Happy (Belated by 3 days) Birthday Leche!

 Wednesday, June 26, Leche officially turned 3! She's nowhere near ready, physically, to back and is still narrow as all get out, but she's a pretty happy girl. Life got crazy and I just didn't have it in me to write about anything.

I've got my regular lessons with my trainer and I ended up moving barns in order to get better turnout (at the loss of a covered arena and tacking area, and shorter drive)  It was 100% the right move for Leche. She gets the 3 Fs, Forage, Friends and Fields. She has a turnout buddy, a 1 year old filly named Frankie and they love each other. Gwyn gets to be the big aunt for the babies. 

She has 100% turnout, with a shelter she can come and go from. If she's not out fully on grass, she's on a track system with hay kept away from water so lots of movement is encouraged and the whole property is on the side of a hill, so lots of passive conditioning. It's really a lovely property. 

My trainer also moved her newly turned 3 year old and her older gelding to the barn so Leche's getting a lot more consistency. 

Leche instinctively sticks her nose in cameras. It's perfect. 

But also, taking pictures of a 3 year old wearing a hat is hard to do solo. 

She's looking fantastic from the side, even if face on she becomes a piece of paper in thickness. 

Frankie is behind Leche here.

Taking photos without the halter were much less successful, hahaha

Happy Birthday and Happy Gotcha Day!

 

May 11: Gwyn turned 17. I'm so thankful every day that she's part of my life. 

I hit up Michaels after work and grabbed some fun decorations.

Secretly I think she enjoys the weird things I do with her.

But getting good photos can be hard.

The best ear shot we got used keys in a food container, which perked her right up.

Up until that point it was variations on the "humans are so weird" face she's perfected.

Today, May 12, is 12 years since she got off the truck from Florida.  We've had so many adventures together!

A Sweet Sixteen and Happy Gotcha Day

 May 11 was Gwyn's Sweet Sixteen so I pinterest Mom'd it up and planned a photo shoot. We had fun. May 12 is her Gotcha Day. The day she arrived in Washington for the first time from Florida. She's been mine for 11 years now.

If you ever want to make a grocery store floral department employee's day, get balloons for your horse and tell them. 
"Aww, does your kid really like unicorns?"

"Well, it's actually for my horse..."

"Will she be okay with the balloons?!"
"Eventually." 

Have some phone photos in order, and then good camera photos in backwards order. I don't even care even if Blogger screwed it up.

It was very hard to get good photos mostly because once she figured out that the balloons were nbd, she was fucking bored and Over It. 

I was grumpy at this tiara though, because tiaras aren't made for horse heads, especially ones that are part draft. But I think I know how to make a product that will make them more stable. It'll just require your 4 legged friend to actually have a forelock.

Oh look! Actual nice face!

And now for the good pictures. Remember, backwards order lol

Generally photogenic as a sixteen year old.

A very prehensile snozz

Ugh, that back half of her mane never grows anymore

I also took some photos of the flowers I got to stick in her mane and forelock

I've been converted to be a mare person. She's the best mare

All in all she was an excellent sport about the balloons. It was super windy and they were moving all over the place.

And to tend this photo dump, the balloons are affixed to her stall for extra desensitization as a birthday gift to the entire barn.