Two Years on the Farm

Two years ago today, I had just moved to a farm, the mares were still boarded and I had been whisked off to a conference at work, feeling totally uprooted.

Two years on the farm has taught me a lot of lessons. I get up at 5:20 now, and mostly, I get up without snoozing my alarm. I love my routine, and I hate it. There are days when I don't want to go do chores, but I never come back inside that way, at least this year - it really helps if you don't worry about losing toes or fingers to weather because you finally have good clothes. So I guess the farm has taught me to dress for the weather, and to improvise when you can't do something the way you normally would.

I'm a lot more disciplined. I am a lot harder working. I wish I had a better way to prepare for hay season, but maybe I can do some weight work before the hay starts coming in to save my arms. I've learned a lot of grit, and a determination I didn't have before. I would throw my hands up a lot, and would defer the problem I couldn't solve confidently to someone else, just to escape the pressure of having to figure something out.

Now I'm determined to not ask for help if I don't have to; I rehung a 10' barn door in the pouring rain, by myself, using leverage and probably some really dangerous schenanigans on a ladder. I get in trouble for hoarding my husband's power tools and not returning them. Instead of waiting for someone else to do it for me, I do it myself. No one is obligated to do it for me. And that makes me mighty, in my own small way.

The farm is heavily emotional; I've sobbed trying to put stall doors back together so I can keep horses inside of said door. I've felt an overpowering zen peace smelling cut grass, taking in the beauty of our property from the back of the tractor. I've laughed with joy sitting on Arya's perfect canter. I've boiled with rage while a horse does something naughty (like Arya bolting across the newly planted hay field after noping the F out of the arena). Despite being hugely emotional, the farm has taught me a lot of emotional resilience. 

The farm has taught me to be accountable and to not forget shit, for the most part. I have to keep track of my kimchee, and while no one will yell at me, no one has my back. No one feeds my horses when I'm not there for a few days, and my feed doesn't magically arrive; I have to remember to get it, and I have to plan ahead if it's going to blizzard, or if I have plans. I can enjoy being in control, in a way that I've never been able to be at a boarding farm, but I also am accountable for the mountain of poop that needs to be scraped out of the shelter after winter, or keeping the waterer happy and working when it's negative a-bajillion.

We've made a lot of changes in two years, I'd like to think:

- We placed and have now covered (save about 6 feet, but let's not split hairs) 1200+ feet of drain tile to help the riding arena and paddock drain. 

- We redid the barn, adding 5 stalls and a grain/storage area

- We doubled the hay storage on the side of the barn, and have mostly leveled the ground inside to prevent flooding. We can now easily store 1,000 - 1200 small bales.

- We've removed fencing (t posts, polyrope fence, gates) from the front pasture, the "link" fencing between what is now my P1 and the front pasture, the back pond pasture, and the back hill pasture. We have tamed the areas of pre-existing grass, and are now able to keep them mowed and semi-civilized looking (though the frost has really fucked the ground this year). 

- We plowed, planted and fenced two new pastures (about 1.75 acres)

- We plowed, planted and harvested off of 12 acres of hay field

We have some plans for this summer, too:

- Gutters for the barn and house

- Level the barn aisle and re-work mats for wear spots developed this year

- Gravel problem mud areas or other mud solution

- Redo the remaining polyrope fencing in P1 and the paddock and add a real gate to P1 vs the rope stretch gate that currently doesn't really hold the horses out

- Hopefully get two cuttings off the hay field

- Fertilize and better maintain the pasture this year

- Redo the falling down riding arena fencing (unfortunately while it's wood, but badly maintained so I'll likely have to scrap it for cheaper replacement materials)

- Build some new jumps or a coop

It's a lot of work, but boy has it been an adventure!