Hi friends! I know I’m a bit behind on writing this post because things have been wild since I got back to Texas from my short trip home. I have had lots of work to do getting my horses legged back up from their mini vacation as well as working on Darby’s horses and getting them ready for her to go to Odessa and Denver PRCA rodeos.
Remember how I mentioned that septic tank issue in my last post? Well it’s still overflowing.. it’s been long enough now that we have taken to calling our backyard poo poo lake (lovely I know). In better news I am now in the middle of week two of a fun challenge my workout studio (Barre3) does every January called B3 all in, and I’m of course, loving it.
On top of all of that I am in the middle of purchasing a house on a little bit of property in Sisters, Oregon; which I will be working with my dad on this spring to fix up and eventually sell. I plan to write all about the new experiences of the mini remodel, from choosing color schemes to flooring to landscaping.
A big part of the reason I went home in December was to wean the two colts that we had in 2017 (which were our first two ever). I chose December because that made them 5 and 6 months old (give or take). Both of these colts are halter broke and get handled daily but I didn’t know what to expect, since I am a first time baby horse mom and all.
I was told to find “The Best Days to Wean Animals” for December of 2017 in a farmer’s almanac and my experience will go much more smoothly. For those of you that have never used one you might be as surprised and maybe even humored as I was to hear that the following were some of the categories listed in the “Best Days” section:
- Can, pickle or make sauerkraut
- Mow lawn to slow growth
- Dig Holes
- Wax Floors
- Have Dental Care
- Paint
Explained…
According to Farmers’ Almanac tradition, when the moon is in the appropriate phase and place in the zodiac, it’s widely believed that activities will be more fruitful or lead to improved results. The period between the new and full moon (first and second quarters) is considered as the best time to perform tasks that require strength, fertility and growth. The period between the full and new moon (third and fourth quarters) is best for harvesting, slowing growth, etc. Consideration is also given to the relationship the moon has with the 12 ruling signs of the zodiac.
So on the “best day” for weaning in December my mom and I simply lead the mares to a different pasture, the foals ran for just a few minutes and that was the extent of the fuss. The mares had already been pushing off their foals for about a month at this point so they almost seemed relieved. Personally, I can’t tell you whether or not it made my colts’ experience easier or not because this was my first foal crop, but I will say the process was completely effortless. I’m the type of person that wants to have a rhyme and reason for everything I do, so honestly I’ll probably always do it this way… let’s be honest fast forward ten years and I’ll probably be potty training my kids by the farmer’s almanac haha!
Below are photos of the colts along with their pedigrees, waiting till these two are ready to start is sure proving to be a challenge already..!
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