Not So Wild Anymore

*No horses or humans were injured during the following events, despite many dark thoughts by both*

We've been working with Sullivan at least once a day for the past 6 weeks now. For the first 4 weeks I vacillated between "Oh god, he's awful and he'll need to find a new home" and "He's just a baby, a super smart baby with a mile-wide stubborn streak, he'll come around". And then at the beginning of week 5 he got his feet trimmed...

Wide-eyed, but he stood quietly for 2 hours

I love my farrier. Sullivan, despite having had all 4 feet picked up every day for well over a week, decided he wasn't having any of this farrier nonsense. He would pick up his foot and promptly jerk it back. When that didn't work well, he reared up, backed up, threw himself into the wall, whatever he could think of. He knocked my farrier on his ass and managed to catch me in the chest with one of his front legs during a time when he reared and tried to run me over. After that he got quite a thrashing. It seemed to give him the clarity required. After that he stood like a perfect gentleman for all 4 feet. He's also been super good for his feet since.

My mom worked him in the round pen (She used to train and her timing is so much better than mine)

He then spent a few hours in a stall (for the first time) while Dee was hot shod. He handled the smoke and banging much better than I anticipated. The next day I borrowed a western saddle from my mom and he learned to pony, once again, it went much better than expected. I'm not sure if it was the clarity instilled by the farrier or just something clicking but he's been super since that day.

Notice his legs are basically the same length as Dee's?

In the last two weeks he's learned about fly spray, blankets, baths, trot poles, going down the road, and trailer rides just for the sake of it. He's even jumped cross rails in hand! He's been super about all of it.  He may object at the very beginning of something new but it doesn't take him long to figure out what I want.

So clean and soft now

I feel confident in kicking him out to pasture now.  Sure he may be a little wild when he comes back in but the foundation is now there.

Exercise sheet works perfectly as a training blanket

He loads solidly now, ramp, no ramp, back out, turn around, it's all good

And Then There Were Two

Red Mare made it safely to Washington!

All ready to go.

Her new owner booked her into a transport from Edmonton to Langley on Nov 17.  We were given a window of Nov 29 - Dec 2.  This worked well because the plan was for her to have a few recovery days at a vet clinic in Langley before they drove up and hauled her across the border themselves on the 4th.

Then it snowed 30cm and was -30.  The shipper postponed due to roads and weather (understandably).  They told us they would pick her up between 7-10am on Dec 3.  I waited at the barn until 10:30 and then had to leave to go to work.  I finally managed to get a hold of them via email (after calling a dozen times and leaving multiple messages) only to be told that they meant Thursday morning.  Since I had already missed one morning of work I was not about to wait around for them to show up so I told them to have the driver call me when he was an hour out. I finally got a call at 11:45 (window was still 7-10) letting me know he was an hour away.  He finally arrived and we got her loaded at 1pm, 3 hours after the 3 hour pickup window!

At least the rig was what they said it would be.

To add insult, my coach had asked me who we were shipping with about a week before as she had a client just down the road who needed two horses shipped to Vancouver.  When she got to the barn on Wednesday she asked me why my horse was still here.  Apparently those two horses got picked up on Saturday, when our booking was postponed due to weather and road conditions!  The shipping company gave our booking away and then lied to us about needing to postpone.

She loaded like a pro and settled right in.

With all the delays, the mare did not get any recovery time in Langley but hopped right back on a trailer to complete her journey.  Thankfully she traveled well and made it to her destination safely.  I got a text letting me know she made it safely, drank a full bucket of water, ate her hay and laid down and went straight to sleep.  Good Mare!

Excited new owners!

I wish Jennifer and Cary all the best with her and I as much as I will miss her, I'm glad she found them.

Finally Mobile

In August I finally managed to complete a lifelong goal.  I purchased my own trailer!!! It is the best thing I've done in a long time.  The freedom it gives me is amazing.  No more making sure someone else wants to go to the same show, no more worrying about borrowing a trailer in emergencies.

Don't get me wrong, I have awesome friends who have been extremely kind and generous lending me their trailers but it was past time to buy my own. I found one I really liked for a steal of a deal and I was off to the middle of nowhere Saskatchewan to go pick it up.  

I bought a 2002 4H Featherlite.  It is exactly what I wanted, dressing room (where I put a mattress) has a stud wall, drop down windows and escape door.  I've slept in it a few times already and it is just so nice not to be sleeping in the back of the trailer.

The Purple Lemon meets her new road trip partner.