TREC Training at Burrow Farm

Over the weekend of 21/22 May we had a group of riders staying at the farm who had all come to train and improve their TREC skills. Most of the riders arrived on the Friday afternoon and during the evening to get their horses settled, some were stabled and others corralled. On the Saturday morning Robert worked on the theory of orienteering on horseback and just before lunch the riders went to practise their compass bearing skills on foot in some woods in the village. After lunch the riders had the chance to practise their ridden skills or PTV on a few obstacles: S-bend, rein back, corridor, gate, bending, maypole and low branches which had been set up in two of our fields. This was followed by a circuit around one of the field edges to learn the paces of their horses for a bearings section and to practise timing between the sections.

After all the horses had been settled for the night we had an evening meal and after the meal a talk and demonstration by Helen Tompkins from near Barnstaple who is a Mctimoney practitioner. We then went to the stables to practise our massaging skills on three of the horses, this went on until after 10pm before everyone disappeared off for a good nights sleep.

On the Sunday morning Rob gave maps to the riders who then drew the route for their orienteering day or POR whilst Rob gave them tips and helped with marking for timings and then when they were ready they set off in five minute intervals towards Timberscombe common and then eventually Croydon Hill. All of the riders found the route difficult to navigate in places, but at the end of the day they all said they had learnt alot from their experience.

New Ducks for Burrow

After losing our ducks and only having one female left we knew we had to find her a mate as quickly as possible. We were fortunate enough to find her a white male only 7 months old who had also suffered a trauma by losing all his family to a fox. We bought him from Jackie at BRB poultry near Wellington and then we set about trying to find some more Indian Runner ducks. Many phone call later and without much luck as most people did not have any for sale or they only had ducklings or were waiting for eggs to hatch. Then we heard that there was a poultry and waterfowl sale at Salisbury market. Even though it was a long drive there we went to the sale and had a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting day. We then came home with five more ducks who have all settled in together and enjoying life at Burrow.

A Dry Spring

We have had very little rain since the beginning of March and everything is now beginning to look a bit desperate.
This March we fertilised and spread lime on our grass fields and here we are at the beginning of May without much grass, and I can still wander around the fields and see granules waiting to be dissolved by rain. However our guests this spring have enjoyed T-shirt weather and have finished their holidays with summer tans!
The Wisteria on the back of the house is looking particularly good this year and several of my other plants seems to be enjoying this unusal hot spring. Well at least I haven't had to do a lot of lawn mowing.

Good Week, Bad Week

Time has zoomed on this year and I've not updated the blog. This week has been a mixture of highs and low. Firstly we started with good news that Western Power has agreed to remove three telegraph poles and all their spaghetti electricty wires and allow us to put all the cables underground, so the view across the yard won't have a network on hanging electricity cables and it means only one telegraph pole with trees for a back drop. So work has started on digging the trenches on the drive this week. The only losers will be the swallows in the spring who won't have any cables to sit on.
Then last Thursday (I was away on a first aid course), Rob went to let the Indian Runner ducks out onto the pond for the morning but to find a massacre. Two ducks dead, three badly injured and one in shock. He suddenly heard a sound turned round and saw a mink. Imagine my sadness when I returned that evening to hear what had happened. Talking to neighbours they said there had once been a mink farm next door, but that was fourty years ago and no sign of mink since. Trust our luck that this mink had got through a small gap in the drains. We tried to nurse the three injured ducks, but their necks were so bad we had to put them down, which left one on its own. After ringing around various breeders we located one lone white drake and quickly brought him home to keep my grey duck happy.
Well we thought everything was fine with a local gamekeeper coming along and to lay some traps incase the mink returned and yes he did today. This time he came along the leet from our neighbours into the small run where the two ducks had been put for the day, but Rob and my brother saw him and quickly trapped him under the stone slabs in the yard. So he was despatched with a 410. I just really hope the local gamekeeper is right and there will only be one and we do not have any further visits.
I am off to see a man in Okehampton who says he may have some suitable Indian Runner ducks for me so my two can have some more mates.

Snowy December

I thought we might be lucky and not get too much snow this winter, unlike the rest of the country but overnight on 21st we had five inches. It might look beautiful but it's tiring work having to look after animals in the snow. Spent ages shovelling snow to make it safe to walk the horses from the stables to the field. Now I just need to get to the shops!

Thatching the Ridge

This autumn we are having the ridge on the house repaired and rethatched, around one of the chimneys and in the valley at the back of the house.
Terry from Bishops Lydeard, nr Taunton is our thatcher and will be with us about 10 days. He will also clear the moss and debris on the existing thatch to hopefully allow the rain to run off the roof quickly. He does this with a hedge cutter and you can already see the difference. We hope that we will not have anymore major work to the thatch for another ten years, subject to no leaks!

Stone Barn Roof

We are now in the process of having the front part of the roof on the old stone barn replaced. The back half of the roof is covered in slates and the other half wascovered in old sheeting which was sagging and many of the timbers broken and full of wood worm. To aid light into the barn we are having some roof lights which should make it feel light and airy. PFG Fabrications from Bampton in Devon is doing the work for us, they also built our new modern agricultural barn. We will then have new wiring before the walls for the stables can be completed and the rubber flooring and walls put in place.