Wow. The whole move was a whirlwind because I was busy at work last weekend and felt pulled in many different directions. The long and the short of the whole event was that it went just fine. I got to the barn mid-morning last Saturday and was pleased to find that the horses were turned out; it had been a crazy weather day on Friday so I wasn't anticipating turnout. It definitely made my life easier since they were both happy to have been outside.
I got everything except the four bales of hay left upstairs into my car and then Jodie arrived with the trailer. I basically dressed Dude and Bestie in their trailer boots and off we went. They both loaded really well. Dude is always a pro at it, so he went first, and then Bestie, who seemed a little unsure of the goings-on, followed him on. I headed back into the barn to grab a couple of leftover items, then ran and jumped in the car to catch up with the trailer. It was kind of a crazy departure and I was glad that I'd said goodbye to a few people the day before and earlier in the day.
After confering with Jodie I'd left both horses unblanketed and it was good that I did. Bestie was steaming when we got to the new barn. I think she was a little nervous. Dude was fine. Once we got them into the barn I threw a cooler on her and she dried pretty quickly. Laura, the owner of the new barn, had their stalls all ready with big piles of hay, so they got focused on that pretty quickly. Nothing better at taking the edge off than a big pile of hay!
Bestie's stall is right in the middle of the barn and is huge; probably a third bigger than her old stall. There are no bars over the stall door, so she can hang her head out and check out what's going on in the aisle and in the other stalls.
Dude is to the left of her against an outside wall. His stall is pretty much the same size as his old one and has a window that looks out on the side paddocks. It also has a cutout so he can hang his head in the aisle. It didn't take him long to realize that he could reach Bestie's blanket rack and pull her stuff down. Repeatedly.
There is a lot of ice currently at the new barn so the horses haven't gotten turned out. It is really treacherous on the path to the fields. This week has been cold and it hasn't thawed at all, plus we got more snow and single digits last night. Temps are supposed to warm as the week goes on, so hopefully this weekend they'll get back out.
On Sunday I grazed Bestie and the sun felt really nice. There's a huge grassy area in front of the barn that will be nice for handgrazing. Dude was a little full of it so I walked him in the indoor but didn't take him outside ... self preservation!
All in all they settled in pretty well and I've seen them getting more and more accommodated to their new surroundings as the days go on. Dude has been able to hang his head out and visit with Jake across the aisle when they both have their stall guards up. Both Dude and Bestie greet me when I arrive, but not as frantically as they did the day after the move. They're getting the new routine.
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