This is the time of year that I get most frustrated with owning horses! The barn sits lower than the paddocks so rain water runs into the stalls, the paddocks need fresh gravel as it's getting a bit messy in some areas, the horses are filthy from laying in wet stalls and paddocks, the hours are shorter so there is no time/daylight to ride, and the horses are so bored from being cooped up, that they keep running through the divider fence!

Last night was no exception to all of the above.. It used to be Red/Oakley next to eachother, but Oakley kept busting through the fenceline so we put Dexter where Oakley was at. Derek came home to find Dexter in the barn isle and a busted fenceline, boards broken out of the stall wall and amped up horses! Derek was out there alone at first since I was not home yet and he walked up to a very nervous Dexter to feel his legs to be sure they were OK and Dexter bit him on the back. So I get home and Derek is about ready to shoot all the horses!

Here's what we assume happened: Dexter and Red were playing along the fenceline with eachother, sometimes Dexter rears up in play, he probably came down on the fence. So now they are together and Red (who can be a real asshole) probably chased Dexter around a bit, they both ended up in Red's stall. Red probably was trying to kick Dexter but instead kicked two 2x6 boards out of the wall and Dexter probably panicked for his life at this point, so he jumped through the feed window into the barn isle, bending one of our gates in the process as he probably came down partially on the gate. GRRR I think this all had happened within 30 minutes to an hour before Derek went out to feed, so Dexter was still worked up and probably afraid and with no halter on him to understand he is now under human control, he thought Derek was a threat. I know Dexter didnt do it maliciously, it was all just in the heat of the moment.

Those 2x6 boards are not flimsy weak boards that easily break, those were some very hard kicks that Red had to have done.. really pissed me off actually because had he connected to a leg, it would have been very ugly to come home to that. We moved Red to the other side of the barn, so now Oakley and Dexter are next to eachother and hopefully this will be a working combination! Although I am certain one of them will probably run through that darn fence, but atleast Oakley will not kill Dexter.

So last night I was frustrated, and the horses are so dirty and I just havent had much ambition to get out and brush them or do much with them lately. Hopefully after the holidays I get out of this horse funk because I do miss riding. I think after all that mess, I needed to just chill out so I spent the entire evening working on making a christmas vest for Derek to just relax and not have to think about anything. Derek went to bed early since he had to get up early for some OT at work and at one point, I was about 80% done and Derek came in to see if I was coming to bed anytime soon.. I said "what time is it anyways". Well it was 1:30!! I thought it was maybe 11.. holy moly. But I was so close, I couldnt walk away, so after another hour, I finally was finished and went to bed. I just have to put the buttons on it, but I want Derek to have it on before I do that so I know where to place them. I'm almost done otherwise with the holiday craft projects, just a little bit left of one and then I need to get to wrapping!