NOW He's Back!

Well I'm happy to say that the goofball has already come out of his shell. He must have been quite put out by being sent to boarding skool!

We continue to work on having polite feet while someone is handling them. I'm proud to say that we were able to rest them on the hoofjack and rasp!! Not a bad job done, either.

As I type this, the boy is grazing out on the yard with the other light horse in our herd, the grey appendix mare. Got to get those calories in! We were going to integrate today, but the footing is far too wet. For sure we'll have one solid herd by the weekend.

On the yard last night while the others glumly scrounged for hay scraps on their less-than-green side of the fence:

I'm loving his furry little fetlocks and am thinking I'll leave them grown out. Sort of balances his comical self!

Whoops! Just had a horse mug right up against the living room window! I think he appreciated my wave. Nobody is quite as inquisitive as Max.

HE'S HOME!!!

So I'm one HAPPY camper. It's as though someone taught him English and we can now have a proper conversation! No more misunderstandings, blank looks and lack of response! I'll let my picture mantage tell the story (GREAT shots, camerawoMAN!):

(yay!) walking things out...let's try the trot...and a rockin' canter...bee-utiful stop.the latest trick in his book...
He came back lighter and lighter. In weight more than I'd like, but it won't take any time at all to bulk him back up. The saddle doesn't fit as well as it did with some cusion. He's MUCH lighter in response and on the hands, all around. I just can't believe the difference.

There's still Max in there. I didn't want to lose him entirely. Still tricky to work those feet. I hope I can get a good trim going on him as I can on hubby's horse, Bill. As it stands, I don't trust him enough to crawl underneath. ^shrug^ We'll see how far we can get.

From him personally, I sense a growing up, which is what this entire adventure was about, after all. For the first time he had to work (hard) daily. He did very well and in keeping with his forgiving personality, didn't offer any stinky behaviour.

I'm really looking forward to our riding relationship from now-on, especially our camping trip in two weeks!! Look out Falcon Lake!!!

Mom + One

No, not the guy on the fence... the babe peeking out from behind. Appearances can be deceiving, though. This little guy is no timid mouse.

At four months old, he has not yet been with any other horses than Mom. The plan is to integrate them slowly, first with a mare Mom knows from another place, then with a very maternal sweetheart of a mare.

You will, of course have noticed the cribbing collar. The hope is that with the high environment enrichment our pasture offers, Mom will forget all about her habit born of boredom. We shall see.

Mom is half Shire, half Thoroughbred. Dad is one quarter Percheron, the rest Thoroughbred. Any dressage people shopping out there may want to take a peek...

Max comes home Thursday!! I cannot believe how ready I am to have his mug back in our pasture.

The Herd

The newest girl, another appendix like the pal, though of an entirely different type. This one was a school horse in a large jumping barn in BC, apparently. She's now doing very well teaching her newbie owners.



Purty Line Up.

Love Birds.

Friendly Gurl.

Boy, am I bored, waiting around for the trainer to work his magic, lol!

Hilarious how, all my riding life I would have done almost anything to ride a horse like Bill and now that I am playing with him almost daily, I'm totally bored! Have yet to get some good riding shots of the two of us.