[AT] New 8N/Now hay, coastal bermuda

[Al Jones]

Charlie, I saw that on the news too.  Very bad deal and the guy ought to be
punished for it.  Now, I'm going to sound like a heartless @#@$.  I can't
figure out why that would even make the news.  I don't believe in being
cruel to any animal but I have never been able to understand what sets a
horse apart from anything else--they ain't people, just another kind of
animal.  We had somebody in our community several years ago that tried to
have horses.  They would get a pasture planted, it would green up, then
they would turn the horses on it and they would eat it down to the point
they were just about eating dirt.  They wouldn't buy hay, the horses were
wasting away.  My great-uncle carried them round bales of hay several
times---didn't say anything, just went and took it.  I think someone from
the aspca finally came and got the horses. I can't understand why someone
would insist on having something like that and then not take proper care of
it.

One other thing I will say.  I guess horses are good for the farm economy,
but it is aggrivating as #@$#$# to go into a farm supply store and have to
wade through all the horsey crap to find real farm materials.  Some places
hardly want to mess with you if you are looking for something for a hog or
a cow.  Several years ago, my dad was trying to get a certain type of hog
feed that Purina makes, from the Purina dealer in Richlands, NC. (Charlie
you probably know the place--used to sell JD tractors there many years ago.
The store changed hands I guess close to a year ago now.  I bet they have
over a million dollars worth of new horse trailers where the Chevy used lot
was and I hear now they're going to close up and turn the place into a
restaurant!)  Anyway at the time, they had every type of horse feed Purina
made, plus high-quality bermuda, timothy, and alfalfa hay from heaven knows
where, but they could NOT seem to get so much as a bag of that hog feed. 
If we had wanted something for a @##$ horse, they would probably have had
it there the next day....

Tractor reference:  I have thought about planting a few acres of oats to
harvest with my old pull combines and then selling them to the horsey set. 
Knowing my luck, someone's precious angel would die and they would try to
blame it on my oats!  So I guess I will stick to wheat.

Al


> [Original Message]
> From: charliehill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Date: 2/24/2009 12:15:51 PM
> Subject: Re: [AT] New 8N/Now hay, coastal bermuda
>
> Yep I've got it pretty well figured out but I try to help out enough that 
> they are happy to see me.  I wouldn't want to feel like I was just
hanging 
> around in the way.
>
> We had a bad news story on the 11 pm news this past Friday night.  It
seems 
> that a couple from the county to the north of us went down to the county
to 
> the S/W of us to see a man about a 15 year old Quarter horse that was for 
> sale for $500.  When they got there they found the horse in terrible
shape 
> and several hundred pounds under weight.  They struck a deal with the man 
> for $50 and took the horse home just to try and save the horse.  The next 
> day the horse started throwing up blood and died.
> They had pictures of the horse on TV.   It was a terrible looking animal. 
> The Sheriffs dept in the county where they bought the horse was called in 
> and started an investigation.  The preliminary report was that the guy
that 
> sold the horse was a Lt. on the Police Dept in the town I live near. 
There 
> haven't been any follow up reports.
> The horse was burried immediately so there was no chance to find out if 
> there was a medical condition that might have caused the poor condition
and 
> death.
> The strange thing is that the guy was advertizing the horse as a good
riding 
> horse for sale for $500.  Right now $500 will buy  a pretty good horse in 
> this area.  Or at least a healthy horse.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Easley, Greg" <EasleyG at health.missouri.edu>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:26 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] New 8N/Now hay, coastal bermuda
>
>
> > You've got it figured out Charlie.  All the enjoyment of the horses
> > without the
> > expenses!  I've not seen the beet pellets here, but the shreds are easy
> > enough
> > to deal with.  I keep the back stock on the hay pile and feed out of
> > 30gal trash
> > cans.  I handle the sweet feed the same way.  The bins sit beside the
> > door to the
> > run-in shed part of my shop/garage/horse barn which makes it real handy
> > at feeding
> > time.
> >
> > The barn is a 30'x40' with a 12'x40' shed on the south side.  I built a
> > 10'x12'
> > stall on each end of that and left the middle 20' open.  On the inside I
> > have a
> > 5'x12' hay rack centered on that space and a dutch door on either side
> > of the hay
> > rack.  When the weather's mild I'll open the top section of those doors
> > while I'm
> > working in the shop and generally have a horse or two keeping an eye on
> > me.  I'm not
> > sure if it's because they're curious or just hopeful that I might give a
> > handful of
> > apple treats.  Maybe a little of both.  Either way I enjoy the company.
> >
> > I have to say that the beet shreds are nearly a miracle feed for a
> > broken-mouthed
> > animal.  That mare looked like a walking skeleton at the end of last
> > winter and I
> > was ready to put her down.  She was a rescue case, and daughter's first
> > horse.
> > Daughter wasn't at all happy with the thought of putting her down so I
> > started looking
> > for a solution.  Gal at the feed store suggested the beet shreds.  After
> > two weeks of
> > that stuff the spark started to come back in her eyes and it wasn't long
> > after that
> > she started to put some weight back on.  In ten months she's gained
> > 200lbs, maybe a
> > little more.  She had been getting 3 gallons of senior feed and free
> > choice hay prior
> > to that, but due to the lack of mastication her gut wasn't working.  She
> > was basically
> > starving to death on a full belly.  The addition of the beets as her
> > bulk roughage
> > literally brought her back from the dead.
> >
> > Greg
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> > [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of charliehill
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 9:43 AM
> > To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> > Subject: Re: [AT] New 8N/Now hay, coastal bermuda
> >
> > Greg, have you seen the beet pulp pellets that are out now?  It's the
> > same
> > shreaded pulp but compressed into a pellet.  You soak it in water for a
> > while before feeding.  The pellets seem to make it easier to handle and
> > store.
> >
> > I have the best of both worlds with the horses.  I go by the stable
> > every
> > day that I have time and most always get to help do something.
> > Yesterday I
> > helped feed up and repair a fence.  I enjoy talking to the folks that
> > bring
> > their kids to ride and absolute delight in watching the children work
> > with
> > the horses.  It doesn't cost me a thing but some time.
> >
> > Tom's stable is not a fancy come and ride and go home place.  He
> > requires
> > the kids to go out into the pasture and get their horse, tack it up,
> > clean
> > the hooves and brush the horse down and put it back in the pasture after
> > the
> > lesson. (of course the little ones and beginners get help until they can
> > do
> > it themselves)  They even have to go get the wheel barrel and manure
> > rake
> > and clean up the horses mess.  They learn to ride, they learn to care
> > for
> > the horse and above all they learn to be responsible.  He let's kids
> > start
> > at age 8.  He's got a range of horses to fit any kid and any ability.
> >
> > Charlie
> >
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