Nine Rides and Counting, and Plans for the Move

Dawn and I have now had nine wonderful rides at the new barn.  Things aren't always perfect - sometimes the indoor is crowded - it isn't all that big - but Dawn has been dealing well with whatever happens.  I've met a number of boarders - still having trouble with names - and everyone has been very nice.  It's wonderful to be riding again on a regular basis, and Dawn has been a peach - today there was ice and snow creaking on the barn roof - she would look up from time to time - and a number of horses in the ring and open doors with wind blowing in, but we got some very nice trot work done.  Dawn is in many ways my most difficult/challenging/sensitive horse to ride, and working with her successfully is always a big confidence booster. Before I rode, we did some lunge work in both directions and she did very well with her walk and trot and canter with verbal cues - we did lots of transitions - although there was a bit of hopping at the canter, she settled well and did some nice canter work in both directions - I think her left stifle is still slightly sore.

I had a nice phone conversation with Heather at Black Star about Pie and Drifter's move on Thursday.  They'll stay on their regular vitamin/mineral balancer pellets and supplements, and I'll be bringing up some of their hay to help them transition.  She says they're likely to lose some weight - they're both fairly plump right now - with the work they'll be doing, and if need be, we can add some additional calories.  She's planning to spend a week to 10 days getting them back to work and getting to know them, and then we'll see how many days a week I go up there to work together with them and her.  I'm pretty excited about the whole thing - I think we'll have a clear path to follow, now.   Tomorrow our vet/chiropractor will be coming to do some work on both Pie and Drifter before their trip.  Pie is very stiff and sore, partly due to his unfortunately encounters with gates.  I think that will set them both up for the work they're going to be doing in March.

Spring is coming . . .