Horses and Hay

Horses have been at the fore front of our country dream and through the guidance of one of our new friends we have been introduced to Canada's national horse breed called the Canadian, the French Canadian or the Little Iron Horse.
These big hearted, robust horses are ingrained in the history of Eastern Canada and came very close to becoming extinct. Luckily the government and horse enthusiasts banded together to bring back the breed and next week we will receive the 2 young Canadian horses that we have bought.
Both of our Canadians are black with big brown soft eyes, long manes, and tails that touch the ground. The little mare, Nimble, is 4 and has had a little training under saddle but needs lots of time and exposure to life outside of her barn and the gelding, Poet, is 3 years old with no training at all.
I wasn't sure at first that I had the inclination to train 2 young horses but the moment I saw their fluid movement, natural extension, and kind eyes I was hooked.

In preparation for their arrival Eric and I have spent days reinforcing our pasture fence posts, re-stringing the wire fence and figuring out the proper way to set up the ground for our electric fencing. We also had to dig a 35 foot trench in stone filled ground, knock through a bigger opening in the paddock shelter and take down 2 walls in the barn. It has been a busy week that rewarded us with aching muscles and big smiles as we now impatiently await our newcomers.

In addition to getting the barn and pasture ready for the horses....a job that will never be finished as now we are starting to replace the lighting....we knew we would have to get some hay to take us through our first winter. I placed 1 call to a horse lady down the road and within a few hours I was getting calls back from all over our area from people advising us who to and who not to buy hay from....the joy of a close knit community!
After many discussions and one visit from a local horse guru we settled on buying from Mr. Leahman Smith, a nice old fella who has a big hay operation and whose grin can put people instantly at ease.
Leahman stopped by one afternoon to show off his wares and we agreed a price for 450 bales with him saying he'd give me a call when he was coming by to drop off the hay. This was perfect as Eric is allergic to hay so it would give me time to drum up a few helping hands.

That evening I planned a romantic dinner, slipped into a nice dress and waited for Eric to get home from work. He was thrilled at my surprise but just as we were settling in for our cozy evening at home we heard a rumble out on the road....
Next thing we see is a huge truck and trailer stacked with hay pulling into the yard. The candles were blown out, the dress traded for jeans and off I set to help old Leahman and his young farm hand unload hay.
It wasn't long before we had made it through the first section of hay (Leahman carrying 2 bales to my 1) and then needed to reposition the truck so we could get to the rest. I shouted a warning about watching for the small ditch at the side of the drive but the young farm hand was getting impatient and directed the truck straight into it by accident. So there we were and by the light of the full moon we all struggled and strained to find a way to get the truck out. Wood was carried over, jacks were brought out, but no matter what we did the truck stayed stuck...hummm I hear a country song coming on.

Covered in hay, mud and sweat, Eric and the farmers pilled into our Infinity Q4 SUV....a vehicle soon to be traded for a practical farm truck... and set off back to town so they could get a tractor to pull out the trailer in the morning. Pulling in the drive at well after 9pm, Eric and I just scoffed a quick dinner before slipping into bed exhausted. It wasn't exactly the romantic evening I had planned but we both laughed at the antics of our first hay experience, enjoyed the warmth of each others arms, and slipped quietly off to sleep wondering what on earth tomorrow would bring.