Well, the season is officially turning wet and muddy. No matter what you do, if you go outside this time of year, you are going to have to contend with mud, and that is even more true if you plan on stepping foot in a pasture. Which, well, you simply can’t avoid on a farm with any sort of livestock. So, I have officially broken out the Muck Boots. They are my go-to for the cold months. The tall shafts keep them on my feet even in the deep squishy stuff. And they are mostly rubber, so they clean off quite easily when I need them to. If you plan on trapesing around in the mud, I really don’t recommend short boots. Even if they are rubber. I have made that mistake, and let me tell you, it is no fun wrestling through each step to extricate your boot from the mire. Even less fun, is that moment when despite your best efforts, the boot stays behind and your poor stocking foot slips free and lands bootless. Really, quite unfortunate. So. TALL Muck Boots for me.
The muddy season also calls for some pasture consideration. We have a lot of space here, but horses and cows can cover an amazing amount of ground while grazing, and both are girthy beasts. When the ground gets sloppy, every step they take sinks deep into the soil and pretty well tears up anything beneath their hooves. Fortunately, when we moved here all of the pastures were in great shape and still had tons of grass, so that gave us a great starting point going into the winter months. The weather was unseasonably mild when we moved, and really continued to be that way up to now. So for the last month or so that we have been here, I kept the horses up on the front third of the property. That served them well, but as of this week, they had pretty well grazed it down and the precipitation has been moving in. So, to give those pastures a rest until spring, this week, I turned the horses out on to the back two-thirds of the property. There is still so much grass back there, that they are hardly touching the hay I leave in the shelter for them. With plenty of grass left to munch and protect the soil beneath, we should be able to maintain good pastures through the next couple months until spring begins to return.
The coolest part of turning the horses out on the great wild yonder though, is the realization that there is enough space out there, that I actually have to go FIND them. Sure, that probably sounds like a lot of work. And it is. But it is a really neat feeling to set out early in the morning to trek out and find the horses roaming free, in the beautiful landscape. We have a four-wheeler that would make it a lot easier and faster, I am sure. But right now, I am still enjoying the peaceful hike out and the quiet moment when I see those beautiful creatures rise into my field of vision. They just look so happy. And that is precisely what I want. I most likely won’t always go seek them out each morning, but right now as they explore the new expanse and the weather is in the process of shifting, I like to check in just to make sure they are adjusting well. Plus, all the new grass has made them forget about coming up to the gate in the morning for their breakfast, so the sight of me swiftly reminds them. They’ll eventually remember to come up on their own, but they just need some time to get back into a routine. Until then, I’ll just be going on my morning hunt for horses!