King Farm

Hello King Farm Blog

2009-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been quite a while since I've posted on this site. Quite a bit has changed...we now have arena lights! We installed 2 - 1000 Watt lights on the roof of the barn, that shine down onto the arena. It was a bit of an experiment, but it has been a successful one. The light is plentiful in the arena, as well as the surrounding areas. This is a real luxury for me, and any of my boarders who ride in the evening.

We also have a few new horses, Willoughby and Davi. Willoughby, a beautiful chestnut Hanoverian warmblood, belongs to Katie Dougherty, now Kunde,who is a long time student of Ellen Eckstein. Ellen Eckstein is our dressage coach. I met Katie through Ellen and Susan, and she has found herself in Davis for the next year and a half, while her husband goes to school at UC Davis. It has been great fun riding with Katie, as we help remind each other to stay on the correct path in our training, and we've both noticed improvement. She's also helped me out feeding the horses when I've needed it, which is so great. She's just a very nice person overall! Davi's owner, Tessa Moren, is also a connection through Ellen. I don't know Tessa very well, as she just moved her horse over a month ago. But I do look forward to getting to know her. Her horse Davi is very sweet!

The biggest news on the farm is that we've signed our buiding contract, and will start building the granny flat very soon! I will probably high jack this blog to document the process of construction along the way. Be on the lookout!

Spring 2009

2009-04-20T00:12:00.001-07:00

Spring is here, as indicated by our blooming trees, flowers, and plants. It was also near 90 today, which is the reason I'm posting this blog at 12:13 am. I CAN'T SLEEP because it's too warm, and being pregnant magnifies the heat. Oh man, at least I don't have to go thru the summer like this, I'm less than 2 months away from the big day.

Our pond looks more like a pond, and our mower is working, so things are much easier to keep manicured. We're still saving up for a tractor and watering machine for the arena, but I don't think that's too far into the future.

More mowing!

2009-03-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Now that our riding mower is running properly, Ali has been hard at work mowing all of the out of control grass that has seemed to spring up overnight. He bought some cool ear muffs to match the mower, and listens to his iPod underneath the muffs. He's been doing a great job, and you'll get to see the beautiful farm if you're coming to Eva's Birthday Bash at King Farm next weekend! :) We've also got lots of purple wildflowers blooming, combine that with the sunny warm weather, and I just think it might be heaven on earth! Enjoy the pictures...

It's feeling like Spring!

2009-03-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

The sun has come out, after days of rain and wind, and it is such a welcome sight. Yes, I know we need rain, and more of it, but I don't feel guilty enjoying the sunshine after storms and clouds. This weekend Ali mowed more around the farm, and we bought a weed wacker which doubles as a weed wacker and total body workout! :) We had family visiting this weekend and played whiffle ball and football at the farm, which was a lot of fun.

Coming Spring 2009

2008-10-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

As always, we have so many future plans for our farm. It seems as we cross one project off our list, another one takes it's place. Two things that I am researching right now, are barn fly spray systems and arena watering reels. These two additions will arrive by late Spring 2009, in an effort to make it more pleasant around the farm.

I was able to keep the flies at bay for a while this past summer by daily stall & barn cleaning, spreading manure & shavings and releasing fly predators, but by August, they were pretty much everywhere, which is no fun for animals and people! Another issue was the dusty arena. It was doable with one horse in the arena, but more than that and you were eating dust! I tried to keep up watering it as often as possible, but it was pretty hard. The water is holding better in the arena now that the weather is cooler. I'm able to water in the evening for about 1 and a half hours, and it holds thru the next day. The only area it really dries out is around the rail, which of course is where everyone rides. (Except me, I'm miss circle circle!) :) So, I've narrowed it down to 2 water reels, and will be purchasing one come springtime before the weather gets too dry.

The trees are growing and the flowers are blooming!

2008-09-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

I know the title suggests it's springtime, but it's true. Our trees are growing, especially the Mulberry, Sycamore, and Purple Locust. The leaves seem to be multiplying at an incredible rate. We've also planted a type of flowering sage which is my new favorite plant. It's low-growing, with delicate colorful flowers at the tip of each stem. We've got red and peach flowers. The best part about them are that they are so easy! Drought tolerant and do well despite poor soil-my kind of plant! I'm already looking forward to spring when the trees will be sprouting their new leaves-I can't wait to see how much they grow! I'll try to snap some pictures this evening and post them tomorrow.

The farm is doing well. We're finishing up the second pasture, finally! We should finish it this evening and it will be open for business tomorrow. We just have 2 areas to "horse proof" inside, and then it's complete. The horses will enjoy it because there is actually grass in this one to eat. The other pasture is extremely overgrazed.

We've welcomed a new boarder in the past few weeks, her name is Julie and her cute horse is Otto. We have a great group of horses in our barn, and a great group of people that belong to the horses.

Ali and I will be busy trying to get things in line this fall for the winter months ahead, the main thing being DRAINAGE!

Updates

2008-08-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we have 1 turnout pasture finished, and its beautiful! It's a good size, I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Now we can keep the horses from tromping thru our lanscaping which is new in front of our barn! In addition to the new trees, we planted different types of drought tolerant grasses and plants to soften the front of the barn. I think it looks great!

We also have a new boarder, Lynne and her horse Star. Star has been a great addition to our little farm. She's beautiful and sweet. Soon we'll welcome another boarder, Julie with her horse Otto which will fill our barn. Yipiee!

A little bit of shade

2008-06-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

We bought a few more trees today, along with several grasses. What a difference some greenery makes. It doesn't feel so hot and desolate out there. We also placed our fencing order today, so things are under way again at the farm.

Trees!

2008-06-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

We went to a local nursery yesterday during their 20% sale, and bought 5 trees. Little by little! We bought 3 Chinese Pistache, 1 Purple Locust, and 1 Mulberry tree. Yesterday we planted 2 Pistache's in front of the barn, it looks great They're little guys, but hopefully they'll get comfortable and start growing! Today we're planting the rest of the trees, and some native grasses as well.

Our holes were dug for our turnout pastures yesterday. Dan, our neighbor, came over with his Bobcat, and drilled them out in no time! We're placing our fencing order from Higby's today, and next weekend, that's right, 4th of July, we're kicking off the fencing. Yipieee!

Upcoming plans for the farm

2008-06-23T09:51:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've last posted. Life at the farm is going well! Everything is dry as can be, especially since we didn't have any spring showers. I'm struggling to keep our one pasture area green for the horses so they have something to munch on, but so far, it's been working out.

Ali planted an orchard and set up a drip watering system so he's been keeping busy. He planted 2 cherry trees, 2 apple trees, a pomogranite tree, and 3 different citrus trees. We also planted tomatoes with Kerri & Nick a few months ago, and those are flourishing.

Our upcoming projects are: more fencing!!!! When we stretched that last foot of fence wire, I told myself never again, putting the pasture fencing out of my mind. But now it's time to complete that project. The horses have too much freedom around the farm, and they're getting into things they shouldn't be; they seem to especially enjoy the buffet in the hay barn. Argh! So we're going to put up 2 pastures in the next month, and complete the 2 paddocks on the West side of our barn. We have 2 new horses moving in, so the projects need to be completed by then. So, we're hoping to gather work parties again with our family and friends. Luckily this time, it won't be nearly as much fencing as the whole perimeter of our farm!

After that, we're going to do a little more landscaping once the horses are confined to their pastures. We've chosen 2 trees for the front of the barn, and have other ideas for that area as well. I'll try to post pictures soon!

Life at the farm

2008-02-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

Still enjoying it more than ever at the farm. Lola enjoys working at the farm, and here's another one of our sunset's. There's no place I'd rather be.

We have lights!

2008-02-12T21:29:00.000-08:00

Our barns have lights now. Well, we've had lights for a few weeks now, but I'm finally posting the pictures of the lights. It is fantastic!

Drying out

2008-02-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

After all the rain we had, it's so wonderful to see the sun. The ground is starting to dry out at the farm, and the water is continuing to recede toward the pond, which is great to see. Maybe in a few days I can turn Final out again so he can enjoy munching on the fresh green grass.

The big news is that we finally have lights in our horse and hay barns, and it is fantastic! No more racing the sunset to make sure my barn chores are finished, and searching for piles of poop in the arena with my little head lamp on!

My dad & Frannie bought us some trees to plant at the farm. We got an orange tree and some different types of olives. We also already have a Hackberry tree that's ready for transplanting, and my dad and Frannie have a well established Maple tree for us as well. It will be great to get some trees in the ground soon. I have a feeling this summer will be especially hot without the trees to shade things. But we'll get there. It seems there are so many projects to work on, like it will be a never-ending thing for the rest of our lives, but I couldn't think of anything I'd rather have. We love it at the farm, and are really enjoying our neighbors. Everyone is very kind and helpful. It's a different world out there, even though we're just 5 miles from town.

Someone stole from our farm... :(

2008-01-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

Well, all of my horse blankets, valued at $400+, were stolen today. Along with some bags of grain. I feel so uneasy about the situation. Such a bummer. Apparently 2 ladies came by today asking Kristine, who feeds the horses lunch, if I was boarding out any stalls. Kristine said she didn't know, but she gave them my phone number. Of course they didn't call me. I'm assuming they went back after Kristine left today and helped themselves to whatever they wanted. Arrrgggghhhhhh.

Another project finished!

2008-01-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend, me, Ali and our new boarder, Leila, set all of the railroad ties around the edge of the arena. Finally! While we still need to go back and set a string line to make certain the ties are straight, and then secure them so they don't shift, for now, it will keep the footing from washing away during the rain. And it provides a nice visual barrier while riding! Speaking of our boarder, we are so glad to have Leila and her horse Liberty. Leila is a student at UC Davis. She is very nice, and her horse is beautiful and sweet. Leila is helping out around the farm on Sundays to give me a break, and helping out with various projects as her time and interest allows.

I've attached some pictures of the Sunday evening sunset overlooking the pond, which is half full now. It's a bit dark, but I think you can see it. On Saturday morning, I saw 2 geese in our pond! It was wonderful, but when they saw me, they decided they better leave, so off they flew, honking away. It will be so beautiful when we get some Willow trees and other pond greenery around it! Spring will be a busy time of planting and landscaping.

Let's see...what will the next project be?

Finally, we're open for business!!!

2007-11-24T23:57:00.000-08:00

We moved Sukkar and Final over on Friday. It was a smooth move for the boys, except that Sukkar was upset and got loose poops. :( But, I'm glad to say that he looked much better tonight (Sat.). I lunged Final yesterday in my arena...that was sooo exciting! The railroad ties still need to be put around the perimeter, so for now, I'm staying away from the edges so we don't kick footing out. I rode him today in the arena and it was fun! The footing feels a bit deep, but with a little more riding, a lot more dragging, and some rain or water (once we get access to water), I think it will be great! Sukkar and Final are very attached to each other, screaming for the other when I take them out. It will be nice to get another horse in there so they can RELAX!

Even more pictures!!! See original Fencing post...

2007-10-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

More Fencing Pictures...See post below...

2007-10-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Fencing 10/7/07

2007-10-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

We started fencing last Friday. We were so lucky to have my dad come down for the weekend, because without him, we really wouldn't know what to do, or where to start! Nick, Kerri, Bob, Maria, my dad and Scott helped Ali and I start our huge fencing project. It was a lot of hard work, and I'm sure everyone is as sore as I am, if not more. My body aches in places I've never felt aching before!

We set posts along the side of our property that borders CR 96 (some 500+ feet!!!), and a third of the way down on Yosemite. Looks like Ali and I will be trying to gather together "work parties" for the next few weekends. Our neighbor, Dan, used his Bobcat tractor to dig all of our postholes, and we came along after and set all the posts. Here are some pictures, so enjoy, and thank you sooooooo much to our friends and family for helping us out. We owe you all!

Stalls!

2007-09-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

I love my stalls! They're looking so beautiful. They aren't finished yet, but they're really coming together! We took some wood samples so we can try stain samples on them to see which one we like best.

Lightning, Thunder, Wind & Rain!!!

2007-09-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had our first storm of the season and it was so fun to be at the farm during it. Some of the pictures are during the storm, and a few were taken today. The trim was put on my hay barn...it wasn't exactly what I had imagined it would look like as far as color, but that's ok. I still think it's cute! The walls went up on my horse barn today and now I have an enclosed tack room with a door, but there's no roof yet. I'm leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow morning, so 2 days will go by without me being able to look at the progress. I hope when I come back a lot has been accomplished! :)

The next big project aside from the barns and arena is the fencing, which we will start the first weekend in October. My dad's coming down to help, along with me, Ali, Nick and Kerri and a neighbor...Right Nick and Kerri? Hehhehehe. Stay tuned!

Barns will be finished in less than 30 days!!!!

2007-09-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Our builder said the barns will be complete in the next month! Sooooo exciting. Now we have to focus on trenching for water and power. The fun never ends! Here are some updated pictures. You can see the tracks for the dutch doors of the stalls are up, and they packed the gravel in the stall area. They also packd DG over the gravel, but I didn't get a photo of that yet. Tonight I will! There is also one picture of the dutch door that will be the door from the stall to the paddock. It's minus the wood, just the frame. But this is what all of my framing will look like, the black metal. I saw my T & G wood that will be used for my stall fronts...it's very nice!!!

You can also see the oil on the arena. They are set to add the sand footing on Monday, and then we will put in railroad ties, and the crumb rubber over the sand.

We have family coming up this weekend, so it will be exciting to share the progress with them!

9/6/07

2007-09-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures. You can see the horse barn is really starting to take shape, and they started on the siding and roofing on my hay barn. The siding on the hay barn will cover all 3 sides, with the front open with 3 bays inside. The horse barn will have the same color siding and roofing as the hay barn. My arena needed a final touch up yesterday, so now it looks almost perfect! The oil is going to be sprayed tomorrow to seal my base.

We are (generally) enjoying the progress, although every now and then we kind of freak out and start worrying about this that and whatever else there is to worry about.

Sunday 9/2/07

2007-09-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Took some more pictures of our farm. Not a whole lot of change, but you can see the siding colors for my barns, other views of our property, backyard, hole, pastures looking toward the arena, center aisle of the barn, and Lola doing an extended canter down centerline!!!

On Tuesday, they will pour the concrete for my tack room and grooming stall. On Wednesday they will oil my arena base and pour the center aisle in my barn.

Big hole...

2007-08-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

The ugliest part of our property...the HUGE hole. This is the area they pulled dirt from to compact the driveways, and pads for all the structures including our house. It's twice as long and twice as deep as the engineering firm said we would need.
:( Arrrggghhhh... Slowly, we will begin filling this in to bring it up to what it was supposed to be, only 7 feet deep, so we can use it as a pasture etc.

Wed. 8/29/07

2007-08-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well, the photos may look the same to you, but a bit different to me. You can see the start of my horse barn, with the hay barn in the background. They still haven't started on the siding on the hay barn, but they were gone by the time we got there so we didn't get a chance to ask them why they hadn't started. They started the compaction on my arena and all the driveways. Next Tuesday the arena is going to be oiled, and then that will need to sit for a week or two before adding footing. Ali is going to go out there Thursday morning to show them where we want our gravel pathways to lead, like from the barn to the driveway and to the arena etc. Slowly but surely...

8/25/07 More Progress

2007-08-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our hay barn is taking shape! It's so cute. The gravel was delivered for our driveways and arena on Thursday, and they started spreading it around, but not compacting yet. They will start that on Monday. Pretty soon it will be time to add the sand footing to my arena! OOOHHHHWWEEEEEE...I can't wait! Hopefully they will start on my horse barn this week...Stay tuned!

More Progress!!!

2007-08-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

We went out this evening and it is looking GREAT! The graders are continuing to smooth the edges of all the pads over, so it's all blending in well. They poured the footings for my hay barn today, and it passed inspection! The rock for our roads, arena and various other areas is going to be delivered on Thursday. 900 tons of gravel!!! Wow. We are very happy with the progress...

Family Visit...

2007-08-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Ali's mom and dad, Bob & Maria, and his sister, Kerri and her husband Nick, visited the farm on Saturday. They hadn't seen the farm in a long time, so there were a lot of changes. Last time they saw it, it was pretty with lush green grass, and now it's just a bunch of dirt plains. It was a bit breezy too, so dust was flying around, which didn't add to the appeal of the property. But I think they liked seeing it. It will be much better when we can get some landscaping in there!

Barn Supply Shopping...

2007-08-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

Another fun thing we did over the weekend, which again, may only be fun for me, was price fencing, feeders, buckets, hay, shavings, stall mats etc. We went to 3 different suppliers, and it looks like the local feed & supply store I regularly visit has the best quality with the best prices! I was really pleased to find that out. I like supporting local businesses, plus, they are so kind and helpful there!

I also ordered some tack room equipment thru a catalog this weekend and am so excited to put my tack room together!

Finally! Arena & Barn Construction...

2007-08-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

The moment I've been waiting for has finally arrived! They started on building our hay barn, horse barn and dressage arena. I may be the ONLY one excited about this phase of the project, but that's ok. The poles (framing) is up for the hay barn, and they're going to pour the footings today or tomorrow. They did crack one of the lodge poles, so they're going to have to replace that before they can pour the footings.

My arena is looking huge. I must admit, even though they're only working on compacting the sub-base, it's looking so great! I can already imagine riding in it, extending a trot across the diagonal. Weeee!