Hay There!

There are several things that make a horse girl's heart sing. A full hay barn is one of them. Am I right, ladies? Of course I am. Our hay barn isn't quite full, but it will be when the hay guy comes through later this week.

​We currently have eight horses at the ranch which is almost half of what we used to have. Over the seven years I've been there, we've lost at least six. Three were senior citizens who had to be euthanized. There was also a fourth who now lives next door, a fifth who came and went with his owner (who was an employee who moved to Texas), and the sixth, the pony, who now lives with his owner down the road. Back when there were fourteen horses, we went through a lot more hay than we do now.

Our current herd.

A week or so ago, the hay man brought two squeezes of grass hay. On his next visit he'll bring three squeezes of alfalfa. The hay barn can easily hold eight full squeezes, but by squeezing the squeezes, ten would fit without any trouble. Two alfalfa stacks will slide in where the tractor is hanging out, and the third will go in on the right side of the tractor in front of the other existing stacks of alfalfa. That gives us three total squeezes of grass (left side of barn) and five squeezes of alfalfa. We'll use the oldest hay first.

​At the left end of the barn, behind the squeeze of grass hay, the ranch owner left an empty space for our mini-fridge (which is covered to shade it from direct sunlight), tools, and feed cart. That space normally gets filled in, but without the need for quite as much hay, she was able to leave space between each stack which makes working in the hay barn a bit easier.

Space for the mini-fridge, the feed cart, and any tools we we might need.

I don't source or buy the hay, but it still gives me a vicarious sense of satisfaction to see the barn filling up. I feel that way about anyone's hay barn. Even when it's not my barn, an empty hay barn gives me a panicky feeling. It makes me want to knock on doors and ask if someone is in need of a loan of a few bales.

​I'm sure you know the feeling ...