever) than most folks probably learn from a stable full. She has been a challenge. But her strength, grace, stuborness, gentleness and decades of love have been worth every moment of it.

 

[canesisters]

If beloved pets go to Heaven, Gail was well received last night by all the 'fur-babies' and family who are already there.

Gail, Mom & Becky-lynn - all healthy and whole now, living pain free together again.

 

[lesa]

Oh, Cane- I am sorry to hear she is gone...What a very lucky, lucky horse she was! I have a dear friend in a similar situation- her horse has no teeth! She has to grind up and deliver his food 3 times a day- and she is 73 herself! Take care of yourself...

 

[baymule]

Oh Cane! I am so sorry. It is more than the passing of a horse, it is the passing of a friend, companion, an extension of your heart and soul. There is just something about a horse that captures your essence and makes you feel free from all cares and worries. Even as she aged and the rides on her were a thing of the past, just to care for her, be near her, were a comfort to you. I am so sorry that she is gone. You get a lot of history tied up with a pet, and that's what she was to you, a beloved pet. It is the ending of a chapter of your life, but you must turn the page and begin the next chapter. With heavy heart, forward you go.

 

[baymule]

Cane, when our Labrador died 2 years ago, we were broken hearted. There was a loss, a gap in our lives that could not be filled. I found this video on you tube, Over The Rainbow, and it is one of the most hauntingly beautiful renditions of that song I have ever heard. I played it over and over with tears streaming down my face. It was a comfort to me and it hope it is a comfort to you.