Checking on the Girls

I went out to the barn last week to check on my babies. They were all doing really well. I say all because I consider Josh's babies mine as well. I love each and every one of them. Not a whole lot to tell since it was dark. I just let them out in the indoor arena to play and stretch their legs. Trinity is back in her run and VERY VERY happy about it. She was in good spirits and was less jumpy. I can't wait to start the new year and get her back in shape. I have to make it a point to get out 4-5 times a week. I WILL DO IT!

So here are some pictures for the enjoyment...

Trinity is looking well filled out considering she has no muscle

Frosty Pants is just so darn cute!

...but rather hairy...

The girls going for a stroll

Trinity was in B**** mode!

"I will EAT YOU!"

"Run faster little girl!"

Anyone else think Frosty looks like she has grown A FOOT! I need to measure her...she is getting to be close to Trinity's height!

Sisterly Love...

Just kidding mom...I don't really love her.

Trying to get a good picture to compare their heights.

And Trinity's famous saggy lips!

That's all I've got for today...

My Mexico Trip and a negligent mama...

So, I am so excited to tell everyone about my Mexico trip! We had a fabulous time and the family was amazing. The best part of the trip was that Shane and I finally got engaged!!!! YAY! I am so excited! We have been dreaming about this day for years and it is finally here. We are having a blast planning the wedding, which will be held in October 2013. 

Shane proposed in front of my family at dinner! 

So excited!

My ring!

I love it so much!

Anyways, before Christmas we really really wanted to find a Wedding Planner and a venue (and thus a date) so that we could let everyone know. Beside that fact, we only have about 10 months to plan (instead of a normal 15ish). So, we wanted to get some things solidified before we left town for almost 12 days! So, the past two weeks and weekends have been filled with meetings meetings meetings. We did finally find a wedding planner and we LOVE her! She has been very helpful in finding a venue. This weekend we have four venue visits (so far). I am so excited about all four of them. I am also blogging about my wedding planning experience here.

So, needless to say I have been extremely delinquent on the horse front. I feel awful because Trinity was supposed to get to go back to her outdoor pen and I have no idea if that has happened. I don't doubt that she is well taken care of and that Monte is on top of everything, but I still feel awful. I know that even if she hasn't moved outside Monte is making sure that she is getting what she needs. I am finally making my way out this afternoon. I realized the other day that I hadn't paid board EEK! Luckily that is another thing that Monte is so relaxed about. He will just laugh at me, make a joke, and move on. Thank goodness he doesn't charge a $5-$7 dollar a day late fee (like another barn...cough cough). 

I will add updated Trinity post-op photos tonight if traffic allows me to get to the barn before dark...here's to hoping!

Still on Stall Rest...

I am so sorry that I have been majorly delinquent in my blogging. I have had a terribly busy life the past 3 weeks. All and all it has been good though. I just got back from an amazing vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I will post more on that soon. Before I left I went out to check on the baby girls. They were all doing well. Trinity is finishing up her last few days of stall rest, which I know she is happy about. When I went out, I planned on letting her have a little time on the long line to roll or walk around in the indoor arena (since as I have bitched about, it is dark by 5 here...). However, when I went to turn on the lights, nothing happened. I then had the following interaction with the Barn Owner (Classic Monte):

Me: Hey, Monte, is something wrong with the lights, I can't seem to get them to turn on.
Monte: Well, I think we are out of juice.
Me: Out of juice?
Monte: Well, when I came to feed all was well, but then the lights wouldn't turn on. So, I checked the shop and they weren't on either. So I kind of scanned the other houses and I don't see lights. So I think we're out of juice.

I love him! Anyways, when I took Trinity out I decided I would hand trot her to Frosty's pen and give them some time together. BAD idea. Baby girl had had ENOUGH of stall rest. She popper up on her back legs, yelled, and was ready to roll. I thought I was working with a half crazed yearling race horse rather than my dead head old mare. So, instead of taking a trot, we strolled around the property. Frosty had just gotten dinner, so she was interested in hanging out with T and I anyways...

Does anyone else think her butt is high and she may have another growth spurt?

which is where we came across BigT's nemesis. A being so terrifying it can wreck havoc on any horse's soul.

Yes, the miniature donkey that is about 150lbs overweight...REALLY TRINITY??? After the big mare had taken a chill pill or a dozen, I decided to give her a chance to let loose in the roundpen a bit. During November she was allowed a 24x24 stall, so I thought the small 40' round pen wouldn't be outrageous. Let's be serious. She is almost 16.3...she isn't getting up enough speed to do any damage in a 40' round pen... I tried to get some photos in the sunset, but they just turned out dark. 

Trinity taking a stroll around the round pen...

Big stretch down with stiff legs...

"Mom, there isn't any grass left..."

"I'm too sexy for a stall..."

It's getting too hard to see, but she was loosening up well

She was such a good girl. She didn't run around or act like a looney toon (which was shocking after her stunt right when I got her out of the barn). Instead, she just casually walked in circles, stopped to eat a few dead weeds, and had a grand ole time. In a few days the big girl will get to go out in her stall with a run and be with the gang again. She still won't get to go on turnout with then until January, but she will be happy to have her 60' run back I am sure! I took Trinity back to my car and used the head lights to rewrap her standing wraps since her legs were a bit puffed up from having them off for a week. She stood like a lady and I walked her back to her stall. I made her up an I Love You bucket of extra feed and fat, said good night to CrockPot and went home to finish packing for Mexico!!!

The time change can shove it...

I HATE the fall time change. By the time I get off work between 4 and 4:30 and drive the 35-40 minutes to the barn it is DARK. Don't get me wrong, the sunset and the mountains out on the flat open plains is gorgeous, but the ensuing pitch black night a meer 5-10 minutes after I arrive sucks.

Yes, I live in one of the most gorgeous states!

However, I look to it as, we have an indoor arena with wonderful lights. This was one of the main reasons for the move out east of the city. I will be able to work with my horse during this depressing time of the year with the assistance of lights. The last barn had a light; however, you would get fussed if you used it because the neighbors didn't like it, or the tenants bitched that it ran up the electric bill, or the owner bitched that the bulb was expensive to replace. The new barn owner literally said "Stay here all night, I don't care, just don't wake me up unless you have an emergency and shut off the light when you leave." THAT is a quality barn owner!

The kids (from left to right): Deter (Porkchop), Bug (nut job), Dexter (Big Bird), Frosty (FrostyPants, or just Pants). Trinity typically lives between Big Bird and Pants, but she is still inside on stall rest...

Hi! I already ate, can I come out and play?

PLEASE, I wanna play!!! I'm not dirty and rag-a-muffiny enough...

When I got to the barn I said a quick hello to all of the gang. I then let frosty out for a short jaunt around the small arena while I took care of Trinity. By the time I haltered Frosty and led her the 15 feet to the small arena, it was dark...

Preparing for a good dirty roll in the arena...

I then headed up the hill to get Big T out and check her over. Like I said in my last post, the best part of the new barn is that even though I was delinquent for a week, I know that the barn owner and his three daughters treat each horse like their own and Trinity was in excellent hands! I knew that I would walk in and she would be happy and healthy. I checked her feed supplies and she was doing well (thank goodness this is the last month for specialty feed. She is killing me with the full board AND feed costs... As soon as I walked in the mare barn (which really just means the barn that doesn't house the stallion...) I was greeted by the most obnoxious barn pet alive...

Sleeping, taking a break from being obnoxious...

Apparently he has made friends with the owners black weanling...looks kind of like a Trinity baby... though I want Trinity's baby to be a paint :-), I'll eventually have enough resources to make my dream come true!

I am not really sure of the Rooster's real name, but my friends and I call him CrockPot, because that is where he should live. He goes around and pecks people's feet because he thinks it is funny when they jump around like idiots. If you stand there and stomp your foot he leaves you alone...like I said ANNOYING! Anyways, I took Big T out to see Frosty and they cuddled over the fence. I turned Trinity out for the first time (though the small arena is way bigger than the 24x24 pen she is allowed to have this month). I just wanted to see what she would do...the answer...NOTHING. She said hello to Frosty and sauntered around to the end of the arena. I was expecting an explosion...nope. I clucked to Frosty to get her running and Trinity let out a buck then trotted to the top of the arena behind Frosty. Well that was boring. I could tell her standing wraps were probably getting annoying, so I decided to unwrap her for the night. She has been living in the wraps to keep the swelling down in her back legs since she is on a limited exercise plan. They have done the job splendidly as there is NO swelling or fluid build up, but I thought I would let her legs air out for the day. I'll go back tonight or tomorrow and rewrap her if she starts blowing up. Anyways, since it was dark and I was exhausted from a long day of work I just made Trinity up a delicious mash of food and gave her a big kiss and put her back in her stall. But first, I took 30 day PostOp pictures:

She looks like she is starting to fill back out in the stomach...

Her neck still looks depressingly small, and her ass needs some serious help (though that will be once she starts back to work).

Another horrible view of her nasty neck.

Her wither area is starting to fill back out, but it still looks abnormally boney.

Her ribs are starting to go away, though I suspect that is winter hair as well... Better, but not perfect yet...

I can't wait to start working he again. I am going to do a solid rehab workout for the rest of the winter (after Jan 1, when we have the all clear to ride). I am currently thinking we will do a week or two of building up the walk, doing long and low, and a tiny bit of collection work. Then we will start adding short bursts of trot work. Maybe adding 5 minutes at a time each workout. I will mostly focus on long and low again. Then I will slowly add Canter in the same way. I have sort of come up with this by reading a bunch of different information on re-fitting a horse and by reading a bunch of different blogs. Does anyone have any other suggestions or ideas? I want her to be fit back up by spring so we can hit the ground running with trail rides and maybe some gymkhanas and such... As I have said, I am not interested in showing, but that doesn't mean I am not interested in having a fit, beautiful, athletic horse...

Non-horsey Weekend

I was delinquent on the horse front this weekend. I love the ponies, but sometimes you just need a chill out break. So, this weekend was it. The boyfriend and I joined the DouglasCounty Community Emergency Response Team. Saturday was out first day of training and it was awesome. I learned a ton about preparedness and helping. Afterwards we were planning on going to the barn; however, we decided to just relax. We ran a few errands and then went home, had dinner, and chilled!

Today I woke up with every intention of going to the barn this afternoon. I cleaned the kitchen and picked up the house and sat down to watch TV with the non-equine babies. After lunch I just decided it would be lazy day and I would do the barn each day this week and would take today to just relax. I always feel slightly guilty when I don't go see the babies, but I also feel confident that they are taken care of due to our AMAZING barn owner and the joys of full-care board. I miss seeing the girls every day, but I do love being able to just relax sometimes.

Today was day 30-post op for Big T. I will take pictures tomorrow and send them along. I think she is doing so much better, though I will be happy when she is back in her big run with her friends next to her!

Remy and Sadie thinking that they are hidden amongst the stuffed animals...

Meet the Family!

So I thought that I would expand my blog by introducing you (my non-existent readers) to the rest of the non-equine family.

Remy is our Beagle/Border Collie ish rescue dog. We got her from the shelter near my college when she was dropped off late one night. The shelter workers arrived the next morning and she was tightly tied to the front door. Upon further exam they found out that she had Lyme disease (a recurring problem) and was freshly pregnant. The best we can guess is that the owners found out she was knocked up and freaked out. Due to the Lyme disease the shelter was going to have to abort the puppies and put her through an extensive course of antibiotics. They decided not to proceed and to euthanize her. My boyfriend and I picked her up just in time. She was fixed, the puppies were aborted, and the Lyme disease was treated. Let me tell you she is the greatest dog you could ask for. She obeys, is calm, and is a FANTASTIC farm dog!

Kieren is our Halloween Kitty! Tomorrow we will have had him for 3 years. On Halloween evening I was sitting on the boyfriend's parent's porch helping to distribute candy. As I was turned around speaking to his mother, I felt something fall in my lap. When I turned around a tiny kitten was curled up asleep. I put my hand down near his face and he began to suckle my palm. We suspected he was around 5-6 weeks old, just old enough to be weened. We waited 2 weeks to see if any one would post lost kitten signs. Boyfriend and I have a theory that if someone is not willing to make an effort to post signs then they do not deserve the animal, and therefore, we will not post found signs advertising the kitten. Think what you will, that is our philosophy. When no signs were posted we had the kitten fixed and allowed him to join the brood! 

Dixie and Sadie are two Rat Terriers. We obtained them when a family friend of the boyfriend asked us to watch them while they were going through a divorce. Apparently the husband was taking it out on the dogs... We watched them and watched them and watched them. When I moved to Colorado, they stayed in Virginia with the boyfriend. When he came to move to Colorado he decided that 2 years of not hearing from her was enough and they moved out to be Mountain Puppies!

And of course the whole non-equine brood (minus the cat...he doesn't hike...)