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The Zen of Life at Carpe Diem Farms
Written By: Sue Blair - Carpe Diem Farms | Issue: 2021/07 – July
There’s nothing sleepy about life on the farm.
Nicole Taylor and Natalie Owens after exercising Mercedes and Izzy.
Many of our readers have heard me say that daily chores of life on the farm are very Zen – Chop Wood, Carry Water.
Tending to the horses, dogs, cats, birds and all of nature allows us to maintain a rhythm of sameness.
Time and time again guests to the farm will say, “How lucky you are to get to ride horses whenever you want.”
Fact is, that’s not the case at all. Riding the horses is way down on the list of things to do. Their care and well-being is the top priority, and those who haven’t lived the joy of farm life see all of this through different eyes.
Allow me to share a typical “Day in the Life” of the farm.
For me and those who joyfully and faithfully work and volunteer here daily, it’s a well-greased machine. I’m up at 6:00 most days to greet the morning, walk the dogs, feed dogs, cats, birds, and occasionally myself, all before getting ready to head to the stables. Horses are fed at 8:00. In the summer they spend the nights outside with access to the arena and several paddocks. Watchful eyes examine each horse as they come into the stables for breakfast – watching for any signs of injuries. Each receives their ration of oats and supplements. (This same process occurs at lunch and dinner.)
They receive any meds, body work, special treatments and grooming. Fly masks on and sprayed, they head out to the fields for morning grazing and work begins. That means cleaning stalls, fields, arena and paddocks of any manure for fly management. The herd of eight averages 450 pounds of manure a day! We compost and sell “Promising Results,” to help with expenses!
Meals are made for the rest of the day and water buckets and troughs are cleaned. Hay is soaked for two hours to remove excess sugar. At noon they return for lunch and if we aren’t fixing fences and mowing fields we may get to lunge a few and maybe get in the saddle. Dinner is at 3:30 and they are back out for the night!
It’s all a labor of love for the eight remaining horses who have given so much to our participants over the course of 25 years, “Exploring the Human Potential Through Equines.”
Carpe Diem Farms is a 501(c)(3) experiential education foundation.
