Up to my Eyeballs in Eyeballs and new barn

Well heck- I posted this on the wrong blog.  It was supposed to go to herdlife.  Oops!


With the big Pink Eye ta do in Riverton where I sent Killian I have been watching my ponies carefully for any signs or symptoms of any kind of illness at all.
Except for a couple of slight puffy eyes while the Casper fire was out of control and the whole town was covered in smoke, there really has been nothing.  A little bit of runniness out of Trax's nose, but it is clear and this is not unusual for him.


This morning I went out with my IPhone while feeding and ,with out much cooperation, managed to snap pics of all the eyes.

 This is Killian- he almost always has a little bit of tearing up, but the fluid is clear.   His eyelids are shaped funny.

These are Sassy- I think she looks a little puffy, but everyone else says no, and she has no matter of any kind.

This is Danny- I have always thought he looked a little bug eyed.  But this is normal.  For being the oldest and easiest horse, he argued the most about having his picture taken!

Of course this is Trax, and he is completely normal as well. He was a little puffy a few days ago on one eye, but it was gone the next day. 

I also wonder if half the reason they have been puffy is because with the new barn construction they have been locked up.  Which means for more flies, and more ammonia in the air.  Sassy's little pen is the worst.  She has a little stall that was originally used for mini's, and although she fits in it just fine, it gets really smelly in there all the time, even though I clean in everyday.  She goes in for the shade- and to chew on the wall (trying to get to the hay cubes on the other side) and pees and poops in there constantly. Yesterday I put Trax over in Danny's pasture which is away from the construction.  So he was out all day.  Then today I penned up Danny and Trax and put Killian and Sassy over so they could get out and move around.  Sassy was a race pony this morning!  Too bad I didn't get any pictures of that!

This is the frame work for the new barn.  Some of the cross ties are just for stability to hold the poles in place for when they pour the concrete.
It is really a big loafing shed but will have four separate "living areas" each one 9x12 for when I put them away at night.  Along the back will be a big concrete floored storage area, big enough to put several pallets of haycubes.  Because the building sets down into the hill I will have to access the storage through one of the stalls, but it was really the only way we could do it.  Each stall will have a long "run"  9 x 25 or 30  where they can get out and move around if needed.  My horses are pretty hearty and used to the wicked cold weather we have here, as long as they have a place to get out of the wind, they are happy.
The biggest thing is that everyone will have their own place to be and I won't have to walk through the snow to the very back of the property to feed. I will have power and water where they live, and that is a big deal too!   Once this is done, we will tear down all the old crappy buildings that were there when we moved in and reseed for pasture.  It is in a low point on the property and the grass will grow well there if given a chance

Well time to get some work done. 
Take care everyone.