2013 Vermin Update

If you have been following my blog since it's inception you will be aware of my turmoil last fall with the dreaded mouse infestation we had.
I am happy to report we are not infested at this time but I have been dealing with a very annoying family and extended family of mice in the feed room.   My horses all eat oats...so we have bags on hand so that the local feed supplier doesn't have to deliver to use every other week.   These bags are stacked neatly in the corner on a bale of shavings to keep them from getting damp on the stall mat floor when it sweats (or God forbid, we have another flood!).
The mice are considerably well fed and they only eat the grain of the oat not the husk so over time there gets to be an incredibly large pile of husks on the floor!  They have been so brave as to even sit in the stack while I am in the feed room.   I kick the pile and they dart off faster than I can squish them.   They have also dug a little mouse hole near the pile.   My Grand River Trapping instincts kicked in when I seen the hole and I placed an old fashioned spring trap right at the opening.   I knew they would have to climb up out of the hole right over the trap to get to my stock pile of oats.
Vermin Count = 2 in 3 days!!   All done with NO peanut butter just strategic placement of the killing device.  I must have also had a near miss, as the trap one day was upside down and there was a bunch of gravel and oat hulls scattered in the vicinity.  I think I may have had a foot or a tail in the trap and with some overnight effort the vermin was able to escape.

With that, I am in search of a small chest freezer for oats storage.  If you or anyone you know has one that they would like to get rid of (working or not is fine), please let me know.

The arena footing is turning out to be perfect!    The dust control after it had a chance to fully dissolve and DH harrowed it in is making a lovely ride.   The dust is virtually gone now and the added moisture in the footing has generated a better purchase with each stride.

Izzy has been progressing so nicely.  I hazard to admit that life with a young horse may be coming to a close and she may just be coming into her own now as a lovely young lady.   Her work has been such a wonderful part of my day.   After a busy day at work to come home and mount up has been such joy.   She is working forward, soft and in a more uphill balance every ride.   I can feel her getting stronger and more coordinated every week and the lateral work is progressing in a confident, easy way.   I am looking forward to the 2 clinics I have planned for the spring.   I will be riding with Josh Nichol in April and Karen Rohlf in May.   Check out their respective websites.   Both are excellent horse people that have the happy athlete as their first priority...a philosophy that resonates with me.