August 2025
In August '25, I brought Leche to Eastern Washington for her 90 days with the cowboy. This drive would soon become very familiar to me as he wanted me to be checking in constantly while she was in training.
I blocked out every other Friday and used PTO so I could drive up early in the morning to be there for a 10am training session.
Leche got this pen and shelter all to herself. She was surrounded by his personal herd of horses as well as a few neighbors
Cowboy reported that she settled in well and had no problems adjusting to the new routine.
The first week that I came up to watch was all things groundwork. He really pushed her into being good with her hind legs. She had been awful and yanked legs or would easily threaten to kick when you working on her hind end. That got dealt with quickly.
He was so soft and could read a horse really well.
The poor guy must have had some awful clients because he was constantly apologizing or forewarning me about things that I was utterly unconcerned about. Bite marks and rubs? Pretty sure that's normal and she's a pest so if horses are putting her in her place, all the better.
He'd been riding her for a while at this point and said that the first time getting on her had absolutely no theatrics. Huzzah!
She loves a good roll after working.
September 2025
Wildfires really started ramping up on the eastern side of the Cascades and that meant the air quality tanked. Pale yellow haze settled everywhere but that didn't stop the cowboy or my trips (provided the roads were open)
Leche had graduated out of the round pen and into the big arena.
She was WTC with ease and looking like a dream to ride.
After one session I stopped by the Washington State Horse Park to check out the horse show. There were constant updates on air quality.
I didn't stay long though, because I'd determined I was going to self care myself with a day at a lake despite the smoke.
You can park on the shore!
I sat in the water and read a book. It was lovely.
One weekend I'd planned to visit was foiled by an awful accident on I90. I was trying to visit Leche as I was on the way to an endurance ride and instead sat in heat with the trailer for 2 hours waiting for the interstate to clear. We did not visit Leche and that trip ended up triggering a heart murmur in Gwyn from the stress.
October 2025
The wildfires eased with rain and time and the air cleared and I continued to make my trips east across the Cascades.
Cowboy continued to incorporate groundwork into the sessions and frequently sung Leche's praises.
The weather started to cool and wind picked up, and Leche even got some trail riding out in the open spaces around his property.
Leche also continued to look very adorable as a western pony.
I began to make plans to move her back across the Cascades with an end date in mind for her training.
November 2025
With an end date in sight, the universe told me that we had other plans. Cowboy called me out of the blue a week an a half before I was going to pick her up to say that she was bleeding from her right hind and that he was taking her to his vet immediately. Somehow Leche ended up slicing her artery on her pastern.
She was seen immediately and was hospitalized while they cleaned out the wound and stitched it up. Because mud season had arrived I then authorized her to board at the vet until she could be unbandaged.
I got to visit her while she was at the vet and it was lovely to see her.
I wish I had brought some brushes because she was SO itchy.
But I love that they used Orca vet wrap on her leg
Saying goodbye to Leche and my $$$
With a bonus broken overpass over I90 that got taken out by an overheight truck a few months back.
December 2025
After the injury, the cowboy felt REALLY bad, and offered to keep her through the end of November to finish out training and we set a date for pick up again.
The atmospheric river had other plans.
Suddenly my main route to my west side barn is completely cut off due to the flooding and I have to drive a very circuitous route to get to see my horse and pick up my horse trailer. The date gets pushed out and it takes significant coordination for me to even get my trailer to be ready to travel east.
But finally the stars aligned, and even my fears of snow are unfounded, though I did buy chains just to make the trip over the pass just in case.
But I got her and she loaded pretty well and we were off to home!
And they even opened one lane south on Highway 9 so I didn't have go the long way around to come home!
The valley was like a giant lake.
The reunion was exciting.
But now she's back and we look forward into 2026 with lots of optimism!
Suddenly my main route to my west side barn is completely cut off due to the flooding and I have to drive a very circuitous route to get to see my horse and pick up my horse trailer. The date gets pushed out and it takes significant coordination for me to even get my trailer to be ready to travel east.
But finally the stars aligned, and even my fears of snow are unfounded, though I did buy chains just to make the trip over the pass just in case.
But I got her and she loaded pretty well and we were off to home!
And they even opened one lane south on Highway 9 so I didn't have go the long way around to come home!
The valley was like a giant lake. 
The reunion was exciting. 
But now she's back and we look forward into 2026 with lots of optimism!
