Check, Check, Check

He's my prisoner, but Crabby still loves me.

Previously, I wrote of that point of pre-winter panic, when I realized that we would not complete ALL our projects this year, and had to prioritize a few.  Here’s an update:

The sheep pasture is finished, and the sheep now live there.  No more chewed horse tails, no more little ovines criss-crossing between pastures whenever they so desired, no more fear that one day they would step through the perimeter fencing and be impossible to catch, or hit by a car, etc.

Fresh, new wall, with the canvas corpse still at its feet.

They are prisoners, but they have their own nice, lush pasture, paddock, lambing pen and run-in, all sheep-proof.

Check. 

The old canvas that blocked the south end of the barn since Hurricane Sandy has been replaced by a sturdy, board and batten wall, thanks to my husband's meticulous work.  The horse barn is now finally enclosed to my satisfaction.

Check.

Light!

The equipment and hay barn has electric!  Check.

Always cooperative, Starlight demos the solar tank.

So, all good. I’ll throw this one in there as well:  For years, we, like many horse-owners, have struggled with frozen buckets and troughs, as well as a variety of  ways to keep water from freezing.   

Last year, we offered temporary housing to a horse that was seized by the SPCA.  He had to be separate from our horses, and we housed him in an area where there was no electric.  He needed water, so we purchased a solar-heated waterer, the Sun Tank, from Pine Ranch Products.  It was a big expense, but it worked.   

This year, we have moved it down for our mares to use, and it’s definitely their first choice when they are thirsty in the cold.  This morning, at 20 degrees F, the water in the tank was ready for them, no ice.  

I’m hopeful that the days of icy troughs or plug-in water tanks might be a thing of the past.

Now, on to the lower priorities. On a farm, it never ends.