First Anniversary for me and my girl!

One year ago today (well, almost) I made a childhood and young adulthood and middle age adulthood dream come true when I bought Skye on February 29. I didn't get to bring her to the Greenway, where I first pasture-boarded her until 10 days later, as we had to wait for her Coggins test to come back. So I couldn't really believe it until the day we moved her to her new digs in the quarantine lot. That day I was just beside myself with happiness, convinced that I had bought the horse of my dreams. You can see why I would think that. Just look at her.

She had me at "hello."

Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly in those first months as I had hoped. My schedule didn't match that of my pasture mates, so I was usually dealing with her alone. She needed some work on her gas pedal, so I didn't feel comfortable riding alone, so I rarely rode. When I did, she was usually great on the trail. Until she wasn't. One day I cantered her for about 20 feet, and she never wanted to stop moving for the rest of the ride. Though she never tried to get rid of me, she felt out of control and it scared me. It was unsafe for me and for the people riding with me.

I then called on a local trainer who had been recommended to me, who told me Skye had no decent training at all. This seemed very wrong to me, but in the state of mind I was in, I went along since I had no confidence at that point. So my sweet girl spent a month at the trainer's. When she came back, she was the same for me under saddle as before the training, she and I had no relationship left and what had been a slight pull-back problem was now a full-blown paranoia. She pulled back and got loose at the Greenway once. Though she was easily caught, it rattled me. Weeks later she did it again (from someone going against my wishes in saddling her), and pulled the hitching post out of the ground.  Although she was never ever aggressive, I was beginning to wonder if she was too dangerous for me to keep. Finally, I trusted my instincts and stopped using that trainer.

During this time, she was deeply attached to a big gelding in her pasture. She always let me catch her, but she rarely took even one step toward me in the pasture. Then she would balk two or three times as I tried to lead her in, planting her feet and not moving. I'd have to snap the lead line, raise my arm or actually lunge her in place to get her to listen to me just to get her feet moving. By the time we'd get to the gate, I'd be so disappointed and frustrated that I would clean her feet, check her for cuts, spray her with fly spray and put her back. It occurred to me that I was actually relieved to be driving away from her. The pasture was beautiful, my pasture mates were all nice people, with nice horses that I liked, but I was getting nowhere fast with my girl. Finally, I made the decision to move to a barn with a round pen, an arena and a steady stream of people. That was our last chance. If I couldn't make it work with all the other factors in place, I'd give up and sell her. Maybe later I would get a quiet gelding more suited to a middle-aged woman instead of a gorgeous smart and spirited mare. I would have to  face the fact that I needed to get the horse I could handle, not the horse of my dreams.

Skye and the love of her life, Magic.  She loved him so much
she had no room in her heart for me. 

I made the move to Blue Wave Stable in September, and we settled in so quickly. From the very beginning, things went unbelievably well. People were always around so I felt more comfortable; I felt comfortable so I spent more time with her. Everyone loved Skye, and I had found my tribe of people whose idea of a good time was an evening at the barn after work. So I started this blog to write about it.

We've had a few more ups and downs, mostly with getting her feet evened out and her leg bump cleared up, but she now listens to me on the ground (making me look like I know what I'm going) and walks like a dream in the ring for me (which she wouldn't do at the Greenway. Ever.) Best of all, we have a real relationship. Here is the proof:

Six months ago, I couldn't get in her from the pasture. Now she is usually waiting at the gate when she sees my van. Tonight she had her back to me and was eating hay with her subjects when I called her, and in she came. Sometimes she trots and once she even cantered, but she's coming. And that's more than enough.