Fresh Horses

I can't believe it has been a while since I was on here, but I have been out at the barn a lot, spending quality time with my girl and falling in love.

Yes, there is shocking news. I'm in love again; he's an older male, large and distinguished, with a mysterious and somewhat tragic background. This, even when I had vowed to myself not to get attached to another animal whose destiny was not in my control.  I vow to do better in the future.

In the meantime, here he is:

Meet Bo. Short for Beaujolais. Feel free to love him.
Resistance is futile.

Isn't he adorable? Erin has been getting new horses for the program, and she had specifically been looking for a draft horse, since they are calm and can carry larger riders that come out for trail rides. This beautiful boy belonged to a neighbor of one of the regular farriers who comes to the barn. The family that owned him had recently suffered several tragedies in a row, and had to sell their property and needed to place this sweetie pie in a hurry.  It was freakily fortuitous that Erin had a space and a need at the same time this family needed to deal with things other than a horse. He so exactly fits the bill of what Erin needed that she has said she feels guilty that she got him this way.

Erin said he is about 20, and when I mentioned to someone else that he looked liked a Clydesdale that person said she had been told that. Not that it matters. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (Yes, Shakespeare! Could you not tell this is an upscale blog?)

Anyway, he is just as sweet as he can be, and pretty much everybody at the barn has fallen for him. He is special friends with Munchkin, which is so adorable it's almost too much to take.  (Good thing those dinkies had built up my immunity so I am not overwhelmed.)

Look at his feathered feet! Enchanting!

We are just walking him at this point to build up his muscles while Erin works on putting a little weight on him. I got to ride him bareback on Thursday, and any scrap of resistance to his charms that I had left was shredded. He was just as good as gold.

Another new guy is Ratchett. He is a registered Paint, but he is completely black, and just as handsome as can be. He is even rather dashing as he has a mustache. I tried to get a picture of it, but he kept kissing on me so I couldn't get one yet. Apparently he is fun to ride, but still tests people and has a hard time picking up on one of his leads. I don't have to care, as I love him anyway.

Just for the record, I still miss Reebok something awful. Only Ginger understands.  She has taken over leadership of Skye's pasture, which is surprising. She has been pushing my girl around a little, but I don't think Skye will take it for long. The dynamics of that pasture changed when Leo was in there, and once he was moved to a different place, Ginger remained her somewhat bullying leadership. The other girls in the pasture, Symphony and Digits (this is one good-looking set of mares, lemme tell ya), don't put up with much from her, but it's not for Ginger's lack of trying. We'll see how long it lasts, but overall the pastures are all well-balanced now.

The Three Bay Mares, Skye, Symphony and Digits.
Skye with her fly mask is still beautiful.
My objectivity is stunning, isn't it?

As for my girl, we are working on getting her problems under saddle finally addressed. I had my first lesson with Sarah, the barn teacher, last Tuesday. Sarah's approach is to get her comfortable giving to pressure in tack (which immediately changes Skye's attitude a little) but not being ridden in the arena,  as much as possible, and riding very casually on trails so she gets a combination of learning to give to pressure, relax with tack, and relax with being ridden. Sarah worked with me and my girl privately two Fridays in a row, and we are seeing real progress. I also am doing some exercises to work her back and using the fancy-pants saddle pad I bought for her (with memory foam!). So while I am actually doing a lot with her, it is different every time and I think she likes that. The best part - Skye loves and trusts Sarah, so I can feel great handing Skye over to her. Unlike when I worked with a trainer before, I no longer have to wince when I watch someone else with my horse.

Yesterday, Dani (who owns the adorable TWH rescue Mosey) and I took our horses for a walk through the woods.  Mosey needs some more weight and conditioning before he can be ridden, and I wanted to work Skye's back on the hills. It was really fun, and a great way to connect with that girl.

In other news, Erin's twin young horses, Tahoe and Reno, are up in the mare pasture, and have taken up with a new boarder's horse, Tomi. Tomi is a really sweet older mare, and the three have instantly bonded. Ginger had been bullying Tomi something terrible when they were in the other pasture, so Erin moved Tomi into the big mare pasture, and it has worked out beautifully.

This is Tomi. Isn't she elegant?

Dinky in the distance.

And the lone dinky remains in the gelding pasture. I've touched him a couple of times, but he is still so suspicious that he wheels away the minute I get too friendly. I feel bad for him, as he must miss his dinky little sons. I'll catch him soon though, even though I will miss his little self.