Here's Desi.......

Shortly after Lady and JoJo came on board - my niece ( yep- another horse loving relative ) was moving her ex-racehorse,  to Wisconsin for some R&R.  He had some work done on his back legs and needed time to heal.  We were all there anxiously waiting for his trailer to come barreling down the long driveway.....and it finally arrived.  Desi looked around and took in the sights like a real seasoned traveler.  They unloaded him into the front round pen ( away from other equine in the beginning ) and he immediately began consuming the hay that was placed on the ground for his dining pleasure. This was a good sign since horses will abandon all food if they are feeling stressed or threatened in any way.

After spending some time in the pen - he was moved to the end stall of the barn and immediately checked out the outdoor run.  His side fence backed up to the large pasture where his future stall mates were outside  grazing happily.  They all noticed each other, but did little to introduce themselves - the hot wire kind of deterred  that idea!  Race horses are around many other horses BUT are not allowed to socialize, so Desi watched them for a while and then returned to his inspection of  his new surroundings. 

At one point JoJo said, " I should rename Lady and call her Lucy - that way we could have Lucy and Desi"!!  Gotta love that lady.........

Nice digs..........

Good hay...............

                                            Possible future play mates........

 

Introducing J-La........

I had heard that there was going to be a new equine coming to the barn and I was anxious to meet her owner.  Lady turned out to be a beautiful grey Arabian and she had been given to JoJo as a gift by her girlfriend of many years.    What a pair they made......a retired carriage horse and a woman who had always dreamed of having her own horse.  The beginning was a little comical  - watching Jo try to catch Lady in the pasture.  One day was particularly funny as my niece, myself and Jo were all trying to convince the mare that being caught was more enjoyable than being loose in the pasture with her fellow herd.  We used the grain bucket as incentive and it worked - especially when the other equine thought it was a real treat to have grain so soon again after breakfast.

Eventually, the owner of the property and JoJo worked together on a training schedule for Lady and the pair began to bond nicely.  It also helped that Jo only lived a few blocks away and saw Lady very often the first few weeks.  Having someone to ride with on Saturday mornings was so much fun - especially - since she also enjoyed being there by 8am.

                                Lady being ridden by the BOSS before Jo gets on.

                                 Jo and Lady going for a spin around the arena.

                                


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Sound Familiar???

Things went smoothly as summer approached and now it was June.  I always have to lunge Bud before riding him and this particular Saturday he was REALLY feeling his oats.  When I started  to change direction ( you should always do both sides -going left and right - so all their muscles are being worked).  There was some slack in the rope and  HE noticed it immediately and bolted .....with my ring finger tangled in the line!  I quickly let go of the rope and he proceeded to run around looking like he's possessed by the devil with the lunge line flying in the wind.  The other horses grazing in the pasture popped their heads - they began running around too.....but stopped...... when they realized their big, huge threat was none other than their stable mate, Bud. 

I tried in vain to capture the wild beast......to no avail.  Whenever he stopped to graze, I slowly walked in his direction and he would gallop off to another spot dragging the lunge line behind him.  It just so happened that Piedmont was grazing close by .......so I slowly made by way over to the elder man and loudly declared my undying love for him ( he never even raised his head - but - Buddha didn't know that).  It didn't take long for an interested party to mosey over and begin grazing next to his mentor.

Later, when I was atop the Buddha, I felt pressure from my left hand - I looked down and saw that my wedding rings were slowly disappearing from sight ...due to the swelling.  I wrestled them off before my whole hand blew up!!  After a week with no improvement, I went to the Doc and had an xray taken -then was told the ring finger could stay swollen for up to 3 years.  Up until recently, I wore my rings around my neck - now I've graduated to 1/2 a day.  Thank you Buddha...........

Buddha and I getting ready to lunge.

Buddha enjoying the lush green grass

                                                  Piedmont happily munching away.