It's Hot!

No, I'm not talking about the weather. My oldest kid and I took a few steps toward fixing the electric fence. We pounded yet another (longer) grounding post into the snowy ground and replaced the hot wire. Nothing. So, I called my brother, who said something about our shoes grounding us out (ah, we were both wearing rubber mud boots!) and at the same time Jake touched the grounding rod with one hand and the fence with the other...POW! Jake said it felt like someone punched him in the chest! Yeah, it works!

We led each horse to the hot wire and touched their noses to it. Zazu's reaction was hilarious as she threw her head up and down while lifting up her upper lip. Laney was pissed, huffing at the ground and shaking her head. I think they both now know that the fence is hot and demands respect.

We didn't lock them in their stalls last night as a test to see if they would truly respect their surroundings. I haven't seen them come out of the barn yet - hopefully, they are just staying out of the cold and not down the street somewhere...

I guess I should go check if I don't see them in a few minutes!

UPDATE: Well, the horses were in their stalls, except Zazu had wire wrapped around her head and Laney has a big cut on one of her back legs. From this day forward, they will always go to their stalls at night. Now I am wondering if there's a coyote or something similar spooking them.

The Short Warm-up

The weather is warming up a bit over the next few days and since I am currently on vacation from work, I'll be taking advantage of the warmer days! Today's forecast: sunny and 36°F, tomorrow partly cloudy with a high of 40°F! These high temps leave all sorts of options for outside activities. Do you know what happens to horse poop and pee after days of below freezing temps? Poopsicles and pee slushies. The poopsicles are impossible to scoop out of the snowy paddock and the pee slushies, well, I'll let you use your imagination. I don't mind horse poop but horse pee would be better tolerated if the horses would hold it like a dog does and go pee in the pasture somewhere.

So, the things I must do over the next few days:

1) Go for a ride, first and foremost.
2) Remove the horse blankets and wash them.
3) Let the horses enjoy the sunshine without the blankets so they can roll.
4) Scoop up the (somewhat) thawed poopsicles.
5) Replace the shavings in the stalls.
6) Lastly, go for a ride!

Escape Artists

One of my biggest challenges so far with the horses is their lack of respect for the wire fence. Zazu, the Thoroughbred, has figured out that the fence isn't hot. You know that old saying "the grass is always greener on the other side" - well, in this case it literally is, and Zazu will push her chest against the wire until it snaps. She just can't resist that luscious green back yard. And as heard horses will do, Laney follows. We have found them in our backyard, in the neighbor's backyard and down the street. One morning they were escorted back to the barn by a nice man down the road.


And so started my challenge: Why isn't the fence hot?

- The wire makes a continuous, unobstructed loop around the pasture
- All of the insulators are in place
- There are no weeds or tall grass creating a ground
- Purchased a new 8-mile radius charger
- Pounded a new grounding rod into the frozen Vermont ground (that was not an easy feat)
- Saturated the ground with water at the ground site (you know, it froze though, so may not have made much of a difference!)
- Bought a new ground clamp
- Walked the entire perimeter of the fence line listening for "snaps" (found one and fixed it)

The fence is still not hot. The only things left that I can think of:

- Replace the grounding rod with a longer, copper rod
- Replace the hot and ground wires

Any other advice out there is appreciated. The only thing keeping the horses from escaping again is the big round roll of hay that I placed in the middle of the pasture!

The Girls

Never being one to resist change, I embraced an opportunity to start a new life in an area that I had always wanted to see - New England. And after a year and a half of unemployment during the "worst recession since the Great Depression" I hopped on that Northern Train and ended up in Vermont...on 12 acres...in a farm house...acquired a few horses...want another dog...need another barn cat...planning on adding some laying hens in the Spring...

Meet Laney and Zazu. You'll hear a lot more about them in the coming days, months, years.

Lots of plans. Lots of adventures! Hop on our train and enjoy the ride!