FEATURE STORY
think it’s “so cool.” And it is pretty cool, most of the time. One of the things that makes it not so cool is Seattle weather, but let me back up…
I am from a tiny town in Eastern Washington. The average rainfall there is about 12.4 inches annually. Also, it is cold in the winter — as in cold and snowy. I think this is a nice reprieve from rain, but let’s stick to the facts. Another environmental topic of discussion for my hometown is that it is hot in the summer. This is also a nice reprieve from the rain. Again, back to the facts. The average annual rainfall here in Seattle is 39.1 inches. I
question the accuracy of this data because it actually rains much more than that. Or so you would think. My specific location is in the Cascade foothills, so the rain may be more aggressive here. I do not know. We are lucky that we are able to rent a barn for our horses. Unfortunately, it became clear within a few months that the layout of the barn was a perfect habitat for mud and all mud-like residues. The horses/rain/dirt combination that I mentioned above equals MUD — boot-sucking mud, fall-in-it-while-pushing-a-wheel-barrow-and- it-makes-you-cry mud. Our mission in life since renting this barn has been eliminating mud and providing a dry place for our small herd. When I say “our” I mean me and my sidekick Brandon who, previous to our having met, had no knowledge about horses and no real desire to have one. He has since undergone full horse culture immersion.
26 March 2012 The Northwest Horse Source
in MUD T
to wallow by Sara Donoghue
On Horse Ownership, Hog’s Fuel, and Keeping a Sense of Humor PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARA DONOGHUE
here are some unique challenges to being a horse owner and a Seattleite. Many people in the Seattle area hear that I own horses and
When embarking on all methods of mud eradication, we have been faced with every challenge imaginable. I list them here: • Rented mud moving equipment too small, broken, or due back in an hour
• Shortage of funds • A broken dump truck (this may or may not have been my fault) • Sixty mile round trip drives for supplies (namely, hog’s fuel) • A homemade drainage ditch which is so deep that it can no longer qualify as a ditch; nor does it drain
• Arguments ranging from the mundane to the truly relationship ending (Him: Keep shoveling! Me: I am shoveling! Him: No, you’re not! I’ve been shoveling twice as much! Me: You’re the worst shoveler I’ve ever known!)
• A breaking point in which a very long-winded and strongly worded email was sent to my parents letting them know that they could take their horses home. Like today.
www.nwhorsesource.com
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