Day 2

Another entry so soon? You know it. 2 miles away is going to mean more posts more often. Maybe shorter posts but more of them.

I actually spent nearly 4 hours out there today. I was greeted by the 3 great danes barreling down the driveway as I drove up. They were just out for their bathroom break. No one else was around. I decided to start with Axel so I haltered him and brought him into the barn. He was slightly hesitant to go in the door and then hesitant to go into the stall. I left him in the stall and went to check to make sure Cody wasn't going to have a coronary. He was calling a lot but seemed to be standing in one place so I figured he'd be better off in his paddock than if I tried to put him in a stall as well.

I let Axel loose in the arena and he trotted around for a while checking the place out but he wasn't terribly calm about it. He slammed himself against the gate a few times in protest. He also kept calling to Cody or anyone that would answer. I tried to groom him for a while but he was pretty unhappy about being separated. I decided to take him back to Cody and groom in the paddock since it was still really nice out.

When I was done with Axel I brought Cody into the barn to see what he thought. I didn't try a stall with him, maybe sometime in the future. I put him in the arena and he ran around frantic and calling. I didn't attempt to groom him he wasn't going to stand still. I did, however, lunge him a few times in each direction and I got some good whoas and some licking and chewing so that's where we stopped and went back outside. I groomed him out there and put him back in with Axel.

By this time another boarder arrived so I stayed and chatted with her for quite a while. She has the black TWH that is next to Cody and Axel's paddock. I watched her ride for a while and she offered for me to try him out since I hadn't ridden a Walker before. He was kind of fun to ride but since I don't really know what I'm doing with a gaited horse I still like my boys best. When she was done she turned her horse out and we chatted for a while when the barn owner's came in with their horse who had been out for training. We decided to put Cody and Axel in with the TWH and move the young Grulla into the paddock by himself.

There were no fireworks at all. All three of the horses took off running for the back end of the pasture, circled around a bit and then ran back. There was a bit of sniffing and more running around but no squealing or kicking so I think they will get along just fine. And hopefully sooner than later I can take one horse out and not have the other pacing himself silly in the pasture alone.

Good news, I saw Cody drink from the automatic waterer so he's got that all figured out. I'm sure Axel has it figured out as well. I was concerned that Cody would be frightened of it or just not want to drink the "yucky" different tasting water but my fears were put at ease. I still have to figure out what to do about Axel's supplement. Right now I'm out so it's not a big deal. I might just feed it myself when I'm out there since I think I can get out there most days of the week. Then they don't have to separate him and muck with that whole deal.

A New Chapter

Yesterday afternoon was the first page in a new chapter for Cody and Axel. Jeff and I met Stephanie out at the barn. She had just got done showing Kalani to a potential buyer (Kalani decided to do everything opposite from what Steph told the buyer, so we don't think he's sold just yet). Patti et al was packing up some trailers to start moving to their new farm. And Tricia was on her way with her trailer. It was a packed house. We carried the remaining odds and ends to the truck. Patti and her crew were ready to pull out just as Tricia arrived with the trailer. We were pretty happy to not have an audience for loading.

Since Cody doesn't always load very quickly the last thing we need is "help." When everything was in the truck and all that was left was horses, Steph grabbed Cody and I grabbed Axel and we walked down the yard to the sounds of Kalani and other horses calling. Cody only balked at the trailer a few times before he got on. Even the times that he balked were minimal, just backing up, none of his usual flinging his head up in the air and flying backwards. Axel jumped right on as usual. I rode with Jeff in his truck and we led the way, Steph jumped in with Tricia and the trailer.

When we got to the new barn, Steph unloaded Cody, who unloaded easier than he loaded. No flying backwards, just calm walking out even while Axel and the other horses called out. I unloaded Axel by turning him around, I didn't feel like fighting at this point. Axel was a little warm and Cody was a sweaty mess from the ride, at least they didn't freeze. Luckily it was 44F and sunny, couldn't ask for better weather in January.

We didn't waste time wandering around, we put Cody and Axel in an empty paddock between two pastures each with two other horses. The north pasture had a little colored Arab (I think, sure moved like an Arab) that kept running back and forth looking very pretty. That horse's pasture mate was in the arena riding around with her owner. The south pasture had two geldings, a Grulla named Vinny and a black TWH named Danny. The boys started by meeting the geldings, it was pretty calm but they kept getting too close to the fence and getting zapped. When they went to meet the Arab they got smarter and sniffed from under the fence. They went back and forth several times, everything was pretty calm with the Arab but Axel was squealing and kicking at the geldings. I'm not sure if it was because they were geldings or because the fence kept zapping but Axel wasn't terribly happy with the other boys. I just hope he doesn't get caught up in the fence and take it down or anything.

We watched them run around for a little while, put out some hay to keep them busy and then took a little tour of the barn. Another boarder was riding in the arena, it was nice to see she was riding english so I won't be the odd man out. I think the boarders are pretty varied in disciplines so that's nice. The footing in the arena is nice, it's sand and rubber and it doesn't freeze. They've got a radio in there as well. They showed me which stalls weren't getting used so I could put the boys in a stall when I need or to get them used to it. I could have hung out all day watching the boys goof around or whatever but we were getting hungry and Tricia probably needed to get the trailer back sooner than later. We parked the trailer at our house, piled into Jeff's truck, and got some lunch at Gossips.

I'm doing my best to refrain from going out there at the crack of dawn. I think I'll head out around noon. The barn owners have to go pick up another horse and will be gone for a while, I kind of just want to hang out and check things out on my own for a bit. Another boarder that I've been talking to online might swing out as well, I have to give her a call a bit later. I'm hoping to bring them both in the arena and a stall too see what they think. Whether or not I can do this one horse at a time will remain to be seen. Once they settle in they'll be with Danny and Vinny so taking one horse away won't be too much of an issue. Right now it might be quite the event. Stay tuned!

Maybe the last ride at Pinto Creek

This might have been my last ride at Pinto Creek Ranch! Yesterday I picked up Steph and we went out to go for a ride. It was finally positive temperatures after 3-4 days of -30F. 25F felt like spring. Of course as soon as I get there it starts snowing, but we didn't let that stop us. Naturally our first order of business was to turn the horses out in the side pasture and watch them run. There were no foot prints out there so I figured they hadn't been out there in a while. This time I lucked out and everyone went for a spin in the snow, running and playing, and having a grand ole time. I made a few goofy videos of them running which you can check out here:

Don't mind the soundtracks, I was trying to cover up the talking on some of the videos and it's hard to find 18 second music.

When everyone was done with their romp in the snow Axel and Kalani came in the barn to get groomed to go for a ride. I attempted to give Axel some bute, who knows if he ate it all or not. After all that running and then a ride down the road I thought he might just be sore the next day. He was feeling pretty good at the time though. Our ride down the road was fairly uneventful. Kalani was a little speed demon but can you blame them after standing still for a week due to ice and cold? Axel was lagging behind as usual but seemed pretty comfortable with it. The road wasn't too slippery but we did our best to keep it at a walk just in case. Axel and I are going to have to work on lateral movement, right now when I put one leg on to move him out of the ditch he thinks that means speed up, and since he's been a little cranky about "speed up" lately he flings his head and pretends he's going to buck. So the walk down the road was okay. The walk back was quite a bit faster. The sad thing is that we don't get that walk out of Axel very often so when it happens I really want to encourage it, but on the snow and ice and Axel's not so coordination I wasn't really comfortable letting him move out like that. He offered the trot a few times and was difficult to slow down. Luckily those times Kalani was right in front of us so we didn't go for an out of control buck/canter down the slippery road.

After we made it back safely we un tacked, cleaned out hooves, and gathered more of my junk to bring home. I grabbed two of my saddles and left the AP saddle since Steph has been using it for Kalani. I'll get the two synthetic western saddles after Kiko and Kalani sell. I think all that is left to grab when we haul horses is the grooming box and first aid kit. I have to say I am looking forward to having an indoor arena and not having to slow Axel down when he's feeling frisky.

Just a Visit - A New Barn

Went out to the barn today to visit the boys. It was warm-ish and I thought maybe I'd ride. But when I got out there it just wasn't going to happen. So I just groomed both boys and cleaned the ice out of their hooves. Everyone was pretty mellow, standing in the pasture just chillin' out. The wind was coming up and it was starting to rain a bit and there was snow predicted so I didn't stay too long.

Yesterday I went out to see the barn that I found on Craigslist. I've decided to board Cody and Axel there. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't have all the fancy amenities that some of the other barns had but most of the amenities are things I probably wouldn't utilize too often. It's 2 miles from our house and it has an indoor arena. They feed hay and grain twice a day and they'll feed Axel his supplement. They have 5 or so pastures and they have the horses divided into small groups with a total of 8 horses right now. They have enough stalls for all the horses so if it gets really cold they bring in everyone even if they are on pasture board. It's pretty much just a private residence so very similar to what I'm used to right now with some added bonuses. I think it'll be an easier transition than going to a big full fledged boarding barn with 40 horses. And did I mention it's 2 miles from our house? So needless to say I'm excited to get the boys moved and be able to see them more often and ride a lot more. Poor boys, they don't know what they are getting into.

Still on the Search

I missed another gorgeous day that would have been great at the barn.  New Year's day was warm, sunny, and nice.  But laziness got the best of me and I stayed home.  It's harder and harder to motivate myself to drive 30 miles to see the horses when I may or may not be able to do anything when I get there.  This is definitely the time of year when "indoor arena" is creeping higher and higher on my priority list for new barns.

Wednesday I had the day off of work and I went and checked out another barn.  The barn owner for this particular barn wanted to interview me for her open spots.  I'm not sure when I'll hear back from her but I might be leaning away from that barn the longer I think about it.  The location is perfect, 4 miles from work.  And it has the amenities and price that I'm looking for.  Unfortunately they have a waiting list for tack room space and the barn owner has a lot of rules and tends to be quite possessive of the boarded horses (self-proclaimed).

I found a Craigslist ad last night for a barn 2 miles from our house.  For some strange reason the ad was flagged shortly after I found it.  Luckily I had the information and the number so I was able to call and set up a meeting for tonight.  Like I said, it's 2 miles down the road, has a small indoor arena, has some good reviews from some folks, is reportedly clean, and is a smaller barn/less horses.  I really want to like this place (of course I really wanted to like the last place as well) so hopefully it'll work out.  It is a tiny bit more expensive than the last two barns I looked at but depending on if they charge for feeding supplements or not it could be about the same.  I don't think there will be on-site trails but I think it's on a dirt road.  I think with the location it might mean more frequent short trips and just riding in the arena or on the road instead of less frequent long trips and riding on the trails.  Plus if I'm riding alone I'd rather do it in the arena anyway.

One thing is for sure, Jeff will be happy when I pick a barn because perhaps then he will get to stop hearing about all of this constantly.  At least that's what he thinks!

Southwind Stables

Saturday I went out to check out a barn called Southwind Stables. It's about 10 miles from our house towards Cannon Falls in a town called Hampton. Here's the jist of the visit:

Indoor Arena
Smallish Tack Room
Numerous Pastures
45 Head
Indoor Bathroom
Free Choice Hay
Grain 2x Day
Outdoor Arena
Round Pen
Choose your own vet
Choose your own farrier
Mostly adult trail riders, western, hunt seat

I want to check out a few more barns but for the price/amenities/locale Southwind might be the forerunner.

Boarding Woes

So there's a boarding barn maybe 6 miles from my house. I'm very interested in boarding there. I haven't visited the facility yet so I'm not totally decided but 6 miles away is hard to pass up. The pasture board is $100 more a month (total) than I'm paying right now. But I'd save gas. But it doesn't look like they feed grain to the pasture horses which makes it difficult for Axel to get his supplement.

I emailed them to find out about boarding my horses there but their pasture board isn't ready yet and won't be until spring. They can put me on a waiting list or set up a paddock for me. The paddock board is $200/month more than I pay now (total) but includes grain twice a day.

Oh but they have a multiple horse discount (which I'm finding most places do) but it's only $10 (which I'm finding is normal).

So I'm really going to have to figure this out and start touring some barns. Do I pay $200 extra per month for the super convenience and nice amenities? Or do I keep driving a ways to see the horses, not have quite as good amenities and pay what I'm paying now?

Figuring this out is going to suck and I only have about a month since I have to find a place and arrange for them to be moved on Feb. 1. Eep!

Time to find a new barn

Sooner than later my barn owner is going to be putting his place on the market which means I am going to be needing a new barn for my horses. In a perfect world I'd find a place in Farmington so I could ride more often. But I will probably have to expand my search area to include anything in the south metro area (Lakeville, Rosemount, Prior Lake, etc). There's a few places that are almost on my way home from work but so far they seem to be kind of spendy.

I've been trying to figure out what kind of barn I am interested in. Money is a big factor of course, having two horses limits my choices on what I can afford. It seems like several places have multi horse discounts so I'll have to keep my eyes open for something like that. It would cool to board them somewhere that also gave riding lessons. I'd love an indoor arena so I can ride in the winter and actually see what I'm doing. And having some non arena riding adjacent is really nice. Since I've only ever boarded at a private residence I'm not sure if I'll like boarding at a busier facility. There's obviously things about a small barn that are annoying and I imagine there are just as many annoyances at a large barn. I also need to find a barn that has pasture board but also feeds grain. I want to keep Axel on his supplement and maybe start giving Cody the same supplement in the future.

I will definitely have to tour a bunch of barns before I decide. I made the mistake once when I first started riding and didn't look at the barn/lessons ahead of time and that was a disaster. Timing will be an interesting factor, I'm not sure when the current property will sell or when it does how long I'll have to move out. There's not really anything that would stop me from moving the horses out early if I find a nice place that's closer. But you know, change is hard.

So if anyone has any barn suggestions I am open to them!