May proved to be a hectic month, with Stallion Sirius increasing his excursions onto the farm and taking the mares with him several times. He has learned to test the fence with nose and hoof to see if it is powered up. The men had been leaving power off, especially when setting up the mini pastures. The third line has been restored to the farm side of the fence to act as a visual and physical barrier.
Since we were spared from fire this winter the Preserve is finally showing good grass growth and is slowly becoming lush looking again. The cabbage palms are in bloom and all the horses have been gorging on the blossoms.
Several of the mares are showing some rib again, but no one is in the desperate shape we saw last winter after the fires.The wieght loss may have set in between the time we stopped the grain and opened the mini pastures. Their coats continue to shine.We are working to find a way to finance some additional grain supplementation. Six bags a month @ $15, plus freight, would run around $100+, for an annual need of $1200. Unless of course the amount needs to be increased for some reason. Still, a supplemental feed budget of $2,000 would give us some margin of safety.
We're still seeking to raise $3000 for blood work for the mares to establish nutritional, vitamin and hormone levels and needs. Our DNA costs will be covered gratis by U. of Kentucky.
After a day long effort using heavy equipment from two companies a container was moved from the farm to the Preserve and all three of our containers are now very close to their final positions. We have had an offer by volunteers to build a structure around the containers, consisting of a roof and second floor, pending donation of materials from another source. When the initial sketches are done and materials assured we'll proceed with local approvals and permits.
We are still waiting for availability of a bulldozer to cut the fire break and fence line for the stallion area. We hope to finally start on this project in June.
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