When you are offered overtime at work and you need to buy new tires you take it.  That said, I apologize for being a bit late in publishing today.  I was determined to get it done, though and even spent my lunch hour editing photos!

We have successfully weathered winter in the new run-in shed.  The footing still needs to be completed but I want to show you how it all came out….plus our latest project.

Let’s take a step back and look at what we began with last year.  By around April/May Zac and I began the process of designing and pricing out the materials to build our run-in structure.  We discovered later that we grossly underestimated just how tall 16′ really is!

In July we “broke ground.”  We ran into trouble prepping the pad site and there are no cement deck footers for 6×6 beams.  We decided to make our own “footers” using cement.  We chose not to go to true cement pillar depth because they are meant to be footers and it’s working out just fine.  To compare, the modular sheds you see these days simply sit on a stone pad or skids.

Later in July we hosted the first building party.  With the help of my uncles and an amazing neighbor we had it built and the roof was on by August/September.   The days were long and very hot so we were sure to keep the pool clean and the cold drinks handy.

Zac and I (mostly Zac) made finishing touches in September through October…hanging the last of the siding, the door, and stabilizing the seams of the siding.

Outside I installed hay racks and I began a scratchy wall….a very underappreciated scratchy wall.  I’m hoping in time the horses will come to use them but I may need to invest in a few more pads.

Once I had the tack room sheltered from the weather I began moving in. We hung the blanket racks which have been extraordinarily useful all winter long.  Instead of hauling blankets out to the boys they each had two hooks right in the tack room.  One hook for the medium blanket and one for the sheet.  We hung the racks high enough to keep the blankets off the ground so I keep a ladder handy.  The longest blanket is 81″ not including the tail flap.

I also purchased a matching saddle pad rack.  This can hold 5 saddle pads.  I really love how these racks swivel.  If I have a sweaty pad I can simply separate it from the others while it dries out.

With saddle pads you also need a place for the saddles.  I opted for a more portable option for the saddles since I’m not certain yet of how I’m going the keep the layout in the tack room.  For this reason I purchased a 3 tier saddle rack. I still have yet to hang the bridles.  I’m looking for JUST the right spot for it, but check out the rack I have for it!  

I like keeping a nice supply of hay available nearby in case we have bad weather and I just want to grab a bale and go.  For this reason I have laid down a pallet in the tack room.  This also helps give me a place for last month’s hay supply when my hay guy delivers a new load.

Moving to the horse area, we still need to put down better footing as it’s a bit downhill.  During the winter months I relied on wasted hay to provide a comfortable and dry place for the horses to use.  It worked well but I’m really eager to improve it this year.

On the topic of hay we also finally revamped the hay storage.

Our carport has not been the best hay storage area.  The roof leaks and the rain, wind, and sun all get to the hay.  To battle it all I had been using a giant silver tarp.  It doesn’t look very nice but it’s effective.  

A couple weeks ago Zac and I hung some boards to make sure the hay stays nice and protected. The leak is still there but we simply avoid stacking hay under that part.   The boards now protect the hay from the worst of the sun and rain while still providing good air flow….and Bardi supervised!  We were able to complete this in less than 2 hours.

I got in a first layer of white stain before the rain.  I was lucky to find a high quality stain in the mistints section for only $9.  Now I need to find another so I can add the 2nd coat.

Either way this looks incredibly better than a tarp!

The weather is getting nicer but we are quite muddy here still so I have sectioned off a large part of the paddock and kept the horses on the hill as often as possible.  I’m hoping we can continue to have nice green grass for them to enjoy next month.

I was also finally able to remove the big insulation pillows from the water tank.  The horses were very happy to have all fresh clean buckets!

Finally, with all the mud and all the hard work supervising us humans, Bardi was in need of a spa day.  

I took Bardi out for a needed bath and we finished it up with the Furminator and an “I Love You” cookie.

I have some other projects that I’m working on but I’m not ready to share so make sure you follow this blog and stay tuned for what this summer brings!