I think we're now officially rednecks

You've probably heard Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if..." Well, I think we have a new one to add to the list:

"You might be a redneck if you keep your horses in your carport."

Unfortunately, we now qualify:

The boys in their new digs under the carport. Not exactly the ideal barn situation.

But we have good reason. We've gotten over 10 inches of rain in the last week, and had no days to dry out. The horse's pasture is a slick, wet mess, so they're not getting turned out, and their sacrifice paddock is well... sacrificed. We needed someplace where we could get the horses' feet out of the wet and muck, otherwise we're going to have some serious abscesses and thrush to deal with.

You can't see it here, but some of the ruts are nearly 12 inches deep. Not great for feet, legs, or shoes.

The area under their shed. The only dry parts are where the round bale was and the back left corner... but I couldn't get in there with a wheelbarrow to muck. This is definitely not the sort of conditions I want our horses kept in.

We put down rubber mats under the shavings, but Red was a bit antsy and pulled them up pretty quickly with his pacing. Saga just stood there munching on his hay. We'll continue to try to use them to protect the horse's legs and feet from the concrete, but we also bedded it pretty deeply. It's not a long-term solution, but it will work for now.

As for Anie, she's wondering how her snoozing spot under the carport was usurped. Fortunately, she's pretty amiable about her sleeping arrangements.

The biggest benefit to the new arrangement, as far as I can tell, is that I get to pet the horses each and every time I walk in the door to the house. :)