attached at the hip

Well, the move is over. It went smooth, which was nice. Both horses loaded right up into the trailer and away we went. Leaving was sad, but for a variety of reason I am happy to be back at the other barn. Being closer, on the way home from work, being able to continue my lessons on Reba, and having Lily partial lease Shyloh make the move worth it. 

Travel time!

Shy is pretty great about taking everything in stride. She doesn't get worked up by new places or old-new places. She stepped off the trailer, like whatever. Reba however. . .well, Reba had to make a grand entrance. We opened the trailer and Reba began backing out, while she was still tied to it. That didn't stop her, she busted through her halter and fell backwards. We have arrived!!

Checking out the new digs.

Once we got the horses into their new pasture, Shy rolled first thing. Then she began searching for grass. Reba followed her around like a lost puppy. Shy took to the woods up front and began running around. Traveller was being led out of the pasture and it was clear that they remembered each other. Reba was not down with this and got in between them. Traveller kicked out and Reba kicked back. It was instant hate and they continued kicking each other. Yikes! Shy was off running around the woods and Traveller went to follow her. Terry got Reba and Traveller's new owner tried to catch him, but he was off running with my wild pony. Finally, he was caught and led out. Reba was at peace.

Shy decided it was time to run out into the back of the pasture, with Reba close behind. Shy took her through more woods and they met up with the two Arabs and Quarter horse that are their new pasture mates. There was a small amount of squeals, but nothing like up front. The only scuffle was when Kota reared up on Reba and she reared a little bit and chest bumped him and he fell backwards. 

The herd. Shyloh, Reba, Kota, Ranger, Prince (order from front to back)

It was funny to see. Shy was just doing whatever she wanted and Reba was her bodyguard, not letting the other horses get too close to her. But at the same time, Reba would not leave her side. Every step Shy took, Reba took a step, too. It was a far cry from the first time I brought Shy to this barn. Shy was miss independent today and Reba was her tag-a-long. 

Bodyguard

Me and Terry stayed a while, just watching the horses settle in. They ran around, came up front for water, and went back out back to graze. It was funny to watch Shy trot through the pasture and the woods. . . Shy could clear branches that Reba had to seriously duck under. And since Reba would not stop following Shy, duck under those branches she did!

Coming through the woods. Looks like Reba is leading, but her strides are just bigger.

Every turn Shy made, Reba was right there with her.

Reba and Shy are the only mares in with the three geldings. Should be fun to watch the herd develop. 

this is sparta!

This happened to me the other day. . . 

Spartaaaa!!!

Except that it wasn't down a well and it was a horse. But the horse's name IS King Leonidas.

Our horses at the barn love to be together in one big group. Even though they are separated into two groups, they often stand together over the gate just to be close. That poor gate. . .

Not at the gate here, but the fence is separating them.

When some horses are separated, there can be some running and calling back and forth. And when some horses are returned to the pasture, there is often nickers and greetings. They are a close bunch. The four drafts, two minis, Haflinger and Paint, odd bunch that they may be, have formed a funny little herd together. 

It usually isn't a problem (unless you are trying to ride your horse away from a trailer with the others tied to it) and it is kind of cute how they all know and recognize each other. For the most part, the horses have manners and don't get pushy. 

This does not happen at the pasture gates

Except for King Leonidas. Maybe because he is the new horse in the group or maybe he is just a jerk face, but he has horsey anxiety. And he really likes Shyloh. 

Grazing muzzles are hot

We had all the horses except Isaac and Notch in the far back pasture to graze. Shy had all her gear on to keep her from stuffing her face and getting founder super sexy. After a couple hours, we wanted to bring the horses back to the front pastures. I had a slush in one hand, Meatball, and Shyloh on leads in the other. Kyle had Reba. Jaime was at the gate. That left Dexter, Clutch, and Leo in the pasture. 

How Shy feels in her grazing muzzle

As we were walking out, I handed Meatball to Jaime and worked on convincing Shy to leave (she grew roots and did not want to leave). As I got her walking and we were almost out of the gate, I was body slammed! What the. . .

I was slammed again and fell to the ground. I dropped Shy's lead rope and my slush (seriously the worst part) as I put my hands over my head to protect it from hooves. My foot was crushed and a hoof got my hip. When I felt safe I got up to see what the hell just happened. 

Leo had blown past Kyle and ran into me, half jumping me. In the process of my fall, Jaime hoovered over me to protect me from the Paint. I assessed my damage: sore foot, but I could walk, sore hip, and sore neck from landing on a rock. I was fine.

Jaime, jumping in to save me!

Now the hard part. . .catching two hard to catch horses. Shy and Leo were on the lose and they were having themselves a good time. They ran through Jaime and Kyle's field (which was just planted that day), they ran through a field behind us. Then they stopped. Both took a poop, then ran off bucking. What fun! They made it to the neighbor's fields. Me and Kyle were trying to catch them through all of this. Then they came back, but they were not ready to be caught yet. 

Shy was the main runner, Leo was just following. Leo stopped for some grass and I caught him and handed him to Kyle. Shy was still not ready to end her fun. Back into the neighbor's field she went. We played ring around the rosey. I was not happy. Eventually I got her and she knew she was in trouble. Her saving grace was that she did not take part in the trampling. Just the aftermath. 

Taking caught horses back, , ,they knew they were in trouble!

Still sore a few days later. My neck is the worst, I must have stiffed up when I fell and pulled the muscles. My foot only hurts when I walk, because it is right where my toes meet the foot, the bendy part. The knee and hip are just bruised but okay. 

How I will be getting horses out of the pasture from now on. . .

I think we will need to employ a different method of getting horses out of the pasture. It usually is easy, tell the horses to stay back and they do. Leo must not have gotten that memo. 

back with the herd

Shyloh is finally out of raging heat and has been let back in with the herd. She is quite pleased.

Shy feels that this is where she belongs

Although Isaac is a bit confused as to why Shy doesn't seem to like him as much anymore. . .

Totally ignored by Shy. . .

Poor guy, got his heart played with. He followed Shy all around and all she did was mini kick at him. I didn't get to work Shy today because me and Jaime spent the afternoon travelling around looking for a bit for her driving pony.

Meet Dexter. He is an ugly little fellow, but he drives and he moves real nice. 

He has some ground issues, like being hard to catch and not exactly standing still when being harnessed. But once attached to the cart he is a solid pony. I told Jaime I would try and work my magic with catching him. I grabbed some Sticky Buns treats and walked up to him. He took a piece then ran off. I followed, but then stopped and turned away. He immediately stopped and started walking toward me. Ha! I read places that this worked and it is true. I had tried it many times with Shy. . .the not following, the no eye contact, the turning away. Did not work at all with her. She was like, good, I am being ignored, she forgot about me and now she will leave me alone. But with Dexter, it worked perfectly. We caught him in a matter of minutes. Then, we put his harness on and hooked him to the cart. Jaime too him for a spin.

While they were working, Shy was busy snorting and making her WTF noise. She was not pleased with the the new mat at the hitching post. 

Is it safe?

She was also not sure what she thought about the four wheeled cart being pulled by the pony. I made her walk up to it then we walked along it. 

It makes a funny noise!

While we were at it, I figured that we might as well check out the mail box. Remember, the mailbox she hated during the trail course?

And Shy walked right up to this mailbox.

Crazy eyes are just from the flash

Grrrr. . . I put Shy back with the big boys and girl and donkey and she was happy as can be. Hopefully she will be better about coming inside and not play catch me if you can. Although, Kyle did say that she prefers to bring her own self in, if the gate is left open she walks in the barn on her own, like the boys. What a brat!

hay baby

Holy fatness, batman. . .Shyloh is growing a hay baby! Her belly is rapidly expanding between the grass and the round bale. Shy even gets night night hay, which she has not been eating so we are going to cut out completely. I hope her harness girth fits because as it was, it was on the last hole and a tight fit. . .

Her sides stick out so far!

Other than her growing hay baby belly, Shy is adjusting very well. She knows which stall is hers, she comes in with no problem at night, and she has not destroyed anything. She is a good pony. 

Belly almost touches the ground. . .

And Shy is making friends. Between hanging with Isaac and Shady, and Notch, Shy now has been hanging with Reba. I am not sure if grumpy Clutch will ever let Shy hang with him, but as long as he isn't biting her or running her off (running her off too much, some running would probably help the giant belly situation), I am sure Shy is fitting in just fine. 

Shy and Reba

I finally got bearings for my cart and I had fully intended on putting them in and putting the wheels back on today. But I forgot my tool that puts the thing on the thing that holds the wheel on. . .so technical. By Friday, I hope to have my cart up and running soon so I can start working Shy and work that belly off (hopefully off of both of us). I think Shady was trying to tell me something about that when she snuggled up to me and them bit my chunky side. 

Shady's favorite spot

As for Shy, we really need to get that hay baby down, so until the cart is in driving shape, we may have to utilize the round pen. I am sure Shy will be thrilled about that. . .

I can see the round pen being a problem for me though. . .

Shy, totally okay with her hay baby

monday musings by shyloh #96

Well I am a little bit confused as to whether or not I am having a long sleepover or if I have moved to a new home. I am not sure why I would move, I liked where I was! I had lots of room to walk about (cause I don't really run), lots of fruits to eat at my leisure, and I was top of the herd. 

Now, I am just trying to fit in with some giant horses and a mini donkey. Clutch does not like me at all, but then, he never did. I spend my time between Notch and Isaac and where ever Isaac is, Shady is. And I am okay with that. Eventually, my charm will work it's way until I am fully accepted by the herd. Now with Reba, the other mare, I can kinda boss her around a bit. . .but she mostly sticks with Clutch, so bossing her is harder to do. 

I have my own special stall where I get fed. At least this way, none of the big horses can steal my delicious food or night night hay. And I am next to Isaac and he shares his oats with me. Yum. 

So far, if I have to stay here, I think I will be okay. There is lots of grass and hay is always available! How can you beat that? And even if I have to work some, I think it will be fun. Plus, these horses do the same kind of work as me. . .driving! And there is an apple tree to snack on. . . even if I can't reach the apples, they are shockingly delicious. I am not sure if anyone has had a formal introduction my my new herd, so here goes. . .

Notch

Reba. . .love those blue eyes. Her and Clutch look a lot alike, but she has a long tail

Clutch in his fly mask

Isaac

Shady!

I think I will get along best with Isaac and Shady, they are friendly and goofy like me!

My butt smells so good, just ask Isaac!

~Shyloh

plus four, minus two

I had heard through barn gossip grapevine that our little herd was expecting three more horses. I was not upset over this, rather a little bummed because the herd was quite calm and content. Any additions or subtractions would send the herd back into limbo as it figured itself again.

I had not been to the barn over the weekend because we went to celebrate Beth's birthday and tear down the inside of Jaime's new barn. 

I had also heard from a friend over the weekend that one of the new horses had fallen head over heels with Shyloh. What is it with that mare? 

Big hunka loving. . .she has something about her that all the geldings love!

So when I got to the barn today, I was rather surprised to find not three, but four new horses in the herd. And two horses had moved to the next pasture. Traveller and Prince, the little Arab that always hangs around Shy but she could care less about where moved. I guess they had not been getting food, so they were separated so they would be able to eat. It is good to know that the barn staff pay attention to that stuff!

Two of the new horses, Kota and Ranger, came together. Kota is the Arab (I think), and he is smitten with Shy. Ranger really likes her, too. In fact, they run other horses away from her, would not leave the fence line when I took Shy out, and nickered at her when I brought her back in the pasture. Oh, Shy's magical powers of gelding attraction never cease to amaze me. . .

Kota and Ranger

Sharing

The other two new horses are a pair of Thoroughbreds. I am pretty sure they are not used to a herd environment because 1) they did not know to come up from  the back during feeding time, the feeder had to go get them, and 2) they had no clue what to do and just stood around not eating. It seems that they were used to getting grain dropped off right in front of them, most likely in a stall. I took the second bowl of grain that Shy was working on away from her and gave it to them. 

Handsome fellas

Shy seems to be in a weird predicament. She also seems to be the only horse without (new herd related) marks on her. I watched her hang out with Rainy and Dancer as Kota and Ranger moved them around (not so much Shy, but the other two). Then I watched her hang out with Kota and Ranger and when she got annoyed with them, she let out a little squeal and a poor excuse of a kick. Shy was hanging with both groups (I guess all the horses are not fans of the TBs, they went out back by themselves), but the old group would not hang with the new group. 

Dancer, Rainy, and Shy

I think Shy misses Traveller. Both of the horses that were removed from the herd hung around the fence and Shy stayed near them, too. I watched her stare at in with her ears perked. I wish I could read her mind because I would love to know what was going through her head. 

If I had to guess, Kota and Ranger are used to being at the top of the herd and are bullying the old gang. The old gang had two of their herd removed and now are struggling to find their places in this new set up. It is interesting to watch. Even more so that Shy is just so "whateva" about everything. She gets along with all the horses. She is so confident about herself and her placement in the herd. I wish this would transfer to driving and riding! For both of us!

other horse behaviors

I am going on a much needed vacation for a few days. As I was soaking Shyloh in fly spray, Swat, and sunscreen I had an offer from some of the ladies at my barn. They said that if the flies are really back they will grab Shy and spray her down.

I told them I really appreciated that, but I don't think she would let them catch her. They responded that, oh Shy walks up to them all the time. . .Shy will come running to see what they are up to when they ride in the big pasture next to hers. . .Shy always stays with the herd so when they come running up front so does she. Hmmmm. . .

I actually love hearing other people's stories about my horse. It gives me a glimpse into what she is doing when I am not around. Sometimes it is like she is a different horse. I have heard stories of Shy getting through the gate (into another gated paddock area) and causing a ruckus, refusing to go back to where she is supposed to be. I have heard the she flirts with Buddy the Belgian through the fence. I have heard that she gallops out back at lightening speed to get to the grass first.

Where is this horse when I am around? I usually catch Shy at standing around time or nap time. It's not really that exciting. And while I almost always have a fun time with her, like yesterday when we were playing chase, it would be exciting to see her do other things. I guess for now, I'll have to settle for the stories.

Chasing me!

Any really, she is pretty funny when I am around. Like the other day when I put her back in the herd and the herd had moved to the back. . .without her expressed permission I am guessing. Being boss mare provides her the opportunity to move her herd where she pleases, as I have seen quite often. But when I took her halter off, Shy stopped and looked around.

Where are my horsies??

Her ears got real intent on listening for her herd, then she called out. And Shy is not a vocal horse. Another horse answered her back, and off she trotted to their location. My horse is smart. . .no sense in searching 15 acres for the herd when you can just "call" them. 

Shy also enjoys her spot near the gate or front of the fence, especially at feeding time. I have notices that she will nip at other horses' butts when they encroach on her space.

Move on Prince

I think she has also solidified her boss mare spot, as now when a horse is standing somewhere she feels that it should not be standing, all she has to do is flick her ears back and off that horse goes. 

Unless of course it is Traveller. She just loves that horse. . .

Always together <3

Even his butt!

monday musings by shyloh #83

What a weekend! I was forced to do work. Actual work. Not the "work" that I do with Allie. It was fun and I think I may have a new love. I was paired with Art. He sure is a handsome Haffie. We kept looking at each other when we had the chance and nibbling on each other. 

Can you see my tongue sticking out?

See. . .I am a good horse! But I have been getting a bad rap at my home. Ever since Lukas left (he was my meal ticket), I have had to fend for myself with my food. So I was forced to be a little bit mean. See. . .

Hey, a working girl has got to eat! And I have to do whatever is necessary to make sure I do.

But I can be nice and share, too. . .When I want. . .

But my ears do get sore from being held back all the time

So it seems that Allie is getting super serious about me pulling a cart. She got me an actual driving bit. She means business now!

It's a straight bar Liverpool. I used a similar one at boot camp.

Allie just needs to realize that I do enjoy going fast. My legs may be short, but they are quick. She has to get used to that and then I think we will be okay. 

And I got a visit from the treat guy! I let him give me hugs because he gives me treats.

Awwww

Well, I'm off to wash all this sand and dirt off me. It's raining and I am pretty dirty. Ah. . .natures shower!

~Shyloh