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!

About time for a new home

Bestie so loves her front half door and back window, enabling her to keep an eye on things whenever she's in. This picture was from late last week. I brought her in to groom her, and she hung out in the front, a little snoozy-eyed, and watched Percy and Jazz, who were in the roadside field. The most amazing thing last week - actually, two amazing things - I arrived to see her and Mia nuzzling together in the field, and shortly thereafter Bestie actually took a little rest in the grass. NEVER have I seen her nuzzling with another horse or lying down in her field. Testimony to the relaxed vibe of Laurie's little slice of horsey heaven.

I'm hoping she settles in just as happily when we move to a barn and training facility much closer to our new house in Culpeper. That move happens this week, the end point of a long 5-6 months of transition to a new area. The barn's website first caught my eye, both for the amenities provided and the fun events they schedule. A visit confirmed the positive feel I had from poking around online, and amazingly, they had one stall available. So off we go on Thursday. I'm excited to have the use of an indoor arena again.

More on the yucky oozy spots. Laurie suggested that the spots might be tick bites, noting that Mia, Bestie's pasture mate, had a similar spot. Right now, knock on wood, Bestie seems pretty clear. Her hair is growing back in where the worst spots were on either side of the center hairiness, with some skin flakiness/dryness from my efforts to clean and sanitize.

I never have seen a tick on her since she arrived in Virginia. They don't seem to hang around like the few ticks I found on her in Vermont that stayed attached getting bigger and bigger. For the last few weeks I've spent extra time currying with the jelly curry and also using the hairbrush under her chin in hopes of dislodging any that might be crawling up to biting territory. So gross. Poor Bestie. 

I'm reading up on garlic supplements as a way of fighting ticks; some people seem to have had success with this treatment. But from the testimonials I've read, it seems that they only use the supplement part of the year, like spring through fall. Judging by our experience, in Virginia it might be needed year round. Not sure whether that's a good thing for the horse or not. More investigating needed....

A peek at spring

Oh boy was yesterday a gorgeous day! (I'm choosing to not focus on the weather icon for Saturday.)

When I arrived at the barn, the horses were sunbathing, standing in their fields and looking a bit dozey. Bestie whinnied when she saw me, but made no move to come over to the gate, so I walked through the field to put her halter on.

It was way too nice to brush her in her stall, so she grazed around the barn - mainly toward the front so that she wasn't too far from Percy and Jazz in the front field - while I curried and brushed her.

She was gleaming when I left.

A few hours later I received a text from Laurie about my brown horse. Seems Bestie wasn't into gleaming. Sometime after I left to drive home, she rolled and coated herself in mud. Not the first time and won't be the last, I'm sure. :)

Looked at a new barn this week; thoughts on that soon. While poking around the internet doing some research while trying to decide if I should transition Bestie's feed prior to or after arrival at the new place, I found these two sites - https://equinenutritionnerd.com/ and https://horsehippie.com/, by the same author. Fun and interesting reading on everything from winter feeding to horse/human chakra connection.

Hellooo 2017

Bestie and I had a little good bye to 2016 and hello to 2017 moment on New Year's Eve afternoon last weekend (that I am just getting around to posting). Things have been going well at the barn. She's happy there and hanging companionably with the other mares. I haven't ridden since early December due to a variety of reasons - weather, business, a cold, lack of initiative, forgetfulness about alerting the ring owner prior to a ride ... whatever. I usually walk her down the road on my visits, unless it's absolutely too blustery.

The inflamed follicle business has definitely slacked off, thank goodness, but she did have a big one on her face that I discovered last week. We'd had a nice laid back hour of grooming and hand grazing, and right as I was about to walk her back to the barn to pick out her feet, I spotted a bleeding spot on her jawline. Yikes, nothing like blood to get your heart pounding. A couple of days later, Laurie pointed out another small one on Bestie's jawline.

The photo below shows the two spots on her jaw; hard to actually see them clearly because her coat is so amazingly thick and long this year (much more so than during all those years in Vermont). The lower one was positively ugly. She had apparently rubbed it raw and it was about an inch long and a half inch in diameter. Conferring with Laurie and Amanda at the barn, I decided to keep it clean and treated with ointment for a few days to see if it would clear up. Laurie helped with cleaning and treatment on days I couldn't be there. The smaller spot was pretty typical, just oozing a little waxy oil, so I cleaned it and dabbed it with TriCare ointment. 

When I came back to the barn after two days, and two days of treat the spots, I was relieved to see that the big spot had crusted over. It is still kind of rough and raised, like a scab would be, so hopefully it heals over smoothly soon. And hopefully these will be the last spots. The poor thing. When I groomed her a couple days ago I took off my gloves and really ran my hands over every inch of her, looking for more spots. She probably feels like I'm always picking and rubbing at her, but she stands quietly and tolerates it. Such a good girl.

So beautiful

I just love the rolling hills around the barn. The neighborhood where our barn is located is an equestrian community; I believe that all the homes except one have horses, so barns large and small dot the area. Across the way the ring where I ride (or attempt to) is visible, and beyond that, there's a large home and barn way off in the distance. What an absolutely beautiful day to take puppy Drummer and Bestie -separately- for a stroll down the road. That's been my go-to activity with her when I'm short on time, and this week, with a couple trips to the new house required, I was definitely short on time.

Mare moments

As soon as I bring Bestie in, she goes to the rear window in her stall to gaze back at her pasture. Just in case she might have missed something in the few moments it takes us to walk to the barn.

Before I start whining about Bestie, I have to admit that my barn visits have been pretty sporadic over the last couple weeks. House stuff has picked up speed, so I've had a few days of driving the hour and a half to the new house in Culpeper, and depending on the timing of the meet up with a contractor, I often just can't make it to the barn. Throw four days away for Thanksgiving in there, too. And a couple of days of heavy rain. 

Since I had been away, I went to the barn on both Saturday and Sunday last weekend. Bestie whinnied when she spotted me, which is always heart warming. I planned to ride on Sunday since I had more time and it was a really beautiful day. Just can't get over the warm weather in November - nothing like Vermont!

After I saddled her up, we walked over to the ring, meeting ring owner Cindy and her gelding en route. Upon starting to walk with them, Bestie was positively beside herself - I don't know if it was the novelty of seeing a gelding after a few months with mares, or what. I couldn't get her settled down. I ended up walking her in the ring for about a half hour. She seemed to calm down after about 15 minutes, but when I brought her over to the mounting block she got all kooky again. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was different from the previous week, except the weather was better. No scariness. NOTHING. Very frustrating.

The next three days I was tied up with house stuff and there was heavy rain, so today was my first day out. Again, I squared away the ring plan and looked forward to a ride.

As I walked out to get Bestie from the field, she and Mia came trotting up from the lower part, then turned and stared back at the woods. There was a regular hooting noise and the crashing sound of brush from the woods. I went ahead and brought Bestie in, and Mia hung out by the gate, looking back toward the woods, but not worked up.

Once we got in to the barn Bestie was really agitated. She kept circling and looking out the back window. I finally put her lead rope back on and walked her in the stall for about 10 minutes. At some point the hooting and crashing stopped and she calmed down, but then got worked up by Percy and Jazz goofing around in the front field. Between the agitation and the time it took me to groom her, I shelved the plan to ride. I ended up walking her down the road for a short stretch, then turning her back out with Mia.

And now I'm off to New York for three days. Inconsistency with her is not a good thing, but I don't see my schedule settling down at all with the house projects kicking off and the holidays looming. Foreseeing more mare moments in my future. Yay.