Bulking Up

Working with livestock, you tend to build up muscle. There are the usual things you would expect: lifting heavy feed bags, mucking stalls, and carting hay. It's those other things they don't warn you about. 

My legs get a workout with the goats. Whether it's chasing them to corral them to take to the vet (which is tomorrow's job by the way), or leading them one way or the other just so you can put the food in their bowl. I'm going to have to learn to do more with my left leg though with the leading as my right leg is getting more of the workout. 

Then there's the arm stretches for the donkeys. Patches will try to steal the treats for Fancy, so I have to first raise my arm real high to give her one, then swoosh real low to give Fancy one. Sometimes, I can be coordinated enough to give both of them treats at the same time with both me my hands, but my old brain doesn't always cooperate and Fancy might get the treat towards her ear while Patches is wondering if I'm trying to put hers on the roof. 

But the greatest exercise of all is from Fiona. If she sees you have her treats, her head with the tongue spiraling out is coming for you. You use your whole core to keep her at the right distance where she doesn't knock you over, nor are you tripping over air reaching too far. She's just a big oaf and she and I are still learning from each other. Although, I think she's learning quicker than me as she's got Rob convinced I don't give her enough treats so she gets double! (To be fair, her treats are actual cattle cubes she'd have calmly in her feed if the donkeys could be trusted not to eat it!)