Tom showed up with his Caterpillar bulldozer at 08:00 and he left at 10:30. During this period he excavated six inches of top soil from the area around the horse shelter, used it to even out some rough areas of the paddock, put aside three large rocks for us to move into the goat paddock, and spread four loads of crusher dust. Even if I got a bulldozer for Christmas I think it would take me longer than 2.5 hours to do all of that.
The goats have been cooped up in their little paddock for the past three days because of the severe weather (heavy rain, big wind). Once Tom was on his way I transferred them to the horse paddock to get some exercise. They went pretty nutty in the new crusher dust -- I guess they like how it feels under their feet.
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4 comments:
Ohhh, your goats are super-cute!
What do the horses think of the crusher dust? I read a bunch of stuff a couple years ago about different types of rock footing to encourage healthy hoof growth. I bet if the horses like it you'll get a pretty mustang roll.
I'll tell them you said so. They are smug little monkeys.
We've had crusher dust on the bottom 2/3 of the paddock since February and it's great. The horses definitely prefer it to dirt footing, which is one of the reasons we extended it up into the shelter. Christina does give them a mustang roll as part of their trim, and they do maintain it between trims. They are both getting trimmed every 5 weeks at this point, and Raven's thin thoroughbred hooves have really toughened up. I think it's great for the horses.
But it's really great for me. There is nothing quite so easy as picking manure off a stone substrate, especially when the other option is picking manure out of mud. I think anyone who has dirt or hog fuel in this area is crazy.
My dad's first love as a mechanic was his bulldozers. I rode with him a couple of times, and remember those rides fondly.
OH MY!!!
If I had read this one before Raven got sommeting jammed in her hock I would have warned you about teh escavation dangers of things unearthed that like to do those things.
My friends horse got his injury after she had her pasture readied for an arena...something was unearthed unnaturally so that jammed into his felock.
Go out and rake- rake- rake- the area!!
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