Packing Up

I got word from Rose's new owner that she'll be transporting her on Monday. I am glad for her that she was able to make arrangements so quickly, however I wasn't quite (emotionally) prepared for Rose to leave that soon as I thought I would have about two weeks left to scratch that nose and stroke her neck.

Clearly it is starting to sink in that she's going to be leaving. I am really going to miss her. We had quite the journey the two of us, and she has blossomed into this amazing horse. Somewhere along the line we became a team, and although there will always be "another horse", I have a great fear that I will never find another horse (that I can afford) who is as talented and special as Rose. I've been trying not to think about that. After all, it's a bit late at this point. No sense in thinking those thoughts. But still, they are there. I've never been in the position before where I've had to sell a horse for no other reason than I just didn't have time for it. In the past there has always been a reason. For instance a big move, grad school, or another horse even. When Rose leaves there won't be any "reason" or "thing" to fill that empty void. It's odd, really odd, and no matter how much I tell myself that I'm going to really enjoy jogging in the mornings with the baby and my awesome new stroller I know that it is a big fat lie. It just is.

Tonight I went out to the barn to groom Rose and spend some quality time with her. I also decided to start packing up the remainder of her feed and supplements, my gear in the tack room, and what miscellaneous items were strewn throughout the barn and arena. Surprisingly, I didn't really have all that much to pack up. I decided to leave my saddle and bridle out in case I have time for one last ride, but everything else got stowed in my trunk or trailer. Now all that is left to do is to drive out there with the truck this weekend and pick up the trunk and trailer. Even though I'm usually at the barn alone in the evenings, tonight for some reason I felt very lonely as I turned of the lights and walked out the barn door toward a beautiful bright red forest fire enhanced sunset. I tried to focus on the surreal beauty of that twisted sunset rather than my sudden sense of loss. It worked briefly.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

She's moving south...

Today was the day that Rose found her new person. I've been keeping things on the down-low, because honestly after enough tire kickers come along for pony rides, one stops anticipating that a horse sale might actually go through.

About a month ago a gal from Colorado contacted me to see if Rose was still for sale. At this point, as you all know, I had decided to take her off the market and try and just make my crazy post-baby life somewhat work with a show horse. To be honest, it wasn't working, but I was trying. So of course I said that they were welcome to come take a look and I'd entertain an offer. They liked her a lot and arranged to come back up from Colorado today for the vet check and potential purchase. Check and check (literally).

After transferring all her paperwork, I suddenly realized that in the course of a couple hours Rose was no longer my horse. I've only mentioned the sale to a couple of my relatives/friends, as most people I know don't even care know that I have a horse. However the few that I have told have all asked me "how do I feel". I can't really say. I'm kind of numb to it. Rose is still here after all, and will be for a week or two longer. The new owner would like me to still ride her if I have time and of course I'll be there to help load her and say good bye. I think that is when it will hit me that she's gone. I think that is when it will get "real".

The new owner is an eventer and a really nice gal. She's welcomed me to visit her and Rose anytime I'm in Colorado. I do have several friends that have moved down there in the past few years, so it is likely that I'd be down for a visit at some point in the future. I am excited to see where she takes Rose in the eventing world. I have a feeling she's going to rock Prelim...but baby steps. She's yet to even jump a cross country log! So, I am very happy about who I sold her to and that definitely makes it easier. I will miss my girl that I know for sure. Now I'm just left to wonder how I am going to cope without a horse for the first time in four years. Back to begging rides off of friends I suppose. That is until we purchase land. Then the colt shopping will start and a whole new adventure in colt starting will begin.

For now though I'm just gonna sit back and try and let it sink in that I just sold my horse. Weirdness.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

Photo Day!

Today I wrapped up my "week" of riding (three days in a row...woot-woot). We continued to work on our stretching down onto the bit and had a third lovely ride. One exception though, we rode outside, at breakfast time, so Miss Thing was a bit distracted at first, despite getting to mow down a flake of hay pre-ride. Normally I would have still ridden in the indoor given all the distractions, but today I couldn't due to photographer demands! Hubs and JR come out to the barn today and took some photos of Rose and I. In addition to just getting some nice updated photos that show how much more loft she has in her gates now that she's shod, JR got to get on her for the first time.

Trot. Look at all those lovely hooves off the ground!

Extended trot. A bit behind the vertical...but I've never
asked her to do an extended trot before. She was rather surprised
and cantered the first time, lol! She enjoyed it after that though.

Square halt. Oh yes, she loves the halt!

JR "riding" Rose for the first time. Fret not, he does not
run around the barn barefoot, but was transferred from the
cameraman's backpack directly up to me and then back.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

Stretching it out

Chilling in the cross ties...because that's how we roll.

I had a nice relaxing ride on Rose this evening. I needed to de-worm her today and I never like my horses to raise their body temp too much the same day that I de-worm them. However the thought of not riding just wasn't appealing since I was there and dressed for the occasion. So I decided to just ride in the cool indoor arena and work on walk-trot transitions and stretching down and onto the bit without leaning on the bit.

Just being in the mindset that I wanted to work on something productive, but keep it easy and relaxed somehow made the evening ride uber pleasant. Rose was fantastic. Nice and light on the bit yet stretching down and really allowing her body to follow her nose around corners and circles. It was just utterly relaxing and enjoyable yet I feel like we accomplished so much. It was probably one of our best rides ever! I hope to be able to replicate it the next two days, adding in a bit of canter work as well.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

Hosing her head

I have a sneaking suspicion that this blog title will get me hits from rather odd sources. Read on...

Rose had the past two weeks off as we were on vacation and then I wasn't able to get to the barn, other than for her shoeing on Tuesday, until the weekend. I managed to get to the barn this weekend, both mornings! I even managed to get there early enough this morning to ride outside. Yesterday, after our ride, Rose got an over due and well needed main pulling and bath. She has randomly taken to having her head hosed off this year. I'm quite pleased with that as sponging off her soapy head used to be quite time consuming. I don't know if it was my constant attempts at hosing her head off that got us to this point, or if she just decided it was okay, but she suddenly really likes the hose on her head.

Basically, I discovered a long while back that if I bathed her after our ride (duh) she liked drinking from the hose. Now, if you go way back in her history, you'll read all about how she was TERRIFIED of hoses when I brought her home, and it took me a while to get her to the point where I could bath her with a hose. Fast forward to this year. We've calmly and happily been bathing in the wash stall for years now (wow years, I've owned her for years). Once I discovered her thirst quenching enjoyment of drinking from the hose, I would always attempt to get a little bit of water on her face with the hose. Ever so slowly I would try to get more and more of her face wet. Then all of a sudden a month ago during her previous bath she let me put the hose on her poll and have the water run down her face. Since that was successful, during her bath on Saturday, I let her drink from the hose and then just went the full Monty with the hose on her poll and she was completely fine with it and seemed to enjoy it. Success!

Just one more little thing that she's overcome for good.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

First re-set

Well, as expected that was uneventful. Seriously, Rose acted like she'd been shod her whole life. The inter-webs say "pic or it didn't happen" so here you go:

Why is the fact that this is a non-issue so great? It means that this was the last time that I "have" to be at the barn for her shoeing from now on. JS is happy to catch her (yea for having an easy horse to catch) and shoe her without me there. Unlike every other farrier I've had he prefers to work with her tied rather than me holding her. Yea! I will certainly miss out on the chit chat, as he is one fun farrier to hang with, but I won't have to stress over morning child care arrangements. Ah...just another example in which having a child completely changes one's life.


Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

Vacation

Yep...we actually took a vacation. Unfortunately for Hubs it turned into a working one, but for once I managed to avoid having to work and actually relax at the lake for 10-days. Well, as much as one can relax with a 15-month old running a-muck! At the very least I did manage to dip my toes in the water and get a nice subtle tan. So, rest assured I have not vanished...and many more Rosie posts are soon to follow. Next up? She gets her front shoes re-set tomorrow for the first time. I am hoping certain that it will go just as smoothly as when she got them on initially. We'll see...8:30am is just around the corner.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•

This jumping stuff is fun!

MM is out of town this week and the next two (she's getting married), so that means I'm Rose's only rider. Coincidentally, yesterday I finally wrapped up my insane workload  work projects that have had me run ragged for the last three weeks, so I was actually able to go to the barn, guilt free, yesterday evening to ride. I was happy to have a very calm chill (not in heat) horse waiting for me in her paddock. Her energy level was night and day compared to Sunday. Even now...almost four years later I am still dumbstruck by how distracted and full of energy mares in heat can become. I do count myself lucky that she's still good under saddle when in heat. It's passed now though, so she was back to normal, no longeing needed.

I decided to ride her in my hunt tack again and put up our little jump. I rode without spurs again, and although it wasn't a problem (I didn't need them to correct any naughty behavior) they would have been nice to have during our flat warm up to get her off my leg a bit easier. I definitely had to work harder that I would have liked. However, once it comes to the jumping, she automatically gets a bit more forward and I usually take my spurs off. Her forwardness these past two time's I've jumped her doesn't seem to be anxiety driven, as it is not out of control, she just seems to be interested in doing something new. This time I started with the little ex, trotting it right from the start (no walking over it first) and then I put it up to an 18" vertical until we were going through it nicely, and then  I put i up to a 2' vertical and we did that a couple times and ended on a positive note. Next time we jump I'll be putting up a little combination and skip the 18" vertical, just go straight from ex to 2' vertical. My goal is to be jumping her 2'6" by the end of September in preparation for a little hunter schooling show we will be going to. It's great to have jumping be fun again!

It is amazing that putting shoes on her has made such a difference. At some point I'll stop beating myself up for not having put them on sooner...

Happy trails and swooshing tails!
•Renee•