A lesson!

After a seven months-plus hiatus, Bestie and I had a lesson yesterday. I was really looking forward to it and definitely feeling like it was time to have another set of eyes on us. I rode the day prior to the lesson, and she was good.

There was a little mix up with the lesson time, which meant that we didn't get the full amount of time Sue typically allots. Which was ok. Because when we were done, I was done. It wasn't that Bestie was bad, but she was definitely a bit "up." She's in heat, and overnight became super attached to her new stall neighbor, as well as excessively interested in everyone's business. Her new stall neighbor happened to be having a lesson in the indoor while we were in the outdoor, so there was a lot of calling back and forth. And a lot of replying from the horses in the barn. Lots of conversations that were wayyy more interesting to her than what we were doing in the ring.

With her head way up in the air and super attentiveness to everything going on around her, I felt all my old nervousness coming back. We did just one circle at the trot, and spent the rest of the time at the walk working on encouraging Bestie to focus, and on addressing my old bad habits, which also had come back. Arms too stiff. Turning my hands palm up. Holding too tightly to the reins. It was good to have the feedback. Good to have someone remind me, "take a few deep breaths," and feel Bestie respond. She's been so laid back, it kind of threw me for a loop to have to deal with the lack of focus and "nah, I don't want to listen to you" stuff again. Good to have the lessons to keep us on track.

New house, new barn

It's been an odyssey, these months since our September move from Vermont. Thank goodness for the lovely interim home for Bestie at Laurie's in Marshall. After looking online for boarding near our new home in Culpeper, I found Joe London Training Center and in early February we were able to move (timed for just as we were settling into the house after our stuff arrived from VT). It was a bitterly cold day despite some sun; really, one of the few cold days we've had. Bestie loaded like a champ, but then we discovered that the halter clip was rusted, so she had to come off while Laurie found a new one. Then, after a few "no, I don't want to get back on" attempts, she loaded and off we went for a 45 minute ride south.

The photo above is from a few days after the move when the weather warmed and they opened the horses' half doors in the main barn. Let's just say that Bestie love love loves the half door - no surprise since she felt the same way about the half doors at Laurie's. It look out on the "front yard" of the barn, the driveway, a few of the paddocks, and the indoor. Lots to see.

It felt funny to get her there, unload, settle her into her stall, confer with the folks there about her feed and supplements, hang around for a bit, then leave. Reminiscent of when we took the girls to college and left them, feeling a little empty handed. Of course I drove back the next morning to check on her. It was a lovely sunny day and there was a free paddock, so she got out for a while. 

After a couple days she was introduced to the mares' field. I think there are five or six mares. I say "I think" because I have trouble keeping track of everyone. There are lots of field boarders, just a few full boarders, horses in for training, and horses that are there hanging out (oldsters, I believe). So there's a lot of coming and going. That was one thing that I think Bestie had trouble processing - why other horses were staying out when she was brought in. And a few times she would be the only one in the main barn, with the other full boarders in the side barn. So there's been some adjusting, particularly since at Laurie's, the group of four mares did everything together ... all out, all in, all eating.

But it's been good, overall. She seems happy and her care has been great. She had an altercation the second week that resulted in a swollen right hock and some gimpiness for a few days. Then last week it looked like she got kicked again, this time inside the left hock. Again, swelling, but no gimpiness this time. Of course it happened on a day I didn't go to the barn (like, really? I go almost EVERY DAY) so by the time I saw it, it was pretty crusty and yucky. It's healed up fairly well. I rode her today and she was fine.

The only other thing healthwise was some yellow nasal discharge for a couple days two weeks ago. I mentioned it to Sue at the barn and Joe took Bestie's temperature a few times - normal. The conclusion was that perhaps something in the hay or something coming out in the field had bothered her. It did clear up.

She's had her teeth done and her hooves trimmed once. She got wormed on April 3. We're still waiting on shots, which should happen soon.

We've been easing back into regular riding with some time in the indoor (nice to have one again!) and then a mosey around the paddocks. Last week as we came back toward the barn we rode under the gorgeous blooming cherry trees. Miss Unpredictable: right from the get go she walked out to go around the property's perimeter with no goofing around. I couldn't believe it, since it was always hard to get her past the paddocks at Maple Valley. Today we did about 20 minutes in the indoor, then rode around the paddocks, and she didn't even blink an eye at the gate swinging and squeaking in the wind, and the empty paddocks. My plan was to give us both some time to settle, and now I'm ready to get back into lessons, hopefully one every other week, and need to talk to Sue about that. Maybe we'll even be able to do one of their fun workshops at some point. And maybe, maybe, we'll be able to join someone on a trail ride and explore the fields beyond the barn's property. Big plans!