Seven Oaks Farm

Hay season is here. Keeping your hay and barns safe is a real concern.

Hilda and Harry are trying to keep cool.

Local friends if you need a car wash my grandsons team can help out.

There is just something so joyful about springtime 🌸

Spring is officially here.

To all our friends who have been affected by the storms in the last few days, we hope you are ok. Please say a prayer for them. Anyone who was affected please let us know how we can pray specifically and if you are safe.
We had flooding but with minor results like downed limbs. All are all safe including animals.

Babies are getting big.

There is a lot of truth to this. I love it when the time switches back.

Tonight’s the night!! We horse folks welcome thee! Spring forward!!

Congrats to another team devoted to serving others.

🎉 Facebook recognized us as a top rising creator this week! We are always happy to share about what we love, family and our animals.

So glad the temps are a bit warmer and a bit dryer. Horses are out and about today.

So thankful for some of the toys on the farm. It would have taken me days to do what my hubby got done in a several hours. Mud lot is all cleaned again.

Yesterday we were joyed to see the new chicks this morning I walked in to see that my beautiful rooster had been shredded by an animal and is dead. Life on the farm is hard. With life we always see death and the cycle continues.

We were greeted by a wonderful surprise this morning.

Horses are amazing in their construction. Perfect design.

FUN FACT FRIDAY! Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice, good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
•
Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

Only two days until the worst temps are over. So far everyone seems pretty happy.

Chores are taking much longer today. We’ll be so glad when the temps warm up. It’s only 6 degrees this morning.

It’s that time of the year where we have rain and mud. Feels like it never goes away. Our job this week is to try to keep everyone as dry as possible. I just wished all my animals would cooperate.

Getting ready for some nasty cold weather this coming weekend. Had to say hello to Hilda and Harry. He’s still small but those horned are growing.

Been a good weekend at the farm. Looking forward to a new week.