Life on an Arabian breeding farm in Capitan, NM.

Friday, April 29, 2011

It’s done, well almost…


Yesterday morning when I awoke my body was not pleased. It’s hard to know if it was because of what I did the day before, or if it was just normal aches, and pains. Still and all I had to finish what I started. It was a beautiful day, warm, and still with just the right amount of a breeze.  Such a lovely day to go riding, which sadly was not going to happen. All I had left to do was put up the panels half way across the arena after all, so that shouldn’t be too bad, right?

Wrong again Sherlock. Of course if I started right away when I first got up I would get more done. First comes coffee that nothing interferes with. Then Rudy calls, and we talk for at least an hour. I go feed, another hour, hour and a half. The morning is rapidly slipping by.  Depending on my pain level I may or may not get started with my day right away. Yesterday I had to wait a little until I stopped hurting a bit.


There are two gate panels. The gate is bolted onto a panel so basically I have double the weight to carry. I had already planned on using the gator to pull the panel, and the gate to it’s new location. That was the easy part. Standing it up while I attached the panel to the other panel was the hard part especially since the gate stands higher than the panel. I leaned the gate, and panel against the gator, and eventually got the two panels attached. I also had to start pulling out the T-posts, and brace them against the arena panels. Getting them out was fairly easy. Pour a little water on them, wiggle them around a bit, and pour more water, etc. until I can finally pull them out. Putting them back in the ground is a little more difficult. Again I had to use water while driving the T-post in. Now the T-post driver only weighs about 17 lbs, but trust me after raising it a few times, and dropping it on the post, you begin to feel the pain. Actually it isn’t the pain that kills me, I just get short winded, and for some reason I like breathing.

One gate down, one more to go. I got the second gate in, and pounded the bolts straight. With the years they got a little tweaked, and also loosened. I have yet to tighten the bolts. That I think is a job for Rudy. He doesn’t know his own strength, and always tightens things way beyond what I could ever do, or undo for that matter.


I had half a dozen T-posts to pull out, and use to brace the panels. I also had to contour the panels so as not to have a square corner. These panels have been there for a long time. Most of them I had to dig out before I could pull them out. The first few after the gates were no problem, then I had to continue to pull out more panels as the new dimensions made me about a third of a panel short. In actuality all the panels need to be pulled out and re-positioned. The T-posts they put in to brace the panels were not put in where one panel connects to another, and the whole shebang is leaning. Instead of the leaning tower of Pisa, we have the leaning arena of Capitan. In order to re-align, and attach the panels I had to pull out even more panels, and their T-posts. Finally I got the last panel attached., and looked down the line. I really need to redo most of the arena, but that will have to wait for another day, or week or maybe a month. It’s a very large arena even shortened as it is now.

I gathered all my tools, too tired to use the metal stripes I bought to attach the panels to the shuffling barn, so little noses wouldn’t push them all around. It looks good, and it’s safe. What I really like is the way it opens up the back to the road coming from the main road. We now have plenty of room to bring the trailer into the arena, or park it outside. It opens up parking for others as well. When the rains start I can tack down the siding that has warped, and pulled away from the studs of the shuffling barn. I ended up with one extra panel, but of course it doesn’t match any of the other panels here there, and everywhere. I wanted to put in another gate to the shuffling barn but couldn’t see how I could manage it. That leaves only one way to enter the barn area, which is through the arena. Not perfect, but under the circumstances the best I could do. I went to the house hoping to get an hour or so rest before I had to feed. Unfortunately to my extreme dismay I discovered it was ten till five. I feed at five, so much for getting in a little rest before I fed.


Today the winds came back so I didn’t finish tacking down the panels to the side of the barn, or put a latch on the other side where the gate is so I can latch the gate open. At 5:00 the news said that Ft Stanton recorded 67 mph winds, and the winds have gotten stronger since then. After watching the royal wedding this morning, taking care of some business matters, and going into town for prescriptions, I came home, and died. I guess my body thinks I put it through too much the last few days. It’s ok though because now I have a place to put the girls (whenever they get here), so they can chill before I introduce them to the other pasture mares. I have a clean barn after winter’s deluge of winter winds, and I have a way to pasture breed this summer. In addition Rudy can now pull the trailer into the arena so I can trailer train the youngsters. Not a bad weeks work.

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