Don't Need my Winter Coat Anymore!

Time to start thinking about getting sleek and shiny again! I love being groomed :)

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Winter Storm Clouds Approaching

Yikes! Look what’s heading our way!

March 10, 2021

March 10, 2021

Today brought quite a few weather fronts - everything from rain to thunder, lightning and hail. This was one of the more ominous storms and was pretty impressive as it approached. Happily all horses and minis did well. They seem to be accepting extreme weather conditions as a normal occurrence - they adapt well - probably better than we do! Many thanks to Sandy who spent the day at the barn keeping everyone as safe as possible. She did a great job as always!

the twins and family come to visit!

Always a welcome sight are the twins coming to visit us under the big shade tree. Last summer a little orphan showed up only days old. He was quickly adopted by a doe that already had a baby at her side. The three of them would come visit in the evenings and enjoyed the fresh water in our turn out area. After the LNU fire swept thru in August we were very concerned about whether they had made it, so to see them with their herd and growing stronger just warms our hearts.

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Bath Time for Calvin and Hobbes

Our two little donkeys have finally agreed to a bath - it’s been a long time coming. While they allowed and tolerated this indignation their bright white clean coats did not stay that way for long - actually about a minute! Then everything was back to normal and a fine coat of mud was in place. Oh well, at least their skin is temporarily free from dirt, ash, dust and everything else little donkeys pick up along the way!

Hobbes is blissfully happy with a good dusting of dirt.

Hobbes is blissfully happy with a good dusting of dirt.

Calvin gets the prize for the most amount of dirt in the least amount of time!

Calvin gets the prize for the most amount of dirt in the least amount of time!

Strange Skies

The fire left some strange skies and weather patterns. Hot, high winds, orange skies and then our first day of a blue sky peaking through as the wind blew ash and dust. The color of the video and picture below have not been altered. This is what it looked like all day long. The video was taken at about 8 am. The photo about four in the afternoon. Very strange skies and really bad air. A day later we had blue skies and winds blowing ash and dust at 40 mph. Really looking forward to a cool autumn day with the bright blue California skies.

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Unexpected visitor!

Well, I have to remind myself that many animals, and that includes snakes, lost their homes during the LNU fire - we have been very lucky and our doors have been open to all. I’m not a snake person so having this guy living alternately between under one of our stalls and our barn door took some getting used to. But, we have no mice at the moment and I hear they keep the rattle snakes away. So, a big welcome to George, the official Blue Horse Rescue snake.

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Our Safe Haven during the Evacuation

Not permitted to go back to our barn for the first few days after the fire, we were very grateful to the generosity of the ranch owners in Dixon for opening this pasture to our little herd. They moved a herd of 15 mares so we could be in this pasture - amazing kindness and generosity. Thank you so much.

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The wind changed direction for a bit and everyone enjoyed the slightly cleaner air. Still full of smoke there was definitely less particulate matter. A brief respite appreciated by all. While ‘at home’ our herd was not turned out together but they banded as one and I didn’t worry about the little and bigs getting into trouble. They understood the need to be one. Calvin and Hobbes formed their own twosome and kept their distance but should a ranch dog come through the fence they were both quick to chase it away and protect the herd. I was impressed. The very serious ranch dogs were not so much impressed.

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A Safe Spot for Caballo

Caballo recovering from the fire. Eating, drinking, peeing, pooping and doing well. No burns on his body and no lameness or burns to his hooves. He will be watched for possible abcesses and damage to his hooves from the hot ground that he was standing on. We were able to provide farrier care for Caballo and happy that he had no evident damage to his hooves or lower legs. What a sweet boy he is. As he was in the thick of the fire, he will also be watched for respiratory problems, so far so good, but it’s early days, but for now we are happy that he is doing so well.

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Caballo's Story

This is an incredible story of equine resilience and survival skills. We worry so much about our horses, but they seem so much more prepared to handle adversity than we give them credit for. While Caballo’s pasture burned he was able to keep himself safe from injury related to the fire. I won’t even attempt to guess how. So, here’s what we found on neighboring property hours after the fire swept through. Truly amazing.

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Amidst all the burn Caballo stood patiently waiting for help to find his way to safe ground. The gate area was still hot and burning so all we could do was cut the fencing to get him off that hot ground. He embraced human contact and followed D’Arcy to safety.

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