Bubba is Aunt Mel’s newest horse. He is a Thoroughbred, a racehorse, who had a successful career as a sprinter. Before he was 2, he went to school to learn to race. He was broke for riding, learned to leave the starting gate and how to move around the track. Within a few months, he went to the track and started racing. Thoroughbred’s start working when they are very young. They have hardly begun growing when they start the hard routine of track life.
Bubba raced well, but soon a piece of bone broke off inside his leg. It was very painful. The bone chip floated inside his leg making it tender to step. With several months off, it was likely the bone chip would simply re-attach along his leg bone and heal. Bubba was sent home to spend the winter in a pasture.
As the weather warmed, the vet came out to the farm to x-ray Bubba’s leg. The chip had reattached and Bubba was cleared to return to the track to race.
He was still a baby, barely 3, when he started to race again. He ran short races that focused on speed – Bubba was a sprinter. He raced a lot, 36 times in less than 2 years. But he loved his job and he was good at it. In almost every race, Bubba placed first, second or third and made a lot of money for his owner and trainer.
Sadly, one day, Bubba’s owner died. It was very unexpected. The family had no interest in Bubba and told the trainer to sell him. Aunt Mel saw his photo and fell in love. She bought Bubba without ever meeting him.
Bubba had one last race. He was the favorite and came out of the starting gate in the lead. He led the entire race and near the finish line another horse ran up alongside. It was a photo finish.
Bubba came in second by a nose!
The next day our friends loaded Bubba on the trailer and he came to Georgia. The following day, Aunt Mel and Bubba enjoyed their first ride together.
Category: Barn Dweller
The animals who live in or near the barn at Aunt Mel’s farm
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Horse Fun with Round Bales
Horses are designed to graze. They eat small bits of food all day long. Long ago, the horses ate all the grass in their day pasture so Aunt Mel makes certain they always have a supply of hay on which to munch.Hay can be bought in square bales. They weigh about 75 pounds. Depending on the density of each flake, a square bale may last two days. Aunt Mel stores a weeks supply of square bales in her garage. They take up a lot of room and make a mess.
So usually Aunt Mel buys a big round bale of hay. A round bale is a spiral collection of loose hay that is bound together by string mesh. Round bales weigh about 600 pounds and will last almost 2 weeks. They are left out in the pasture for the horses to eat at will. Round bales are best because the horses can graze all day.
Sounds like a win, win for everyone except for one factor. The horse’s day pasture is a slight hill. Aunt Mel totes the round bale in her red trailer, carefully driving through the pasture to the unloading area behind the well. The ground is just a little flattered and supported by large wooden poles on both sides, the round bale stays in place.
Except when GiGi has an itchy butt. When GiGi needs to scratch her backside, she backs into the round bale, leans back and sways from side to side against the hay. The strands do a sufficient job of itching. But one day she leaned back a little too hard. In her itching zeal, she pushed the bale over the pole. It rolled down hill unraveling until there was no more round bale. Instead, there was a four foot wide, one foot thick layer of hay that went about 25 yards across the pasture. Aunt Mel was so mad!The horses only ate part of the unraveled hay. Instead they used the hay as a soft bed for napping and as a bathroom area. Most of the hay was wasted just because GiGi had an itchy backside. Next time Aunt Mel bought a round bale, it was supported by much larger wooden poles.
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Welcome to the World Baby Nettie!
Aunt Mel was very excited when her first horse, GiGi, was bred to a beautiful Arabian stallion named Kantos. GiGi grew bigger and bigger as her due date drew near. At the time, GiGi and Kain were boarded at a private barn in Roswell. Aunt Mel was well prepared for the baby and planned to be at the barn to see the entire event.
But GiGi had other plans. She gave birth to Nettie a month early in the middle of the night. Aunt Mel received a call from the barn manager at 6 a.m., “come to the barn, there’s a surprise waiting for you in GiGi’s stall.” Aunt Mel couldn’t get to the barn fast enough.
GiGi was standing over a little red baby. The baby was sound asleep having already stood and nursed, she was ready for a nap. She was bright red with a white strip and pink nose. She was the size of a baby deer and mostly long legs. Aunt Mel petted GiGi and told her she was a good girl.
When the baby woke from her nap, Aunt Mel petted and played with her. She was very sweet and loved the attention. But she loved to eat more. She nursed frequently and GiGi took very good care of her. They had an immediate strong bond.GiGi taught Nettie may things. She was taught to poop along the left side of her stall, starting in the back corner and pooping in piles toward the front. She was taught horse language so she would get along in the herd. For instance, rolling your head means “move” to horses. GiGi and Nettie never hesitate to roll their heads at Kain or Joe, telling them to move away from the hay or else! Nettie is very bright and a pleasure to manage thanks to GiGi’s instructions.
Nettie grew quickly and as she grew, she also changed color. By her third birthday she was grey like her mother. Unlike her dainty mother, she was much bigger – taller, wider, stronger.
GiGi and Nettie spend their days in the pasture with Kain and Joe and sometimes other horses. They always stick together, like a team, eating side by side, snoozing side by side. When Nettie is really tired and lies down to sleep, GiGi stands guard over her.
Nettie loves her mother and does as GiGi dictates. She doesn’t mind taking orders from her mother but she seems to enjoy breaks when she works with Aunt Mel in the other pastures. GiGi yells at her over the fence and Nettie always nickers back to assure her mother that she’s ok with Aunt Mel.
It is hard to imagine life without the two pasture bosses, GiGi and Nettie. It makes Aunt Mel happy that mother and daughter are able to spend their entire lives together. They rule the pasture and the farm. They are two very happy, beautiful Arabian mares.
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The Pig Pool – How Lyndon Beats the Heat
Georgia summers are hot but Lyndon has learned that his drinking hole is also a refreshing means to cool off overheated pigs.In July, the tree frog eggs have hatched and the babies live in Lyndon’s pool. He treads carefully to avoid squishing the little green frogs.
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Nosey Horses Check Out the New Neighbors
Aunt Mel’s horses are very nosey. They enjoy watching the neighborhood children jump on their trampoline. They spend summer evenings watching the neighborhood men play volleyball. If someone starts to drive down Aunt Mel’s long driveway, they run to the fence and stare. But lately they’ve been particularly glued to the fence, completely entranced by the latest goings on.Two goats moved in next door.
And the goats seem mutually interested in Aunt Mel’s horses. They hang out at the fence nibbling honey suckle. They reach through the boards to touch noses with the horses. At night they curl up in the undergrowth and sleep near the horses.
At least for a while, the goats hold a fascination for the horses. Apparently goats are to horses like TV to humans – something interesting to watch when there isn’t much else to do.
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Aunt Mel’s First Horse – GiGi
When Aunt Mel was a child, she begged for a horse but never got one of her own. So when she graduated from college and got her first job, the first thing she bought was a horse – GiGi.
Aunt Mel’s friend, Lisa, grew up on a big horse farm. Her family bred and showed prize Arabian horses. One day, Lisa took Aunt Mel to one of the big pastures behind the riding ring. It was full of baby horses that had just been weaned from their mothers. They would live together for about a year, growing into mature horses until they were old enough to train for the shows. Lisa pointed out a delicate brown speckled baby and said she could be mine for a special “friend’s discount”. Aunt Mel fell in love.
GiGi was the baby of Lisa’s National Park Horse Arabian mare. She was bred to a famous stallion with the hope of having a large baby. But GiGi was born small and delicate – not the type of horse that the show crowd really wanted. But her delicate features suited Aunt Mel just fine. And it turns out that being dainty in appearance would have absolutely no bearing on GiGi’s personality. From day one, GiGi claimed her status as “top mare”. She was the boss over every horse she encountered. GiGi had very clear rules about behavior and hierarchy and she would reign her opinion on everyone including, sometimes, Aunt Mel.GiGi lived at a few different farms until Aunt Mel purchased her own. GiGi was as happy as Aunt Mel to have a permanent home with a walk-in barn, grassy pastures and a big oak tree perfectly suited for afternoon naps in the shade.
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Oh Lord! There’s a Huge Pig in the Garden!
Lyndon was an unexpected addition to Aunt Mel’s farm. One morning Aunt Mel woke to find this huge, black hairy pig building a nest in her flower garden. When she approached the busy pig, it would squeal loudly and stomp on the plants. Aunt Mel was terrified. She went in the house and called Animal Control.
A few hours later the Animal Control officer arrived. He was a tall, lanky fella that didn’t even weigh as much as Aunt Mel. He assessed the pig situation and informed Aunt Mel that he couldn’t possibly move that huge pig by himself. He promised to return the next morning with additional help. That was the last time Aunt Mel saw the Animal Control officer. He never came back for the pig and he never returned Aunt Mel’s phone calls. Aunt Mel was very upset but the pig was very happy in his garden nest of flowers.Aunt Mel called everyone she could think of to ask about pigs. She didn’t know anything about them – what do does a pig eat besides the garden flowers? Why is it so loud when you approach it? Was it going to attack Aunt Mel or the other animals? Would it leave on it’s own? No one had helpful answers but lots of friends had bad jokes; “the only good pig is one covered with BBQ sauce” or “call Oscar Myer, they might want him”. Funny friends.
After a week, Aunt Mel gave up trying to get someone to take the pig. She figured he made his way to her farm for some reason, though she couldn’t imagine what it would be. For the time being, she abandoned the flower garden to the pig and tried to politely steer clear of his nest. The pig was just fine with that arrangement.
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How Joe the Pony Came to Aunt Mel’s Farm
Joe is Aunt Mel’s little brown pony. Joe has a white blaze down his face, but it’s a little crooked and ends over his left nostril. He has four white feet and a thick blonde mane and tail. In the summer, he is dark brown with darker dapples. In the winter his hair is three inches long and he looks like a Yak.
Joe was rescued from negligent neighbors. The neighbors bought Joe for their grand children to ride. Aunt Mel first saw him one spring day with six little kids pulling him around the pasture by a lead rope. He was wearing a little western saddle and a small bridle. A while later, Aunt Mel saw Joe run past her front yard with one of the little kids screaming on his back. A few minutes later, Joe ran back past without the screaming kid. That was the one and only time Aunt Mel ever saw anyone ride Joe.
After that, Joe was just left in their pasture. No one ever gave him hay or grain. He only had grass to eat. There was no water tub; he had to walk through the woods to the shallow creek to get a drink. He would stand along the fence near Aunt Mel’s horses, looking very sad and hungry. It broke Aunt Mel’s heart to see him neglected and alone.That Christmas, Aunt Mel received a bonus at work. She called the neighbors and told them she was taking the pony and leaving a check in their mailbox. They said that was fine, they didn’t want that mean pony. They cautioned that it would be hard to catch him. Determined, Aunt Mel climbed over her fence into the neighbor’s yard.
As usual, Joe was standing near the fence trying to be close to her other horses. As soon as Joe saw Aunt Mel, he ran straight over to her. His hair was matted and dirty. His feet had never been trimmed. They were too long and curled up on the ends like elf feet. It had rained the night before and he was covered in a sheet of ice. She kissed his pink nose, gave him a carrot and slipped the halter over his head. Joe walked quietly out of his old pasture and into Aunt Mel’s yard. And that’s where he’s been ever since.
