Guess it all depends on the climate in your area and the temperament of your horses. Then do the best with what you have close by to keep costs down while making a safe and decent looking building. If you have the space and are building/modifying you can add a paddock area outside the stall (attached) so the horses can go outside also (sand is a good option for footing)which will make apple picking easier and work wonders in preventing the atmosphere for developing bad habits. Our horses have this and would rather stay outside than under roof. We feed inside for obvious reasons, but they spend 90% of their time outside regardless of the weather. Keep in mind that they are not kittens or parakeets and you aren't doing them any favors by shutting them off from the elements. A horse isn't going to freeze to death because it has a concrete block wall and a concrete floor or is in an unheated building. Electric fenceing is your best friend (just make sure you have a good/safe charger (don't overlook the solars). If a horse is cribbing or chewing the top of a divider, a strand of electric will work wonders. If your dirt floor doesn't drain the way you think it should and you can't afford to raise the whole thing etc, etc, dig a ditch and lay some flex pipe in some gravel, cover it and be happy. You can extend the ditch a few meters away from the building and end the pipe in a sump that you've dug, filled with rocks/gravel and covered in extreme conditions. And don't forget toys be it a ball hanging from the ceiling or a basketball on the floor (could mean the difference in a happy horse with a clear head or a wood chewing weaver/pacer). Don't overlook the importance of your compfort and convenience either (physical, mental, and financial) horses tend to loose their glamour and end up neglected with habits that make them all but worthless when the owner spends more time cleaning than enjoying and eats macoroni and cheese with a backache. My 2 cents. Enjoy, Dave

Well, you are just going to have to sort that out yourself, Bonnie. (Personally, I will advise tearing up lawn grass if a neighbor's yard isn't a possibility ;o)?) We have talked about wintersowing before and my decision to not even attempt it. I've posted a link to a Department of Energy map to show how little annual sun there is here. You can just delete one state's name and type in another (like Colorado) to see the abysmal difference between here and other places. I couldn't find anything on "winter" sunlight - the info would be even more depressing . . . probably compare to the Puget Sound . . . I mean, there is plenty of summer sun! But, I'm having real trouble here in the south window finding enuf sunlight for the seedlings. They will have to go out to the greenhouse soon. Not that there's more sun out there - just that I can run the temperature lower than "room" so that they aren't encouraged to grow in this "under a rock" late winter/springtime environment! Steve who shouldn't really complain since this isn't march of 2012 by a long shot Here is a link that might be useful: State Maps, Solar Energy

Go get yourself one of those bowls that have sections...it will slow her down as far as wolfing down food. Next I suggest you add some wet food - Diced Natural Balance meat sticks, or Trader Joes canned dog food. I also suggest you do some leash walking if possible, although it sounds like you are doing everything right and things are going great, leash walking is the best way to train your dog to know who is boss, it offers new scents and a good 15 minute walk a couple of times a day is a good way to help break the monotony of being homebound. Especially for a working dog like you have. Trips to a nearby pond, lake or ocean, will do wonders for her mental health. It could be your dog is starting to get a little bored with life stuck in the same place with the same smells. Good luck

Well, mine turned out not to have a large taproot But I'm glad I repotted it. The mix it was in had a lot of small particles which had settled in the bottom half of the pot where there were no roots at all. I didn't have an azalea pot the right size so I repotted it in a pot that was a bit wider at the top (will make it easier to water) and about the same height, but it narrows at the bottom, so has less volume at the bottom. Hopefully it will be o.k.