Changing of the Seasons
As I look back through the archives here, I am reminded that I’ve written about this before. Not something new, changing of the seasons, but still worth taking a moment to reflect.
With the cooler air comes a change in my horsie life as well. We’ve been almost 2 weeks at a new facility. A small, privately owned placed with a lovely barn, plenty of wash racks, super tidy tack room and RIGHT on the best local trails available.
Our leased horse went home, hubby already misses him and keeps asking if we could lease him again in the future- if things worked out that way. He’ll be riding a quarter horse now, that already lives at our new boarding facility. I think it will work out well…
My sweet Nez had a stressfull trip to his new home. There was some rocking in the trailer as we left the driveway. Didn’t think it was him, since he’s always been so quiet in the trailer. Off and on he was making a ruckus on the way there and on the long ride home.
By the time we reached our destination, he was pretty banged up and so was my dear friend’s trailer. Ugh. I was in shock a little… Poor boy. And poor trailer. And how in the world is there some random thing that happens EVERY month that ends up costing me a few hundred dollars?!
I let him turn around in the trailer and he let out a low nicker as he walked out. (Ah, so glad to be out!) He calmly stood tied waiting for me to get my bearings and was a trooper to be hosed off.
I cleaned off his wounds and applied some Well-Horse. Thank GOD my friend’s hubby had a sample in his truck… And thank GOD it’s a spray on application!!! One of Nez’s wounds is on his hind leg and I was pretty sure I was going to have to get creative to find a way to get medication applied without endangering my life. Or at least needing a helmet, lol. It didn’t appear to sting at ALL. I’m buying a bottle the next time I go to the feed store!
Once he was dried off, I walked him to his new pasture- which he walked right in without hesitation. I turned him loose and put his supplements in his bucket. The other horses looked inquisitively at the “new guy” but no ruckus. Nez ate a few bites, went to roll, came back for a few more bites. Had a drink. Visted quietly with the other horses through the fence, finished off his yummies. Had another roll.
The first day there he even took cookies from the barn owner! AND let her scratch his withers! HUGE for Nez. He’s blossoming into the horse that he’s wanted to be. You could always see it in his eyes- that he wanted to be a pocket pony but just couldn’t bring himself to let go of his baggage.
He’s happy and mellow, he’s enjoyed our walks down the road to the trail head and seemed raring to go out when I rode him for about 5 minutes before this rain hit. He’s still a little off, so more rest this week. I’ll take him out on a trail ride next week. Not only happy and mellow, he’s also following me around the pasture!!! He comes to meet me and nickers the entire time he watches me walk from my car to his pasture :~)
So, here we are, fall heavy upon us. Chill in the air. And I find myself at a new boarding location. One that I didn’t expect to find myself in, but here we are… with a barn and winter shelters and closer to home. Fancy that. Only one horse to feed through the winter. And I think I might have enough hay in the barn to last just that long… Friends for my kids to play with at the new place, a friend for me to talk to and ride with, too. I think I’m going to enjoy this next chapter of life just fine :~)
And so will my spotty pony.