The Ups and Downs...

I would like to start this post by asking everyone to keep Liselotte in their prayers. Hans found her in the pasture Sunday with a severe puncture wound in her left hind leg. She is currently not bearing any weight on it and is on alot of medication to help fight infection. To top all of this off, she injured herself shortly after someone called to inquire about her and wanted to come try her out. We are all pretty upset about it and are hoping that she will pull through to at least be a broodmare. Sound for jumping would be a small miracle from what Rebecca told me. As horrible as this situation is, it pretty much sums up life with horses.

On a brighter note, I have began to work with Meka and she is coming along extremely well! I could not be more happy with her progress. She went from being very timid and not even letting a human get close enough to touch her to being caught fairly easily and letting me start to lay over her back. All of that in a little over a week! Meka is a gorgeous chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail and of course her lovely roman nose. That trademark characteristic tells alot about her personality, and thus, her problems. She is a very noble and intelligent horse which leads to some issues with respect and pride. It was difficult for her to submit to someone and I had to earn her submission. That meant alot of join-up! It actually took me three days to get a true join-up with her and taking that time meant a world of difference. I love working at the Frederiksborg Horse Farm because every day I learn something new and with each step of progress I become more confident in my abilities.

As for my personal horses, they are doing well. Stretch's feet are great and the recent rain helped out alot! He is no longer sore and his feet are not chipping at all. This barefoot thing may work after all! I am still greatly looking forward to spring and seem to be getting more antsy by the day. Also, I have considered pulling Spot of his temporary retirement and begin seriously riding him. It would be fun to actually see him go to a recognized event, after all, he is a very fun ride when he enjoys his job! To top it off, I already paid for his limited USEA registration years ago and might as well put it to use! It is looking like 2012 is going to be a fantastic year. Just remember that with horses there will always be trials and tribulations, you just have to perservere through the downs and cherish the ups. Until next time, kick on!

Check Please...

Finally I can sit back, take a deep breath, and feel accomplished. By far the largest of my big ticket items has been purchased and is no longer an issue. My wonderful dad found a horse trailer Thursday and called to tell me about it. I liked the pictures but wasnt going to get my hopes up. Fortunately, Hans let me leave work a little early on Friday and I hurried home. Mom, Dad, and I loaded up and drove down to see the trailer and I liked it. It is definatelty clean! So about thirty minutes later I became the proud owner of an '05 Thoroughbred WW two horse straight load.

Loading Stretch in the new trailer for the first time presented a minor hitch. He didn't want to go all the way in. First off, he hasnt been in a straight load in a few years. Second off, his last hauling experience was definately less than desirable. When we brought him home this last time we were in a rather big time crunch and trailer resources were limited. All we were able to get ahold of was our neighbors 6' tall stock trailer. Stretch was such a trooper though! He followed me right in and stood quietly the whole way home. Upon arrival he was a little shook up, but otherwise no harm done. Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to convince him that loading in the new trailer was a good idea. All it took was a little breakfast!

In the end, all of my hard work throughout the summer and early this semester saving my money and my patience in the great trailer search paid off! I found something that is nice, that I like, that is safe, and that Stretch fits in. I have a few minor purchases to make to improve the trailer and prolong it's life, as well as increase Stretch's safety in it, but that certainly is not a big deal! That list includes new chain covers, a tire cover for the spare, paint to touch up the wood on the walls, a head bumper for Stretch as an added precaution (even though the trailer is 7'2" tall), and a tail wrap because he likes to lean on the doors. I am very excited and relieved that I can place a big fat check mark next to "Trailer" on my to-do list!