Bustin’ Their B_tts at the Farm!
Here at Mane Steam, we have received some pretty generous donations over the years, and this one a few weeks ago was one of the best ever! Local farmer, Jeff Neary, stopped by to tell us he had a donation that would leave our herd nickering with joy, 500 bales of beautiful, lush hay! Our Barn Manager, Alex, and Equine Manager, Jen, were thrilled and quickly developed a plan to tackle this exciting but LARGE donation.
First, Jen started the hunt for a hay elevator to transfer the hay into the hayloft, which longtime friend, Greg Tucker, was happy to lend. Meanwhile, Alex reached out to her contact at Bonnie Brae, a residential school and therapeutic community in Basking Ridge, to enlist some of the boys to assist with the massive task.
On July 1st, a group of 12 boys and several staff members from Bonnie Brae arrived to help clear out space in the hay loft. They also helped Alex finish her never-ending chores around the barn. After they departed, Alex and Jen hopped in the Mane Stream truck to pick up the hay elevator. Though it was large, the two successfully transported it to Mane Stream. The next morning, Alex arrived to see the first of THREE full hay carts. She gave the elevator a test run shortly before the Bonnie Brae Team (6 boys and staff members) arrived. In assembly line fashion, bales were tossed from the cart, loaded onto the elevator, and stacked in the loft. The Bonnie Brae boys and Mane Stream staff worked tirelessly as two more hay carts were dropped off. Never fear, everyone stopped at noon for a lunch break, and by 2pm, the hayloft was packed to the brim and the job was done!
Grateful for the valiant effort of the Bonnie Brae boys, Alex and Jen invited the group back for a third day to show their appreciation. The boys got to spend some quality time with the herd as they led Cody and Snappy in the indoor ring and then painted Minnie and Cody in a 4th of July theme for a holiday social media post. Afterward, everyone enjoyed ice cream bars to help cool off from a hot few days.
We cannot thank the staff and boys from Bonnie Brae enough for their help with this monumental task and the great work they continue to do around the farm throughout the year. And we owe a huge thanks to Jeff Neary for the generous donation and to Greg Tucker for the use of his hay elevator. Running a horse farm truly takes a village and we appreciate all the help and generosity that we can get!
Written by: Alex Willard, Barn Manager
