Why At-Home Horsekeepers Don't Have Time to Ride
This is going to be one of those posts where the picture tells most of the story.What's in view here isn't even half of the board fence around El Rancho Thorson. And a re-paint job means three trips around the whole thing--one for scraping, one for priming, one for the top coat. So we just toil along on it bit by bit (did the part around the house last year, and the part encircling the riding arena the year before that).
Hire someone to do it? Hahaha. The last paid recruit was typical--didn't even last a second hour before he decided he really didn't want to work outdoors after all, and quit. (So much for teen-aged enterprise.)
And did I mention that what was my dream-ranch for years before we bought it has two houses and two barns as well?
Hmm. I think I've just outlined another chapter in that classic tale, "Be Careful What You Wish For"!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 11:33 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Have you tried a sprayer? The electric one we got from Lowes was well worth the 80 bucks we spent for it. It took me about a third of the time to do the fence this year!!!!!
You need to get a fence that doesn't need painting! :)
I understand completely.
There's a lot more to being a horseman than looking pretty in the saddle. I teach my kids that it has three parts: in the barn, on the ground and in the saddle. Being a horseman "in the barn" includes both caring for the horse(s) AND caring for the horses' environment.
On the ground is about the relationship and communication you must establish before you can safely and reasonably expect to mount up. In the saddle, is relatively self-explanatory. I'd guess about 60% of ypur time and energy go into the first, 25% into the second and 15% into the third.
But it's the third one that gets all the "glory."
There's an old saying, "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die."
Likewise everybody wants to "win a ribbon" (or whatever your moral equivalent ego pay-off is) but nobody wants to muck out a paddock.
But if you're a real horseman, you love it all.
Just my opinion.
What the heck do I know?
sj
Two houses?
Two houses?
Two houses--we rent out the second one. It used to be for a hired man (which we don't have, alas.)
Gee, I'm looking for a job right now...painting fences? That can't be so hard...
Like my dear ol'e Daddy used to say" It builds character!"
Lol, it's beautiful though! So pretty up there, and when it's painted it just makes a perfect picture.
I'd be doing it with a sprayer too...
Just had MILES of poly woven wire electric installed. Looks fab forever - ZERO painting.
Fence painting is quite the enterprise isn't it? We have about 5 acres worth of it (the back side of the big pasture is electric wire instead). Happy to report that we had much better luck with our teenage enterprise and that the neighbor kid and friend just finished the repaint job this morning. Best money ever spent! (Motivated kids saving to move out on their own)
Two strand electric here - no painting! Can't imagine keeping that up. I hate to paint.
Yes, it seems like the "barn time" and "yard time" take away from riding time. Cleaned 4 saddles to sell today and by the time I got done - time to feed and water arena. There went my riding time again!
My husband and I just finished painting our new barn yesterday, almost a year to the day after breaking ground for it. It seemed like we would never finish that project. We repainted the old tack shed twice trying to figure out barn colors. It all had to be done by hand because we get too much wind here for a sprayer. We finally covered all of it with primer and two coats of paint and put away the tall ladders last night. Maybe now I'll get time to ride. Thank goodness the Electrobraid fence doesn't need painting.
We have vinyl fencing, ElectroBraid and an MD Barn. The house has HardiPanel siding which doesn't need painting too often. Then there's the garge. I think we'll buy a sprayer for that. If I had to repair & paint fencing, I'd go back to boarding! There's still enough to be done to keep me out of the saddle without having to paint! My sympathy...
I know exactly what you're talking about when you say at home horsekeepers don't have time to ride!
I used to ride two hours per day 7 days a week...that was until the economy tanked and I lost my job....NOW back to work on a job with less than desirable hours (can you say graveyard but thankfully I am employed) I'm lucky to get one hour in a week. It just kills me that I haven't been able to ride ALL SUMMER! Can you believe that?
Between having to decide to sleep or ride, wild fires that filled the air with smoke so thick you may think you were sitting on the BBQ, temps that wilt even cactus, not to mention all the chores that have to be done before winter sets in, I'm looking forward to a time when I can at least step up in the saddle if for even 30 minutes. Whoever said summer time the living is easy didn't live in a rural setting!
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