Blog
Blog
One year after we finished the fencing on the south end of the farm, we are at the starting stages of the north end of the farm. All rails and posts are out, now its Paula's job to measure and mark out the paddocks, gateways and hydrants. The farm is going to look amazing when we are finished!
Unfortunately the tack room in barn 3 is not big enough to make enough individual lockers, but we've still managed to make a good tack room! The flooring is a vinyl (believe it or not!) with an insulated underlay to ensure we keep out as much of the cold/hot weather as possible. We will see how it fairs in the winter and summer and maybe add a dehumidifier.
There's something very satisfy about building obstacles. You have a design in your head, you make the sketch with measurements, think of how it would work in real life with a horse's dimensions put into play, then you build it! When it comes out great and works perfectly, its so satisfying :-)
We are very happy to have the south-end of the farm ready for grazing before the summer arrives. The girls were super excited to be out in the new paddocks and the fencing is looking very clean, smart and most importantly safe! Now to start on the north-end of the farm!
The first hay growth and cut this year was perfect. Warm weather and little rain showers to keep it growing nice, the the farmer decided to cut at the perfect time, just before some extremely hot and dry weather came. Last year our hay man lost ALL his 2nd and 3rd cut to dry hot weather, which burnt the hay. So this year because we've had such a perfect 1st cut I didnt want to risk again what happened last year. So we bought 42 1st cut orchard grass round bales and 400 Orchard grass (with a little Timothy) squares. Now the barn smells beautiful and we are set for the next year :-)
Finally we got the gate way end of the paddocks finished in post and rail, so all they need to become usable are the gate to be hung. If you're not familiar with high tensile fencing, each end to the fencing is a lot of work, materials and time to construct as you have to build a frame out of 3 fence posts which pushed against the pull of the fence wire. So to avoid having so many breaks in the fencing we decided to have the gate end of the paddocks as post and rail. We can still install electric along the rails to stop little munchers poking their heads through the fence!
When it comes to the comfort of our animals, Mark always goes the extra mile! Another chicken coop he's built which could probably get an Occupancy Permit! This time hes made a few adjustments to the design: the walls are insulated, the nesting box is accessed from inside not outside, there are windows from the nesting room through to the "stretch your legs" room and the "stretch your legs" room is not completely mesh on the walls. By having a half-wall this gives the chickens lots of shade from the sun and stops it getting so hot in there. Happy birds = yummy eggs!
There's nothing worse that a tiny feed room when you have 12 feeds to make up. Drives me crazy tripping over empty feed buckets and my own feet! So I decided to take down the wall between my personal tack room and the feed room to make it double wide, and Mark built me a new tack room in the other barn. I'm very pleased with my newly extended feed room, and I can now add "demolition" to my skills :-)
In April 2021 we held our first ever dressage Fix-a-Test and Dressage schooling show. They were both a success and were well attended. The weather angels were very kind to us, and everything ran like clockwork. We can't wait for the rest of the season to unfold :-)
A year ago we moved into our new farm. What a year its been! Starting a new business in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic is not easy, but we've made it through the other side :-) A year ago we made a list of "things to do" which became an ever-growing list! At the time, we weren't sure what were our priorities and what really needed doing. I've taken a look at that original list and realized there aren't many things checked off on it yet, but we have got a lot achieved over the past 1 year. Here is a list and some pictures as proof!: Remove and replace fencing on south of farm Trench waterlines to every paddock on south of farm Repaint center aisle barn Build feed room Then extend feed room Build / refurbish boarders tack room Build my own tack room Build 60ft round pen Make jump pole rack Build judges hut Buy and make farm signs Make gate for house entrance walkway Remove privet bushes (50% completed) Build new chicken coop Replace railroad ties on dressage arena Remove old dog kennels Tidy up barn 3 - clear out stalls and rubber mat 3 stalls Barn 3: Paint feed room and dismantle old tack room and redesign