Resting

Alayne took this photo of three of our blind horses resting early on a recent morning. Kate and I had been cleaning the corrals and spreading manure, and it takes us the better part of two days, even with one of us spreading with the tractor and the other spreading with our draft horses, Bill and Bob. So we left all the horses out on pasture overnight, rather than hurriedly putting the corral panels back together the previous evening, bringing the horses in for the night, and then taking the panels all back down again the next morning when we resumed the work. The horses sure didn't mind; they got to graze all they wanted (which is to say, almost nonstop), which is why they were finally all lying down the next morning.

We don't leave them out on pasture 24/7 because the paddocks are too small and couldn't take the constant grazing pressure. They'd be dirt lots in a couple of weeks. Most horses can get all the nutrition they need in 7 to 8 hours of grazing in any case, but they will eat around the clock. Cows, on the other hand, will only graze for 8 hours in a day; no more, no less. This has actually been scientifically measured in different cattle herds across three continents -- in the U.S., in Scotland, and in Australia, according to Andre Voisin in the grazing classic Grass Productivity. So cattle are actually a lot easier on pastures than horses. 

None of this mattered to the three blind horses, of course. They were just happy to be resting in the early morning sunshine on a beautiful summer day. That's Bridger on the left, Rosie in the middle and Nikki on the right. Traditionally we keep our blind horses in pairs, but this is a threesome that works well in terms of chemistry.

---

Please Vote for the Farm!

The latest Shelter Challenge started Monday, July 9 and ends at midnight on September 16. Grand prize in this round is $5,000, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories ... please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.

*** We are now LISTED UNDER OUR NEW NAME, ROLLING DOG FARM.  State is still NH for New Hampshire. ***

Please remember, you can vote every day ... consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.

We just won $1,000 as a weekly winner in the last contest, and thousands more in the previous contests. The Shelter Challenge really does bring in a lot of money for the animals here!

You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.  

Thank you for your votes!  

 

Comments

[Shirley * James/Portland, OR]

LOVELY, BEAUTIFUL, SERENE, AND all around WONDERFUL.

[Linda Murphy]

Nice picture and very interesting info you give us as well. Thank you!

[Phyllis Snow]

Of course I like stories about your "critters" the best, except when the news is sad, but I really enjoy reading about your farming activities,also. Thanks for sending all the information you do send. Phyllis S

[Evelyn]

Thank you for sharing the pic of your horses.

[Barb Ribinski]

I love this photo, too. It's so nice the way the three of them are all so close together. I guess they sense where they are in relation to each other and stay close. Do sighted horses stay close like this, also, when they rest? And that was an interesting tidbit about the cows grazing for 8 hours; I never knew that. Nice photo!

[Dee in KY]

Interesting information about grazing, didn't know that. Also interesting about horse chemistry. I have three dogs but the first two bonded and the third is tolerated but an outsider. Thanks for all you do and all the new things I learn.

[Carla Polastro-Nigro]

They do look so peaceful, in the soft early morning light, don't they?

Bridger, Rosie and Nikki must have been thinking, "Life's good!"...:-)

[Ann]

I love this picture. That is one contented group of happy and beautiful horses. It's nice to see a horse post again!