Settling In

Things are going well at Lone Star Equestrian Center with Whisper. As we get closer to marking our first full month here, it's also the hectic Christmas season with short days and more to do than there is light to do it.

Whisper doesn't seem to mind because it also means peppermints are everywhere and that's her most favorite thing in the world. She's made some new horse friends but her position in the herd isn't quite solidified yet. One day she discovered the area where bur bushes reside and Chris and I spent the better part of 30 min that evening getting her bur dreads out of her forelock and ears.

The space has been lovely, room to learn how to be a horse, interact with a herd, and build up those back muscles. Her stifles are stiff at times and I am hoping that the muscle tone she's adding will help before we begin joint supplements. She overall seems very mentally content, so much so that she has no trouble coming across the acreage to my car when we pull up to bring her in at night and feed.

This past weekend, the whole family came out to the farm before we went to pick out our tree. My husband, Chris, had his first riding lesson on Amy's horse, Arizona, as a birthday gift. He has ridden a trail horse with me years ago, that's about the extent of his riding experience. His time growing up as the son of a large animal vet served him well as he has a wonderful way with the horses. Confident, calm, sensible, and open to listening to them, he's a natural.

The kids made a decent sized cheering section for good ole' Dad.

While we were all at the farm with the sun shining, I hopped on Whisper for a little bareback ride. Okay, I didn't exactly hop. She's really tall and my bareback pad is just that, a little pad to keep her spine from making bruises in unkind areas, but I digress. It took a small step ladder and a few passes to get Whisper to stand so I could launch up there, but eventually we got it.

It was one of her good days.

She is trying a little harder to move my way and I'm trying a little harder to meet her half way. Being out in the open space has helped by giving her daily exercise to take the edge off. It also calms her nerves when I train, I took her in the new ring a week ago and she full spooked (with me on the ground) about a dozen times. Her muscles trembled, she snorted and blew, and jigged that bouncy sort of nervous trot. Daylight isn't in our favor right now so I hope to take her up to the ring a few times a week, when it's not in use, feed her a peppermint and walk her right back out again. Just slowly start to change her hard wiring that something awful will occur in there.

Meanwhile, I'll take these moments when she gives them.