Category: Texas

Loving every minute of it. Bonded with amazing animals. Lanced a bowling ball size boil on a horse the second day. I’ve pulled a thorn out of a hoof and soaked the hoof in a bucket of water and epsom salt for a week till he stopped limping. Cared for a hurt shoulder on another. Fed musinex to one that still weezes. Found a dead pony and watched it decompose and disappear after only 11 days. Lost my dog to one of the trucks that barreled up our gravel road a couple weeks ago and also witnessed his decomposition and disappearance. I will forever miss my dog Steve. Hiked the property every other day to check on the 9 horses that stay in the back. Found amazing mushrooms, wild flowers, turtles, tarantula and huge garden spiders. Found three snakes in total, none rattled. Spent many days just talking to the horses and donkeys as I have been the only one here. Originally promised company of two other women, my only visitors were the farrier john and the feed girl Wendy whom only came 3 times each. I found the bone remains of multiple cattle that once roamed this property. I journalled most days and I am now passing the torch to Rodger tomorrow. I feel lucky to have had this amazing experience as the train whistles past as I write as if to say safe travels we will see you again soon!

Not the easiest situation. As i first said i don’t know THAT much about horses. Like dogs I just have a way with them. But when asked to catch, lead, wrangle a horse a challenge for an experienced horseman is near impossible for an amateur but no one even a trained horse person knows horses with out getting to know the individual horse.

I’m learning a ton. Starting with horses constantly hurt each other and themselves. Current case is a limping horse. I have extracted a thorn something only an ignorant newbie around horses probably would have done with out someone else around. My biggest challenge so far is I am one and these horses are huge strong and even limping surprisingly spire. Off to chase a horse with a bucket till the fierier gets here.

Honestly when I answered this add, just like almost everything in my  life, I dreamed a little dream of what I thought I was getting myself into.  Up until now I have been fairly safe in my escapades with the RV.    The answering of the add on the work kamp website I had been told about was my first attempt to “jump in” .  If I am going to do this I need to do it.  I reluctantly bailed on a hosting position at a state park just before I took this position.  Living among wild horses at a sanctuary in north Texas sounded so interesting as opposed to rescued horses living wild on a horse ranch.  While both are desirable, the latter is what i ended up with.  The reality.  Almost a month in, I am actually really enjoying it.  More like ranch hand work.  Of course what exactly would my job have been if I were just working at a wild horse sanctuary.  One of my objectives and the owners is to keep these guys tame and feed them grains to keep them friendly.

Lets make some money!! This is a heck of a flea market/trade day. I signed up when as soon as I heard it was a thing.

I loaded up my RV with my bike, trailer and stuff to sell.  It took 3 loads to get everything over with my little trailer but the trailer is TOTALLY worth it!!

This makes the first time I have left the horses.  I already miss them and will undoubtedly be up with the sun to go check on them.

I have not setup the rv to trailer a car yet.   I left my car in West Virginia could be the name of a song :D.  Well the sanctuary or ranch as some call it, is 6 miles from a walmart and about 1 1/2 miles to the first gas station.  The town itself is about 3 miles then you start seeing things literally right and left.  Then the cutest little back country texas historic downtown railroad town you can imagine.  Well seems like the perfect bike worthy location.  I suppose if I had a great bike, like a runner, its the bike not my lack of physicality.  Which honestly I haven’t been in bike shape in a long time.  I road a ton as a child and could ride for days.  My sister and I would ride all the way up to Walmart, ha I still do that, from our rural house between tupelo and saltiolo.  yeah where??

I now am biking full time.  I read a blog of some guy doing this a long time ago.  Giving up his car and only biking.  At that time, I could not imagine , but now I just have to have a damn good reason to go to town.  Dog food will get me there before I need people food.  I have finally quit almost all of my vices.   I drink tea.

It is a full two weeks, maybe three, amazing how quick I loose track of time day and week, anyway; of biking and I here is the quick rundown of progress.

First time out, barely made it to the first intersection and gave up and went home.

second went to closest truck stop restaurant.  Not impressed and not that exhausted.

third time all the way to town, to walmart and back with back bag and barely made it back walked up hills at the end wanted to die.

forth time out got a trailer rode to farm store/market and pretty much back and did pretty good.  Did run in to a strange man who said it was illegal to ride bikes in the town of Bowie.  I have seen NO evidence of this and find the thought ludicrous!!

I will eventually get in shape I hope 😀

This is my first work kamp opportunity. A wild horse sanctuary in north Texas. I have no real experience with horses, but for some reason felt qualified.

There was no waiting around for instruction, these guys were ready for chow and I was going to have to go inside the fence to do it…