Young Love

The girls have decided that they get along... a little too well. Yesterday I took Megan out to lunge her in the ring and Miss Lily was so chagrined at being separated from her that she commenced to tear a gate down. She was successful in flattening the gate, but we got over to her in time to prevent her escape. It wasn't so hard to do since we were only about 30 FEET away. Chill girl, if you can see her, you can deal.

Lily also had scrapes on the front of both hocks that I just could not fathom how she was doing. The field is pretty dummy proof in terms of ways to hurt yourself, but she was finding something that was just gnawing her back legs to bits. Turns out she is kicking at the boys next door and pulling fence boards down on the recoil. Doh!

The plan is to put a solid wall between the paddocks in the turnout so that if she kicks her leg isn't going through and getting caught. She so darn bossy that it's getting her in trouble. I think if they were all in one field she would surely rule the roost even though she's the youngest and smallest (for the moment). Missy don't take no guff.

The girls are pretty cute together though. They are like velcro ponies. At one point their necks were intertwined and they were both looking at me like siamese twin horses -- very cute. I'm going to have to figure out a plan for sneaking Megan away on the 9th for her trip to the vet school without Lily tearing the field down.

Girls Gone Wild

Yesterday Megan moved to the new farm and the girls were together for the first time. I wanted to give Lily a little time to acclimate and gain her confidence before meeting Megan. Perhaps I gave her a little too much time! Miss Lily was definitely not going to let Megan be the boss of her.

They ran around a little bit but settled pretty quickly. After an hour or so of letting them get to know one another, I walked in to give them a pat and scratch. They both walked toward me eagerly but about 5 strides out Lily gave Megan a look and marched up to get scratches first. I'm not sure if Megan will continue to demur to Lily's looks, but it was pretty funny to see the big girl backed off by the little upstart.

This morning Lily is still in charge and Megan has a big old bite mark on her butt. So far Lily is ruling the roost. Megan was definitely tired after spending the night out for the first time in a year and her canter was not as pure as last weekend, but she'll hopefully acclimate soon and her recovery will continue to improve.

It started to rain so I turned Lily back in with Megan and headed out. They both followed my car beside the fence so I went slowly and chatted with them. Megan decided a roll was in order and then another one and then a third. Not to be outdone as soon as Megan was up, down went Lily. She was up and down three times, too. Funny girls. Megan stood in the corner of the field and watched me pull out. I'm sure she's wondering what the deal is with her new lifestyle.

What's in a Name?

One of the things that first charmed me about Spot was her name. It's simple, direct and descriptive, but once I met her I had a hard time calling her Spot. She's so sweet and elegant that it didn't work for me as I thought it would. After a weekend of intense deliberation, she is newly dubbed Lily... or Lily-Spot if you are my husband. She'll keep Spot in her competition name which will be Spot On.

Last night we hung out and took a trail walk. What a brave girl! We headed down into the woods and then out on a power line easement for a little stroll to see the world. Lily was unfazed and so well behaved! I'm sure Megan, the glutton, will be terror to walk on the easement as she'll be diving from one clump of grass to another. Lily just ambled politely along taking it in.

When we got back to the barn we had a little grooming session and she decided that fly spray is not evil and stood quietly for its application. Next stop was seeing Megan, who also got a good grooming and lots of treats.

Saturday is moving day and both girls will be united. That will be a blessing as I spent more time in the car last night than I did combined time with both girls!

Marking Time

Do you remember the childhood ritual of backing up to the door frame while your mom or dad scratched a line to show how tall you were and track how much you'd grown? It's a little harder to do that with a horse, so my friend and I track their progress by taking pictures every six months or so. Yesterday, Spot (soon to be renamed) had her first photog session and Megan had her 3.5 years photo taken.



Spot 26 months



Megan3.5 years old

For comparison, Megan's 2 year old and 2.5 year old shots are below. Somehow I failed to get the 3 year old shot, but these suffice to show how much she's developed.



Megan 2.5 years old.




Megan 2 years old.

What fun and no door jambs were marred in this process!

Share the Love

Megan doesn't know it yet, but she has a new sister. Introducing Spot...



Spot came off the trailer from Texas a little dazed and confused. She's from south Texas which is suffering from a drought and the trees aren't as plentiful and tall and the color scheme is varying shades of brown. She's a bit overwhelmed by the alien landscape she's found herself in.



Didn't take her long to figure out that grass is a girl's best friend.



She came in Wednesday and I am in love. She's sweet as can be and loves to be scratched and rubbed and loved on. Yesterday she got a good grooming and a walk around her new digs and she was good as gold. She's very people oriented and when a large horse fly got after her, she kept coming over to me so I could help her get rid of it! Very cute girl. She needs groceries and time to grow and she'll get plenty of both.

In a couple of weeks, Megan will join her at the new farm. Megan's not inclined to share the love... or the treats, but she'll learn. What nice girls they both are.

Anatomy of a Good Roll

Megan is here to demonstrate the anatomy of a satisfying roll... Ready?

First we have to find the right spot.


Okay now you lay down carefully.



Get a good stretch going...



And then onto your back.



Getting up is not the most graceful move...





So be sure to finish big with a buck and a twirl...




Ahh, life is good.

Green Acres is the Place for Me

Oddly Megan's illness makes me wish for a farm more than ever. Tonight we popped out to the barn to deliver her meds. A quick brushing and a few treats left us both wishing for more. Her expectant little face was hanging over her door as we left. I can't wait for the day when she and Spot live at home with us.

Sometimes I feel like I'm wishing my life away because I always have a plan for what's next. For a while now that plan has been a farm. Next spring we'll put our house on the market and then hope it sells so we can farm shop in earnest. I find this transition both scary and exciting. I grew up on a farm so I know a bit about what to expect in terms of life changes. Most of them I can't wait for and the biggest of those is having the day to day responsibility for the care of my girls.

To me the best part of having horses is not the riding (good thing considering the circumstances of the moment); it's taking care of them and just hanging with them day to day. It's hard to do that when they are at a boarding barn and I buzz in to work them and then head home.

Sleep well baby girl. Some day soon I'll be able to poke my head out the back door and say good night -- can't wait.

Denial is Nice but it Doesn't Last

Well I wore denial well for a few days, but on Wednesday I put Megan through some light work and the evidence was more than clear to my eyes. She is definitely compromised. I just have to hope it is EPM and the medicine we have finally found a way to get in her is going to work on healing her.

The key to getting the paste in her a generous helping of molasses. It sure makes a sticky mess, but she jumps right on it when she gets a good whiff of the molasses. She's eating it happily every evening, so that is a positive.

This week I'll get her remaining shoe pulled (she's stepping on herself and yanking her shoes off) and then she'll just get to be a horse of leisure for a while. At the end of the month she's moving to a new farm that Margaret recommended. She'll be out on grass 24/7 just enjoying being a horse. She'll also be joined by a new baby sister. Spot (see pics here: http://www.oneofakindhorse.com/aurorapage.htm) ships in in a week or so. Then I'll have two beautiful girls. A year from now, hopefully I'll have two healthy girls, but in the meantime, Spot will have to fill the role of healthy horse.

It is hard to adjust my thinking from finding a trainer and planning shows in the spring to starting over again with a new baby and tending to Megan's health. It'll all work out in some fashion and hopefully I'll be loaded for bear with a double threat in 2008.