Finally...

Never finally made it to the trainer's barn yesterday, but it wasn't as straightforward as I was hoping it would be.

The day started out well. I fed everyone and turned them out in the pasture and put Never in the round pen, which he was not happy about. Last Monday we had to load hay in the loft, and to do that I had to move Rho to the round pen to get him out of the way. That meant I had to turn Never out in the main pasture. I was afraid he would get dominant and pushy out there, but Cora kept chasing him away from the herd, so he spent most of his time grazing elsewhere.

Anyway, I expected the trainer to arrive at 10am, so I got some work done on the computer and did some cleaning around the house. 10 comes and goes, then 11. I went out to check on Never, give him hay, and put on a fly mask as the flies were really bothering his eyes. At noon I called the trainer, and after much discussion the problem was revealed. Apparently, my appointment had been lost and the directions to my house were accidentally deleted. We got it all worked out, and the trainer's assistant headed out with the trailer.

After a couple of calls and a wrong turn, she arrived around 2:30. We chatted for a minute, then went to catch Never and load him up. Unfortunately, he didn't want to be caught! He usually comes right to me, but he just kept avoiding me. I figured out what was wrong pretty quick: it was the first time he had ever worn a fly mask, and I don't think he really realized it was me! It took about 10 minutes to calm him down and catch him, 5 minutes to hop in the trailer (good boy!), and then I hopped in my truck and we were on our way.

I followed them back to the barn, and even with the window down I was sweating all the way (no AC in the truck, and the car is out of commission. Long story.). We get to the barn, I finish signing some papers, and then we unload Never and take him to the communal pasture where he'll be spending his training days. It seemed like he had to check out every pile of manure! The creepy thing is, it was so quiet. There was no squealing or neighing or anything! The assistant said that they put most of the squealers in the pastures near the barn, and the ones in this particular pasture were more mellow.

The first one to come up to greet Never and check him out was a Paint/Pinto named Joker, who apparently lives up to his name. Then a couple of Pasos came to see him, and then he went on a grand tour and I lost sight of him for a bit. I walked back to the barn with the assistant, and sat down with Holly the barn manager/secretary/ all around go to person to figure out when my lessons were, and to chat in general.

I finally left around 6pm. I debated stopping at the mall complex on the way, as I'm out of yellow printer ink, but I decided I was beat and just went straight home. I got back about 8, hung up Never's halter and lead (they use their own equipment for training), did chores, and watched Super Troopers before heading to bed. It was a lovely day, even if it had a few bumps in it.

Things Not to Do Around Half Blind Horses, a Cautionary Tale

You would think, after literally spending my whole life around horses, that I would know better. Here's what happened:

I was turning everyone out after breakfast yesterday, and we have a particular order that we go in. Starting with Sparky in the big stall at the west end, I let Tassel and Callie out, then shift to the east end and let Emmy, Hope, Heather and Alex out. Gem and Jul get more to eat, so they get to stay in their stalls until they're finished, and Fiesta stays in too, as he likes to try and get into their feed pans (the stall fronts that I have are easy for a determined pony-sized hinny to get his head through).

Callie had stopped to eat some hay that got pushed out of Gem's stall. I didn't think much of it, just let her eat while I turned everyone out. Tassel decided to come back in as I was walking away (I had the gate open).

This is where I did something completely stupid.

I approached Callie's hip. On her blind side. Without saying anything or patting her rump.

As I tried to walk behind her, she thought I was Tassel and kicked me three times in the thigh. I've never been kicked so hard before, and I can't even blame her as she thought I was someone else.

After sitting for a bit to get the wobbly feeling to subside, I moved to Callie's good side and got her and Tassel out, then let Gem, Jul and Fiesta out, fed hay to Never and Rho and go to the house to check out the damage. Lots of heat and swelling, of course, in a space larger than my hand. I sprayed Arnica on it throughout the day, and by evening it hurt a lot less and the swelling was down.

This morning my leg is stiff, but the swelling is way down and the heat is almost normal. Now is when the colors will come out. I'll probably post a picture to document my moment of stupidity, and to remind me never to be so distracted around horses.

Just a quick post

Thought I would do a quick update before I head for bed.

We baled second crop this afternoon, and I may have just enough of it to last Gem and Jul the winter, maybe 200 bales total if I'm lucky. It cost a lot to make it, in regards to fuel mostly, but they're worth it. I have more than enough first crop for everybody, but those two prefer the second crop for taste and texture. Who am I to argue with a 35 yr old mare and her 30 yr old son?

A friend called me the other day and invited me to go to a Trakehner inspection in Watertown on Saturday, and of course I jumped at the opportunity! Woohoo! Then on Sunday I'm photographing a schooling show in Marshfield, which is always fun. I must be one of the few photographers out there that enjoys taking pictures of dressage shows, no matter the level.

Also, I did something spontaneous and possibly foolish today, but I don't think I'll regret it much. I can't say anything at the moment, as I don't know if Ken or Jac (or anybody really) reads this blog, but next week I'll write about the what, how and why.

And that's it, I'm going to bed...