The feed store, of course.

Sadie, Scooter and Trapper enjoying some alfalfa on 05/26/18.

Yeah, the corral needs to be cleaned, their feet need to be trimmed, and they’ve put on a few pounds.

If you find yourself spending a lot of time on the exercise bike, maybe get some land, adopt some horses, and take up the ranching lifestyle.  Your biggest problems will be keeping weight on and getting enough sleep.

Your horses are not in stalls, right?

The Western States Horse Expo, to be held June 8-10, 2018 in Sacramento, CA, will feature wild horses and burros from the BLM.  Refer to the schedule for everything going on at this event.

New video from Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society.  If you can’t adopt, they’ll gratefully accept your donation.  Your horse is a reflection of you.

A fine example of virility and potency, on the part of the mom.  This comes as a shock to individuals in western culture, now overrun with effeminacy and cowardice.

It’s easy, just feed him by hand.  Great technique for endangering those on the range.

If temperatures at your ranch drop below freezing for days or weeks at a time, the riser from your pump (pipe that brings water to the surface) can’t exit the well from the top.

Your contractor will cut a hole in the case at the appropriate depth, 36″ in this example, to install a special fitting known as a pitless adapter.

The adapter functions like a 90 degree elbow, but is threaded at the top so the hoisting rig can lower the assembly (pump, riser and fitting) back into the well.  The o-ring seals it to the inside of the casing, preventing surface water intrusion.  When installed, the outlet of the fitting (male threads) protrudes from the casing.  The contractor will connect an underground line to the fitting and run it over to your pump house.

The line should enter the pump house on an interior wall.  The gray conduit stub seen in the lower right of this photo is where that will happen (contractor will push 1.25″ poly tubing from the well up through the stub).  The pressure tanks and water treating equipment will also need to be protected from freezing.  The pressure switch is on the right in this photo, covered by its box, at the inlet to the system.  A 500 watt heater keeps the space warm (above freezing) in the winter.

This photo shows the basic arrangement, construction almost complete.  The well is on the right.  Cement-fiber siding and metal roof for fire resistance.  The gooseneck lights (one in the rear also) are on dusk-to-dawn control.

Next to the house and barn, you’ll probably spend more money on the water system than any other part of your ranch.  But that’s what you have to do if you want live among the wild horses of the American West.

If you’re in a rural area, you’ll want a means of defending yourself, your family, your livestock and your property (assuming you live in a state where it’s legal to do so).

Your arsenal should include some or all of the following, plus 5000 rounds of ammo (at least) and a working knowledge of said weapons and ammunition.

• Handgun with night sights and weapon light
• Shotgun, 18″ barrel, with mag extension, night sights, weapon light
• Semi-auto rifle configured for close quarters, 16″ barrel, weapon light, red dot sight
• Semi-auto rifle configured for medium range, 18″ barrel, magnified optic
• Bolt-action rifle for long range, 20 to 24″ barrel, magnified optic

A common handgun size is 9 mm.  Ammo is usually plentiful and inexpensive.  If you’re nostalgic for the Old West, get a Single Action Army (Colt .45).

The shotgun would likely fall into the tactical category, 12 gauge, with an assortment of rifled slugs and buckshot.

The 16″ semi-automatic rifle could be chambered in 5.56.  Bulk ammo (55 and 62 grain) runs around 40 cents per round, match ammo (75 grain) costs about 90 cents per round.

The 18″ rifle would probably be chambered in .308.  Match ammo (168 grain) costs about 90 cents per round.  Like the 5.56, get extra mags and pre-load them.

The bolt action rifle can be also used for hunting.  It can be chambered in .308 or something larger.  Ammo may cost $1.00 to $2.00 per round.  The optic should cost as much or more as the rifle.

You’ll also want eye and ear protection.

Basic safety rules for guns:

• Keep them in a safe (but accessible) place
• Always assume they’re loaded
• Don’t put your finger on the trigger until ready to fire
• Never point them at anything you wouldn’t want to destroy
• Know what’s in the background of your shot

There are many Youtube channels, many videos and many opinions out there so take some time to learn what’s right for you.  A few examples:

Hickok45

Sootch00

Mrgunsngear

Iraqveteran8888

And finally, The Nutnfancy Project, an all-around gear and adventure channel.  He’s based in Utah, so you may even see a few wild horses in his videos.

Your emergency preps should include hay for your horses, enough for a month.  Keep it dry and away from sunlight.

Natural events, such as earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes may force businesses to close for weeks.  Transportation may be interrupted.  Power and fuel may be in short supply.

Your back may go out, where you can’t even scoop poop, let alone stack hay.  (You do stack your own hay, right?)

The quality of the hay may deteriorate over time, so after a period of six to twelve months, rotate it out with fresh bales.  But always keep a one-month supply on hand and don’t touch it unless there’s an emergency.

Round pens are great.  Especially when you have multiple riders and long-shank bits.  The horse goes left, he gets pressure.  The horse goes right, he gets pressure.  Turns to the inside, he gets pressure.  Turns to the outside, more pressure.  There is no right answer.

Let’s round up more of our wild ones and put them in programs like this.

Grab an old water bucket and get in the field.  It’s wild oat season.

This episode of Bonanza tells the story of Philip Deidesheimer, inventor of square-set timbering, one of the greatest advances in mining technology of the Old West.

The year is 1860, the setting is the Ophir Mine on the north end of Virginia City.  Originally aired 1959.

The map that appears in the opening credits has been turned ‘sideways,’ north is on the left.  The Ponderosa Ranch was situated between Lake Tahoe and the Virginia Range.

Introducing the Peterson Farm Brothers Youtube Channel.  Here you have a real-life boots-on-the-ground farming and ranching operation in flyover country.  Family owned.

You can be successful without the help of government.

More than two dozen horses found dead on a two acre ranch in Wicomico County, according to a report published 03/17/18 in Delmarva Now.

A woman interviewed for the story said “…it is not unusual for a horse owner, especially so many of them, to have horses die….”  Maybe that’s consistent with her show-horse experience.

But it’s not inevitable.

Which of these things might be a factor in the case?

• No blankets
• Not kept in stalls
• Inadequate supplements
• Nobody braided their tails
• No shoes
• Wrong type of fly spray
• Not enough time in the round pen
• Didn’t have a job
• Poor management of manure
• Not enough food
• Not enough clean water

Looks like the horses only had access to part of the property, so if you chose the last three you’re probably not too far off the mark.

Refer to this article in Equus magazine by Dr. Jennifer Williams, president of Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society.

Key points:

• Be an astute observer
• Mares tend to foal late at night or early in the morning
• They may delay foaling until they feel safe and comfortable
• You may need to leave your mare alone
• New mothers tend to be protective of their foals
• A foal bonds with his dam in the first few hours of life

Item 5, Nursing, probably should include a remark about colostrum, the first milk a mom makes for her foal.  Essential for the baby, as it contains antibodies needed to fight infection.  If the foal does not get up and nurse within the first hour or two, you may have to get involved.

Conventional wisdom says wean the baby at four months.  A better time frame is seven to eight months, as the foal’s digestive system is not sufficiently developed to sustain him on solid food alone until then.

Here’s a list of things to do after the foal is born.

1. Clean up the afterbirth
2. Take a few photos
3. Stay out of it

Avoid the temptation.  Let the mom care for the baby and teach it how to be a horse.

An exception would be the rescue of foals born in feedlots while their moms await shipment to slaughter.

Your new mustang probably doesn’t know what a carrot is.  Nor an apple.  Never heard of crimped oats, rice bran or any of the other grains.

So first time you give him these treats he might just walk away.  May even pee on them.

If that happens try again in a few days.  Eventually he’ll decide he likes them, even waits at the gate while you’re mixing them up in the barn.  (Especially if you have a consistent pattern in your chores around the ranch: It’s dusk, my corral has been cleaned, my water buckets are full, I know what that human is doing in there.)

Also remember that he doesn’t know what worm paste is, never had a syringe shoved in his mouth…at least by you.  So use this opportunity to teach him to take the medicine in his grain.  Smear some paste on a few pieces of carrot, same for the apples.  If you feed cookies, put a dab on them too.  One third of a tube per horse (this is usually less than the recommended dosage).  Repeat tomorrow.

Look at his poop next few days to gauge effectiveness.  Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for intervals between treatments.

To calm the horse.

Signs that you have a lousy relationship with your horse:

• Cross ties
• Long shank bits
• Tie-downs
• Spurs
• Whips
• Web halters
• Chains

You’ve thrown in with the wrong crowd.  Shake the dust from your boots and move on.

Another example of repairs to underground PVC pipe.  The leak was at a 2″ 45 degree elbow above the one you see in the photo.  Only the soil held the pieces together.

As shown in the photo, you can join any two pieces of pipe with three elbows.