Good News and Bad News

Well, let’s get the bad out of the way because it leads to the good news. My Daughters horse Tanner had an accident on Monday/Tuesday that required a visit from the vet and 17 stitches. He is going to be just fine and it shouldn't even leave a scar. But here is the good news.

While MV was at the barn he wanted to see Sammy. While he was stitching up Tanner's shoulder we discussed her and the fact that she is not gaining weight as I feel she should. She looks 100% better than she did, but she still has some points as you would expect to see on a two or three yr old. Hips and chest, and she is just really narrow. So we talked about her feed, and supplements, worming, and such. He shook his head "Your doing everything you can, but she was starved for so long, she may never come completely out of it. She may always be a very hard keeper" We talked about her Dam (Misty) who had been hard to put weight on (not that you can tell it now) and wondered if that may be part of her genetics. We talked about her exercise routine, and turn out time. Nothing amiss there either. Then he made the suggestion that I go ahead and start breaking her.

We (my daughter and I) had begun that task if you remember back in the fall. I however decided that she hadn't put on enough weight yet and combined with the weather suspended her "training". He suggested that starting her out at 10 min under saddle or so at a time might cause her Metabolism to "kick in" help her to gain weight. It will definitely put muscle on her which she needs.

So there is a new plan. Since we are still in the deep freeze here, I am going to take her to a friend’s walking horse barn. It has a wide long hallway designed to ride in and there will always be someone there with me working other horses. Sammy is going to start working and we are going to start building muscle.

Wow, just thinking about it makes my heart pound from excitement and apprehension. I have never been nervous about breaking a horse, but this little girl. OH, it is like playing the lottery for years and suddenly you win. You have excitement, disbelief, and nervousness, all rolled into one. I suddenly realized that I had become so comfortable just having her home safe with me that, even though I had always planned to, had not really believed the images of me riding her. Now it is time to step up to the plate and take a swing at it. The only thing I can compare this feeling to is pre-wedding cold feet. LOL How silly is that?

So wish me luck. I will of course keep you posted.

Sunday Stills

Color is our challenge this week. With all the gray days of winter color is a refreshing bright spot.

So with all the gray days I found my bright spot of color.

Holy Cow it's cold...

Sammy is styling in her nice new turn out. It fits her wonderfully, and I know she is glad to have it. We have been having single digit days and today we only got up to 18.

She has been such a good girl when she has had to stay in her stall. All of the in and out of the stall that has to be done to put on and take off blankets. I really thought we had totally gotten over the kicking.

However, I do think I have finally figured out the trigger. She is fine with me in the stall so long as I don't mess with her feed bucket. I can come in put her blanket over her head fasten the snaps, walk around and get her water, bucket bring in hay, or whatever else. She is fine with that but tonight I did something different without thinking. I went in to get her water bucket so I could bust the ice out and I walked between her and the feed bucket and shooed her as I did so. She immediately squealed and spun. Of course I spun on her with the momma AAAAKKKKK you better not. She stopped long enough to realize what I was doing and what she almost did and went to the back wall and stood parallel as close as she could get to it, until I left the stall.

She reacted. That was just it a reaction. She still has that fear of being hungry. She tries so hard to be good and do what I as. She just reacts like any animal that has been starved would. Bless her heart.

BUT, she stopped. She didn't kick, and she warned me before she went to far that I was upsetting her. How awesome is it that she has come so far? I know some of you may be thinking, this woman is crazy. She is happy that her horse squealed at her over food. Well, I would much rather her squeal than react the way she did last time she felt she needed to tell me she didn't like something.

This, as close as it was to being bad, is good. She is learning to communicate, to not feel as threatened. She is learning. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.

I imagine that I will always have to be very vigilant with my attention around her, but she has come such a long way. Food aggression is not something that is easy to overcome.

Well that is it. Not much else happening except the ice. I will keep you posted.