I started this post originally as a 1 month check in. But ever since I picked her up life has been 100% chaotic. I've started on a two lesson a week plan with Chriss in order to get consistent training with Leche and myself. Add in an FDA inspection at work in March and then me getting an awful sinus infection and it's just been kind of a bust of a March and April. After the sinus infection I just started not feeling great breathing wise, and in May my job had layoffs that I survived with a promotion to people manager. I also determined that Leche needed a different barn than where I was. She wasn't getting enough turnout and I was seeing some behavioral issues that I wanted to get ahead on. I moved her at the end of May. It's been stressful navigating managing other people and I think that caused my blood pressure to spike, landing me in the ER two weeks ago. With the BP treated, I'm feeling better and I'm trying to find the rhythm of my new normal with the new barn too.
Leche arrived just in time for temperatures to drop in Washington and we got snow that first night. I'm glad she had her blanket though! I kept her on daily ulcergard for a bit and she never had issues repeat like after her arrival to WSS in November. She didn't eat well the first full day but has since bounced back as she's settled in. Homegirl eats SLOWLY.
She gets itchy when she's working out answers to tough questions. This has led to me using scritches as a reward in a R+ way, to let her know she's gotten the right answer and it's helped SO MUCH.
I spent a lot of time through the end of winter into spring just spending time grooming her and establishing a positive relationship. This has paid off in leaps and bounds and she has firmly established that we are buddies.
We started with an overall vet check to get a baseline and get her introduced to my vet. We had overloaded the baby brain after doing trot outs and flexions and were unable to get a blood draw (I wanted to check selenium levels) so the vet had to come back and in the mean time, I worked with her on not being immediately reactive to having her neck poked and prodded.
I introduced her to Gwyn and there were minimal issues.
We started to really get a feel for her personality and her resistances with groundwork. She displays the classic, Dubaby side eye.
My lessons are a mix of Chriss instilling good feel while also teaching me the skills to continue on my own.
Also classic Dubaby, leg lifting while eating.
I learned all her best itchy spots and we started bonding.
And also had some spicy moments.
I turned her out in a larger pasture for the first time once my barn owner was satisfied with her quarantine period. She got going a bit fast.... oops!
Sharing a fence line while the grass was coming in led to moments of turnout together.
We also worked on self loading in the trailer. She's a smart cookie and was self loading within an hour.
Despite some giraffe moments.
The weather was inconsistent and I came back from a lesson to find her shivering. So she got dried off wearing big sister's cooler which looks comical on her. (an 80" on a 68" size horse)
We also did lots of prep for ponying, which more involved training me and Gwyn, rather than Leche.
She continued to be an in your pocket kind of pony, happy to have attention and always up for adventure.
But free to express opinions about certain grooming tools.
We also practiced taxiing to the mounting block.
And then the day came that I moved them out of the barn I'd been in for almost 5 years. It was bittersweet. Gwyn did so well there and if I didn't have kids, I likely would have kept Gwyn at this place and moved only Leche. But between being a parent, having my job and not having 30 hours in a day, I needed them at the same location.
New barn offers 24/7 turnout, with free access to stalls in a small herd situation. Gwyn is turned out with Leche and a yearling and gets to be the babysitter aunty. Leche and the yearling filly, Frankie, have become best buds. We have not seen the kicking behavior since moving her. She's in a much better headspace for training. Field, friends and forage, folks. It's made a world of difference.
New barn is tucked into a forest on the side of a hill and offers peekaboo views north toward the Cascade range foothills.
We have a roundpen and an outdoor riding arena to play in, as well as dirt roads to ride on.
The field is set up in a track style system. Hay is hung on multiple hay bags, down the hill. Water is up by the stalls, encouraging movement all day.
There's even an inner spot for grass grazing and the paddocks open up into more pasture.
It's been a good move for us and I'm hopeful for things going forward.
