Saturday was cold and clear but the weather we were all making a big deal out of didn't really materialize. Apparently, it was a little icier down at the barn because when I got down there on Saturday, the horses were still in, as it had still been icy when the feeders fed and watered. By the time of my arrival at 11:30 though, the sun was shining, the ice was gone, it was beautiful and the horses were ready to be out! Thankfully, three of our best "barn girls" were out there and were willing to help. Or at least I assumed they were, because I put them to work.
Digits, a gorgeous off the track Thoroughbred who belongs to Erin, was in the round pen because the girls had taken her out of her stall to clean it, and she had kicked up a ruckus about going back in, even rearing. So she was the first out. Though she is not aggressive, she can be unpredictable, but she was a good girl when I led her out. She did take off across the pasture when I let her go though, which was something to see. She has three Triple Crown winners and a couple of Kentucky Derby winners in her pedigree, with the long legs to prove it, and watching her take off is a thing of beauty. Then the girls and I got busy putting everybody else out but Skye, who went in the round pen, again.
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| Hangin' in the round pen, once again. |
It all went well until we got to Phoenix, who is a little over two, and a whole lot full of herself. As I was leading her to the mare pasture, the geldings who had just been put out decided to do a little dance and romp around. This was too much for her, and she pulled away from me. Then she turned her hind end to me and kicked out at me. Instinctively, I let her go. I was not about to get in a fight and risk an injury because she felt a little frisky. I know that it's a bad thing for her to "get away with it," but in a situation like that, I follow my instincts. A horse trainer can work with her on her behavior. She didn't run around at all, but I ran down to close the main gate to keep her in, but someone had opened the entire thing, not just the portion to let the cars in and out, and left it that way. It was a nightmare getting it closed. Luckily, Phoenix had no interest in coming down there but we all felt better when it was closed. We let her graze for a minute, then grabbed the lead line and let her go. She was a little impatient, then took off too, but she never tried to bite or nip. I'd like to think she is more mischievous than anything else, but all I really know is that she is too risky to argue with.
Once all the horses at the main barn were out and happy, the girls I went down to the lower barn, where the twin yearlings and the miniature horses were taken for the storm. We found the twins, Tahoe and Reno with their heads sticking out, and Gray and Blade who were also there for stall space, and Munchkin was in the first stall. But where was Mistletoe. We all exchanged looks. Where was she? Did someone steal that little fur ball when there were two gorgeous Belgian Warmbloods in the same barn? But then we found her in the one stall that faces the outside. Relief.
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| Here she is, oblivious to our fear. She's very fuzzy. |
So we put all the horses out, then realized the fence wasn't electrified. Luckily, we had Marie with us, who is a gymnast when she is not an equestrian. We hoisted her through a stall window so she could get to the utility closet and turn on the fence, then she jumped back through. Whew!
But we were not done, because after we had put hay in the small paddock where the miniatures and the Gray and Blade were, Blade started bullying the minis a little, particularly Mistletoe who still was not at 100% since her illness. He wasn't really mean, as he never landed a kick or a bite, but we couldn't leave them like that. I called Valerie, who was in command when Erin is unavailable, and we agree to take Gray and Blade up to their regular pasture. This would require about a 20 yard walk along the road before getting the dirt road that leads to the barn. Oh well, we'd have to do it.
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| The twins in what appears to be a common pose. It's odd to think they may someday be separated. I can't imagine it. |
It turned out to be no big deal at all, as both Blade and Gray are so calm and well-behaved. We put them away then I spent a little time with Skye. After dealing with Phoenix, I was so grateful for Skye's trustworthiness. Her biggest problem is the pulling back, which she hasn't done since we arrived at the new barn, but I can trust her as much as you can trust a horse. Even when she's "bad," she's good; she's safe. And even after she pulled back and got away, she was easily approachable, never aggressive.
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| And don't forget; she's pretty, too. |
Sunday, I groomed my girl a little, re-wrapped the leg and spent a little time with Reebok. Skye's leg looked pretty good, so I would un-wrap it and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour before re-wrapping.
Monday was about 70 degrees, so I got out there just to hang out outside. I unwrapped her, then groomed her for a while then took her for a nice long graze on clover in the sunshine. I didn't really think about anything, just enjoyed her company and listened to her munching. It would have looked like a nothing day, except we really clicked together, which reminds me why I go to so much trouble for that girl.
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| Skye's idea of a good time with her mommy. 'Works for me. |
Her leg continued to look good, but I didn't want to chance anything so I left it wrapped and waited until Dr. Hobbs called me back. Of course she did after I left the barn on Monday, but she said to unwrap for 3 hours, then rewrap and let her out in her pasture, then in again at night. After two days of that, if the leg still looks good, we can move to half days, then 6 hours etc.
So Tuesday when I got out there, Erin had unwrapped her for me at 8:30 am. So I hung around helping, then Jean, a lady who volunteers and rides, and I went to visit Reebok. It turns out she loves him just like I do, and is always loving on him and bringing him in. Excellent! The more people that love him, the brighter his future. She is such a nice person, and we really had fun out in the pasture making fools of ourselves over him and Ginger.
Then I went back to wrap that girl's leg. Erin got Gray and I got Skye and we headed out to put Skye in the pasture. She was ready to go! When I released her, she swung away from me and trotted off toward the hay, then broke into a canter and headed off into the field. She bucked, with all four feet in the air then gathered her hind legs underneath her like a racehorse, and shot like a bullet for about 20 yards. Then she spun around like a reining horse, then started prancing around with her head tucked like an Olympic dressage horse. Erin and I just stood there laughing at how funny and beautiful she was. She took off again in another direction and went back and forth doing flying lead changes like the best horse athletes do. So impressive, and so beautiful. It was such a joy to see her be so joyful, and just enjoy being a horse. Of course, this was the day I didn't have my phone on me, so I didn't get a picture of any of it. But it's actually better, because I focused on watching her completely, and I'll never forget it. It was that great.
Yesterday was uneventful, and that was good. Erin introduced Chloe, a small horse from Skye's pasture, into the mare herd. I love how Erin introduces horses one at a time or two at a time, in a way that they can all see each other. So Erin put Digits, the newly minted alpha (Tessie, the former alpha, moved to another barn on Sunday), in a paddock, then put Chloe in. Although Digits became agitated and pranced around (beautifully, I might add), she wasn't really worried about Chloe. Erin put Symphony in with her, and Digits calmed considerably. We let them think about the whole thing, with the girls in the mare pasture watching avidly. Then one by one, Erin put them back in the mare pasture, Digits, then Symphony, then Chloe. Chloe stood looking at her old pasture, but then things settled down immediately.
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| The girls watching the action. They got together and gossiped about it after Chloe was put in there. I'm not kidding; they all gathered in a huddle and looked at her. It was fine though. |
Today, a full half day of unwrap. I'm going to hustle down there right now so I can be the one to release again.
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