My farm is now home to two more very sweet, handsome Friesian horses.
For some time, my horse manager, Helen Peparo, and I, have been following the progress of two horses under the care of The Dorset Equine Rescue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in southwestern Vermont dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming at-risk horses. The now bonded pair, three-year old Ulysses and 10-year old Stewart, were removed from a neglectful facility at separate times and brought to DER where they could get the attention they needed. After months, and in Ulysses' case, two years, of recovery, the horses arrived at my farm yesterday and so far, they’re doing great - they're healthy, curious, and enjoying the time in my giant run-in pasture, their new home. Everyone here at the farm is thrilled to have them here.
Enjoy these photos and more of their story.
Ulysses and Stewart are now here at Cantitoe Corners, running through the field and exploring their new home. Welcome to my farm boys!
Founded in 2012, Dorset Equine Rescue has rescued and cared for more than 500 equids. Over the years, DER had been doing much of their work at their small facility and through various borrowed farms and foster homes. Last year, DER was able to purchase a 170-acre farm property where they could expand their services and meet the needs of their many equine residents. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
Ulysses was a timid, sick, and underweight yearling at the time of his rescue in 2023. Here he is getting loaded onto the trailer headed for the Dorset Equine Rescue facility. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
This is Ulysses being introduced to his first pasture mate at DER, both in the process of healing from their rough beginnings. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
Ulysses had some health issues to start and needed specialized diets for the duration of his recovery. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
This is Ulysses starting his training in the fall of 2024 – he looks so much better. And look at the weight he’s gained. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
At DER, Ulysses was well-socialized and loved by so many horses and humans. Socialization and enrichment are crucial in rehabilitation. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
Ulysses is now three-years old and doing very well. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
10-year old Stewart was also emaciated at the time of his rescue earlier this summer and had to stay in an equine hospital for some initial treatment. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
Here he is grazing at the hospital – very underweight and unable to eat properly due to dental neglect. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
After a month at DER, Stewart already looked so much better. Here he is in July. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
And here is Stewart getting a bath – I don’t think he minds the added attention at all. DER provides all the care these horses need until they are properly and carefully re-homed. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
Stewart received close care. In this photo, medicated cream is put on Stewart’s skin to help improve the condition of his coat. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
And here he is after weeks of recovery – Stewart is already looking more alert and healthy. (Photo courtesy of Dorset Equine Rescue)
Yesterday was the big day – both horses arrived on a sunny, mild afternoon. Here is the trailer as it pulled into my run-in pasture.
Ulysses was the first to come off with DER barn manager, Tiffany Vittum.
Here’s Helen with Stewart. Stewart is so curious.
Here I am offering the horses their very first treats at my farm. Both horses are now on regular diets and eating very well.
Right away, the two were eager to stretch their legs and explore the surroundings. We had just harvested 208 bales of hay the day before – the field smelled wonderful.
And here they ate looking at all of us from the other side of the run-in shed – always together.
Such handsome boys – they’re sure to love it here at Cantitoe Corners.
Here I am with Helen, Tiffany, and executive director and president of Dorset Equine Rescue, Jen Straub. Thanks DER for all the care you give these needy equines. Please go to their web site for more information on how you can support this wonderful organization. More photos of the horses’ first weekend at my farm on my next blog.
It was another good, warm, sunny day here at my farm - perfect weather for continuing the hay baling process.
Earlier this week, my outdoor grounds crew cut and tossed an entire hayfield to begin the crucial drying process in preparation for baling. Yesterday, they raked the hay into windrows, then harvested and stacked 208 bales for my horses. It’s an arduous process, which depends largely on the weather, but the team got it done - and this crop of hay is excellent.
Here are more photos.
Here is a freshly baled “square” of hay grown and harvested right here at my farm. My hay is a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers – all great for my horses. And they love this second cut!
Here’s Fernando on my trusted Kubota M4-071 tractor – a vehicle that is used every day here at the farm to do a multitude of tasks. The hay was cut and tossed for drying two days prior. Now it’s time to bale.
Behind him is a rake that picks up the cut and dried hay and rakes it into windrows that can be baled.
There are different kinds of rakes – they include wheel rakes, rotary rakes and parallel bar or basket rakes. This is a parallel bar rake. This type uses a gentle raking action with a lower chance of soil contamination than the wheel rake.
The bar rake is hydraulically driven. This rake allows for consistent movement across the fields making well-shaped windrows. The rake moves at a slight angle to create the windrow. A windrow is a long line of raked hay.
Fernando moves at about six to eight miles per hour. The speed actually makes a difference in creating the windrows – slower speed results in a wider windrow that is not well filled in the middle. High speed results in a narrower windrow that is over filled in the middle.
All the windrows are lined up next to each other with enough room in between for the baler to maneuver properly around the field.
A baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store.
Large rolls of twine are positioned and tied to each other, so they can feed into the baler and secure the hay just before it shoots out into the trailer.
The motor helps to move and propel the bales into the wagon. A measuring device – the spiked wheel – is turned by the emerging bales. It measures the amount of material that is being compressed and then the knotters wrap the twine around the bale and tie it off.
Once it is tied, it moves up this conveyor belt…
Here is Cesar in the hay wagon behind the baler ready to accept the bales and stack them.
Here is a bale of hay as it is lifted in the baler’s reel and moved up the conveyor belt and then propelled into the wagon by a mechanical arm called a thrower or a kicker. The bales are manageable for one person to handle, about 45 to 60 pounds each.
The baler circles the field processing the hay and throwing it back into the wagon every couple of minutes.
In less than an hour, the wagon is almost completely filled with bales of hay. Each bale is about 15 by 18 by 40 inches large. The number of flakes in the bale is determined by a setting in the baler. Many balers are set for 10 to 12 flakes per bale. I have two hay trailers. Each one can hold about 250-bales.
Here’s the bale counter right on the baler – 208! That’s a lot of hay!
The best moisture range for hay bales is generally between 12 and 18-percent. This range is crucial for maintaining the hay’s nutritional value and preventing spoilage. Helen tests many bales and they are all showing up within the desired range.
To get the bales up into the hayloft of my run-in stable, a long motorized bale conveyor, or hay elevator, is set up. A hay elevator is an open skeletal frame, with a chain that has dull three-inch spikes every few feet to grab bales and drag them along. It works as a pulley system on a track that moves the bales up to the loft.
Cesar is in the hay wagon feeding the bales onto the elevator.
Cesar and Helen will load the elevator until all the bales are up in the loft. Phurba and Matthew take in the bales and stack them inside. This process is the most laborious – the bales are heavy, but this experienced team gets it done in less than an hour.
This run-in field provides a great crop of hay. There are two more giant fields to go. It makes me so happy to know I can grow good, nutritious hay for my horses right here at my farm.
Here at my farm, it's that time of year again - when my outdoor grounds crew starts the process of harvesting the second cut of hay.
In most cases, hay is cut during the late bud or early bloom stage to maximize its nutritional value. Yesterday, my outdoor grounds crew cut and tedded the hay in my giant horse pasture. The first cut was done in June. This cut is greener, more dense, and filled with lots of protein - my horses love it.
Here are some photos and a video clip, enjoy.
Timing is everything when cutting the hay crop. We hope for at least a week of good, dry, warm weather, so we can work in the fields and guarantee a good harvest.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, keeps track of the weather during hay cutting time. It’s crucial he select the best days for this process. Yesterday, my run-in paddock was first on the list for cutting.
This is our mower-conditioner. It cuts, crimps, and crushes the hay to promote faster and more even drying.
The discs and blades are located behind the protective shield of the mower-conditioner.
The shield stays on the apparatus as it moves through the field.
On cutting day, Chhiring goes around the fields counter clockwise cutting all the hay. The process of cutting should take about an hour and a half per field. I have three.
The hay goes through the machine and processes the hay one wide strip at a time.
Here, one can see what has been cut and what Chhiring still has to do.
It is important that Chhiring moves slowly enough to get every area of the hay field cut. He does not want to miss any bit.
Once cut, the cut hay is ready for tedding, also known as fluffing. This is our hay tedder. It spreads and fluffs the hay in a uniform swath. It uses a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines that cast it out the back of the machine.
Here is one of the tines that picks up and flips the hay.
The tines are connected to these rotors, which are the moving parts of the tedder that lift and spread the hay.
This part of the process allows air circulation for drying and is crucial for conditioning the hay so it is ready for harvest.
Fernando must drive through the field, carefully watching that he has flipped everything that was cut.
Here is an area of cut, tedded hay. As it dries, it will become less green and more of a tan color, indicating it is dry.
Chhiring says this is the best second cut hay he’s seen here at my farm – my horses will be so happy.
This field is now all cut and tedded. Next, the hay will be flipped again and then formed into rows for baling. The clip below shows how the tedder works. Stay tuned for the rest of the process.
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