In which "the greening of Spring" needs to be un-greened with pressure-washing

Everybody gets all excited about "the coming of the Green" on St. Patrick's day.  In the Swampland, we have other words for the varity of green-ity we see in early Spring: 

mold.  mildew.  slime.
Inside the horse trailer: swept clear, but not CLEAN
  I know that Lytha doesn't just wash her horse, tack,  truck, and trailer before and after every event, she actually details them all (not kidding!).  I would love to have gear that clean. 

At Haiku Farm, we don't make the time for all of that. 

The rig gets washed once each year, whether it needs it or not.

After a year in the Swamp, it needs it.
yes, that's MOSS growing on the aluminum bars of the portable corral.
Here's the Swamplanders' Secret Weapon:
Totally non-toxic, and it will get the rig clean.  Awesome stuff.
Jim scored last summer at a garage sale:  a power-washer for uber-cheap.  We use that gadget on everything. 
Spraying the dirt and moss out of the trailer interior.
Well, we haven't used it on the dogs.  And we haven't tried it on the chickens yet. We have threatened to use it on the kids.
Jim does the tall bits.
Look how beautiful the trailer is when it's clean!
Oooh, pretty, shiny.



I figure, if it's functional it doesn't need to be pristine.
 It is nice to clean the trailer up every now an again, though.
Now that the trailer is clean, I can pack it for our upcoming ride!  Home on the Range is scheduled for next Saturday, March 31st.  I can hardly wait.  I keep checking the weather forecast websites, hoping to find a weather prediction that I like. 
All this stuff gets crammed into the tack compartment,
along with (duh) all the tack.

Large bucket for water, mid-size bucket for beetpulp and grain, small bucket for scooping stuff into bigger buckets.  I packed two of each, thinking that we'd be hauling a friend's horse over with Fiddle, but the friend doesn't get to go. (sadness).

The green canvas bag is a crew bag, containing a flake of alfalfa, a small plastic feed pan, and various kinds of beetpulp concoctions for Fiddle to much at the vetchecks.  On ride day, it will also hold a fleece blanket (for the horse OR the rider), some snacks for me, a few syringes of electrolytes, and a spare pair of warm socks!

The white bucket is used to soak beetpulp.  Everything is marked with "pirate tape" so all my gear comes back to my camp after to the ride!

The green rubbermaid box holds  baggies of grain (1-lb servings of complete feed plus a cup of whole oats), and ingredients for electrolyte syringes. 

Biggify the picture if you want to read the super-secret (not) electrolyte recipe
cunningly written in sharpie marker on the electrolyte tub.
I mix up 6 doses of electrolytes at a time, and then dump them into a ketchup or mustard bottle.  Then, when I need a dose, I can squirt it into a syringe without having to mess around with measuring stuff.
Trailer interior, freshly washed.  When it all dries out,
I'll scatter two bales of cedar shavings on the floor to keep everything dry.

Inside the tack compartment, there's a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Even poetry.



All packed up.   Now, we're just counting the days

and checking the weather forecasts.

Meanwhile, look what we found blooming in the yard:

crocus.

Maybe it really is (almost) Spring around here!

Comments

  1. Your trailer looks great! I'm mentally gearing up to do my annual trailer washing- its getting a little embarassing driving around with a half white/ half green trailer :)

    Have fun at HOTR!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You pack your tack room like I pack anything! People get shocked what I can cram in places.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think I would enjoy washing the trailer more than my car, which I also have to clean out as I will be car camping at HOTR. I have a tent, but depending on wind I may just give up and put the seats down. I'm not counting the hours until Friday morning or anything, lala!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think I would rather clean a trailer than my car, which must be clean so I can drive it up to HOTR on Friday. I have a tent, but depending on wind I may just give up and put the seats down.
    I'm not counting down the hours until Friday or anything...despite it being the longest period (read: the first night I've ever been alone) since my son was born last February.
    At this point I could care less about the potential weather, and more about the fact that if all goes well, I will get to spend 25 miles on a horse in Eastern Washington!

    ReplyDelete
  5. i'm glad you remember my ocd with my vehicles: ) before AND after is an exaggeration though: ) i do recall you saying "you don't dry the tires do you?" when you found me towelling my car.

    last night i was out there washing the car in the dark after returning from a roadtrip to dresden. there were a million little insects stuck on the paint, yuk.

    hey, i have a little pressure washer like that, my newest toy! i'll have to do our driveway again after mud season. whenever that is.

    ReplyDelete
  6. While I was packing up for my show this weekend, I felt a bit at a loss. Not needing to assemble my crew bag saved a lot of time and space, but it felt as though I was forgetting half of my stuff! Speedy will be in a stall and I won't be camped in the dirt. I won't be sitting in a pile of hay at a vet check either. In fact, I'll be wearing white breeches!

    Have a great time and cross the finish line with a smile and a healthy horse. :0)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I go with that "once a year, whether it needs it or not" philosophy, too--for the trailer, the barn, the horses, oh, and the house...
    Think I'll pass on this weekend. Feelin' lots better, but got spring break chores that I didn't get to (maybe I'll clean out the trailer) and a couple of horses to work with.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aarene--I am SO not going to show you my trailer or barn. I am not neat and organized like you. But I admire the neat and organized. Maybe I should hire someone? I did once have a handy guy who tidied my whole barn for me and it looked better for years. Hmmm...

    Have fun at the ride. I hope it doesn't rain (!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOL, this time of year brings out the cleaning fairy in all of us. I just pressure washed my trailer on Sunday. Plus, my tack got it's yearly scrub and oil.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh yeah, the dreaded "green" slime! or as I call it, the "green goo". I will be doing that same thing here soon. I also only wash my trailer once a year. And it is usually in the spring to get rid of the "green goo"!
    Have a great trip!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like to shoot for a biannual trailer washing. Setting the bar HIGH at the Funder Ranch.

    Are your saddles on the back wall farthest from the door? Ick! I guess... I kinda love my swinging saddle racks, but I can't pile quite as much stuff in.

    I mix my elytes + applesauce in one of those Glasslock containers, then slurp out a syringeful at a time. What's the green things? Are they brussel sprouts?

    ReplyDelete
  12. ..... Our lightning butt shows her happy trot?

    I love you :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice! Very Nice! Very organized! Now I will know where to look to find what I forgot! :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

To err is human. To be anonymous is not.

Popular Posts