Preparations & Anticipation

Since the exciting day back in February when we learned Dylan was accepted into the Teens & Oregon Mustangs program we have been anxiously awaiting selecting and welcoming our new herd member home. We have fully immersed ourselves in all things Mustang from rebuilding our facilities to meet BLM requirements to learning about the history and current politics of America’s wild horses.

The Really Big Fence:

To adopt a mustang from the BLM there are strict rules about the type of fence and facility you need to have and for good reason as no one wants their new horse to escape or be injured. For yearlings (which is what Dylan applied for) you need 5’ high and adults require 6’ and the materials need to be strong and safe. We opted to rebuild our paddock between the indoor and outdoor arenas to not only exceed mustang standards, but to be a true multipurpose area that could house and hold anything from baby goats to a rank bull should the need ever arise.

Out with the old... 

The paddock rebuild started with tearing out the hodge-podge fencing. These were some of the first posts we set after buying the farm 12 years ago; scraps that were laying around all mis-matched. They did the job, but it's sure nice to be replacing them with a more aesthetically pleasing fence! 

So, over the winter we set out acquiring supplies without breaking the bank. We bought a huge load of recycled round treated posts from a vineyard and I removed roughly 987,526 staples and nails to make them horse safe. Our new fence is just over 6’ high with round rails and no-climb horse fence to keep small critters in. Because this project is for the sake of Dylan's new horse, he got be a big part of the crew and learned quite a few things while he helped out. 

Each post had around 6 to 8 nails that needed to be pulled and there were several hundred posts. It was quite a project but reclaiming these used posts made it financially possible to build the fence like we did.

Ah, the joys of Oregon winter farm projects!

DARK & WET!

            Early in the project I had a bit of a mishap involving a pinky finger and a hammer. I often say that stupidity should be painful and in this case, it absolutely was. It was late in the day and we were tired; I was holding the somewhat heavy rail up and had the passing thought that “I shouldn’t hold it this way” as I hit the big nail in as hard as I could. The second strike after that thought missed the nail and crushed the tip of my finger full-force. It was agony, this far surpassed every hammered finger I’ve ever had and there have been quite a few. Luckily, I just missed the joint so there wasn’t much to do for a doctor so I bandaged it up for a few weeks and hoped the nail isn’t permanently ruined. It’s been more than 2 months now and the verdict is still out on that last bit. I’ve threatened to name Dylan’s new horse ”Pinky” in honor of sacrifices made. 😆

            Despite some injury and winter weather holdups the new fence took shape and the area transformed from a utilitarian cobbled-together space to a sturdy and attractive mustang pen. Just this past weekend we were putting final touches on it and in looking over the layout we decided to add a significant upgrade to the plan. In the past we have created a stall in the corner of the arena with panels that allowed anyone in that paddock to come in out of the weather. This worked fine, but also took away of corner of our already very small arena. It made sense to build a stall behind the arena that would open inward for easy feeding and chores and also be a run-in shelter for the paddock. It would also begin to enclose the north end of our barn which was never finished by the previous owners. So, just a week before the new horse comes, we framed in a brand new stall/barn addition. Because, why not? *laughing* Long term, this will be a truly multipurpose asset to the property so while it was begun almost as an impulse, it is very exciting to make this improvement. 

The new stall well on its way to completion. 

This will really help shield the arena & barn from winter storms! 

"The Alright Corral" as named by Carlos ready the morning of pickup!