A couple summers ago, the farmer's wife got the idea in her head that perhaps some mobile pens might be very useful around a farm. One day she went to town and brought home some light-duty 12 foot green panels for horse projects.
Her dear and very frugal, business-minded sweetheart frowned. He protested that they were extremely expensive and not needed for anything else, green panels having never been used on their farm before that point.
Each panel came with two chains and latches on one end. TWO chains/latches. On EACH panel.
Most of these chains seem to have gradually disappeared. Chains with latches are very useful in a barnyard on a farm. They seem to be useful in other locations besides the barnyard, also, as there are very few remaining around the barnyard at all. They have just... mysteriously... disappeared.
There are still green panels. Oh yes! There are bent green panels, dented, beaten, and broken green panels. There is even one that got squashed flat somehow. It isn't bent up, it is still in the original shape, but instead of round hollow pipe, it is just all flattened. The farmer's wife thinks perhaps it was run over by a tractor. Several times. None of this damage was done by horses. All green panels were eventually absorbed into barnyard uses and subjected to the wear and tear of their situation.
So, last summer the farmer's wife went off to Pacific Steel and loaded a stock trailer with some big sturdy brown panels to use for horse projects. She bought some nice 12 foot, and some smaller 10 foot multi-purpose panels. They came with the neat little pin-and-loop latches on each end for easy set up. All parts attached, no removable parts to be used elsewhere or misplaced!
Last summer, these one-piece, self-supporting sturdy brown panels worked nicely for a round pen and jump chute setup in the farmer's daughter's riding arena.
Sigh.
It is calving season on the farm, and all big sturdy brown panels are being used in the barnyard, for cattle handling purposes. The farmer's wife has no round pen, no jump chute, no panels.
Double sigh.
The farmer's wife goes back to the drawing board. Now to figure out a way to start working horses again, without any special equipment. And for sure, no panels, at least until calving season is over.
Her dear and very frugal, business-minded sweetheart frowned. He protested that they were extremely expensive and not needed for anything else, green panels having never been used on their farm before that point.
Each panel came with two chains and latches on one end. TWO chains/latches. On EACH panel.
Most of these chains seem to have gradually disappeared. Chains with latches are very useful in a barnyard on a farm. They seem to be useful in other locations besides the barnyard, also, as there are very few remaining around the barnyard at all. They have just... mysteriously... disappeared.
There are still green panels. Oh yes! There are bent green panels, dented, beaten, and broken green panels. There is even one that got squashed flat somehow. It isn't bent up, it is still in the original shape, but instead of round hollow pipe, it is just all flattened. The farmer's wife thinks perhaps it was run over by a tractor. Several times. None of this damage was done by horses. All green panels were eventually absorbed into barnyard uses and subjected to the wear and tear of their situation.
So, last summer the farmer's wife went off to Pacific Steel and loaded a stock trailer with some big sturdy brown panels to use for horse projects. She bought some nice 12 foot, and some smaller 10 foot multi-purpose panels. They came with the neat little pin-and-loop latches on each end for easy set up. All parts attached, no removable parts to be used elsewhere or misplaced!
Last summer, these one-piece, self-supporting sturdy brown panels worked nicely for a round pen and jump chute setup in the farmer's daughter's riding arena.
Sigh.
It is calving season on the farm, and all big sturdy brown panels are being used in the barnyard, for cattle handling purposes. The farmer's wife has no round pen, no jump chute, no panels.
Double sigh.
The farmer's wife goes back to the drawing board. Now to figure out a way to start working horses again, without any special equipment. And for sure, no panels, at least until calving season is over.