Trailer Drama

Well Cheyenne has no choice but to load nicely tomorrow. The woman hauling her just called me practically BEGGING for me to make sure Cheyenne loads super quickly. I've never had an issue with her (except UNLOADING, but by the time we get her home it won't be an issue) but she's only been hauled a small handful of times. The lady has a bad knee and is on painkillers which she can't take if she's going to be driving. So she needs to get home to take them ASAP tomorrow, meaning Cheyenne can't be a PITA about loading. UGH. MORE STRESS. I can't make promises for my horse, ask her! She's USUALLY good, but who the hell knows! I tried to promise her it would be fine the best I could without saying "I know for a FACT she'll load like a dream"... because I DON'T know that for a fact. At any rate, fingers crossed it will all go well. Say a prayer for us tomorrow, ugh.

Halter Success

Well after continuing my hunt for the breakaway halter, I FINALLY found one. I found a used one at a local tack consignment shop, but apparently the monster pony has outgrown "pony" sized anything. So I dished out the $30 for a horse sized halter. Didn't fit. Seriously? It was hanging off her face. So I returned it, and found a cob size halter & bought that. Which was a pleasant surprise, only $17! The only one in the whole store at that price, winnn! Except then THAT was too small! What the...? I have NO idea what magic size head my horse has that NOTHING will fit it. But I kept it because the price was right & the halter was only a teeny bit too small (... and I damaged it trying to punch a new hole in it). I'm just going to punch new holes a little further down so it will fit. The small horse sized grazing muzzle I bought her was MUCH too small though. Thankfully the kind lady at one of the local tack shops told me she would add an extra piece of Velcro for only a couple of dollars so it will fit. (Shout out to the lovely ladies at the Tack Shack! haha) Yayy for crafty people!

Monster pony was disgustingly dirty when I went out to try the many halters on today. I was almost afraid they wouldn't accept the return because her dang face was so dirty it turned part of the halter brown! I was able to clean it off though, thankfully. All of her things are at the new barn now, so I'm embarrassed to bring her to the new barn looking like a homeless, neglected mess. *sigh* Oh well. Gahh pony is so cute, but she is a flipping beaver! She's eaten the crap out of the boards in her paddock. Fingers crossed she STOPS this at the new barn with turnout. I can't believe in 2 days she'll be at the new barn! I'll post pictures of her in her new house when I get them. Wheee!

Seriously?

Why is it that NO tack shop in the Central Florida area sells breakaway halters? I found ONE place & they had ONE halter in stock. A pukey salmon pink one for a whopping $30. Seriously? Why is horse stuff always so obscenely expensive? This is a $2 piece of equipment we're talking about! How can they possibly mark it up like 1,500 percent? Ugh. It's re-gosh-darn-diculous if you ask me! That is all.

Redemption

Well Cheyenne managed to redeem herself today. She was extra cute and cuddly. I came out planning to work her, but soon realized I have NOTHING out at the barn anymore except a halter, lead rope, and hoof pick since I already moved her storage shed to the new barn. OOPS! I think we needed a play day though, it worked out well. She is so cute & sweet... she follows me around like a little puppy. Wherever I go, she goes. She was so well behaved, stood still for me to groom her (borrowed a shedding blade from a friend, that thing is a MIRACLE worker) & stood perfectly untied while I picked all 4 feet. What a nice pony!

I kind of realized today the difference between my mentality and most other horse owners. I made a comment today about how I guess Cheyenne's not going to grow anymore (she's still very much a pony @ just 14 hands, and I'm not so much built for a pony LOL) So she asked if I was going to sell her and get another horse. Of course not! But that is the mentality of most horse people, if the horse doesn't suit it's job - find a new one who does. Cheyenne is a pet first, a hobby second. I love riding, but I love HORSES more. If I had to chose between owning a pasture ornament or riding some else's horse once or twice a week, I'd pick a pasture ornament any day. There's just something so unique & beautiful about horses you don't find in other animals. Maybe it's the fact that they could kill you in an instant, but they chose not to. Or their willingness to trust & submit to a person 1/10 of their size. Or their uncanny ability to forgive. Whatever it is, I can't get enough of it!

Venting!

I wish I had started this blog at the very beginning, when I FIRST brought Cheyenne home. That way I could see the progress we made over time... because days like today I feel like we're back where we first started. I mean it's my own fault for not working with her enough... she's a baby! She needs constant attention & reinforcement. But I can't make hours in the day where they don't exist. So I'm doing the best I can for now. But Cheyenne was a TERROR today. Wouldn't stand still for her bath. Kept trying to run me over on our walk. Flipped out whenever a car went by, wouldn't stop when asked, tried to rear up (granted, a firetruck with it's sirens & lights had just zoomed by about a foot & a half away) She was OUT OF CONTROL. I love her. I do, I love her so much. But God I have to wonder what I got myself into some days adopting a wild mustang as my first horse. She sure is a handful. Lovely, but a handful!

Stress Relief

Well I have litterally been the worst horse owner EVER this past month. I'm ashamed to even admit any of this. Poor Cheyenne has had her paddock cleaned about once a week this past month. I've only made it out twice per week when she's been lucky & usually only for a few minutes. I don't think I've actually worked/ridden her/let her stretch her poor cramped legs once in all of April. There, I said it... but I'm not proud! School has literally taken my entire life, chomped it up, ingested in, then took a big steaming pile of $h!t in the place where my free time once was. (sorry for the vulgar image... just how I'm feeling right now)

On the bright side in a week Cheyenne will be a mere 13 minutes from me on weekdays & 7 minutes on the weekends! SHE of course will remain at the same location, I will be the one shifting resulting in the travel time discrepancies. I am super bummed to be leaving all of my amazing barn buddies! They have become some of my best friends! Nothing brings people together quite like bonding over poop scooping, cranky ponies, & horse emergencies!

On the flip side though the woman who owns the new barn is so nice also! I was VERY concerned because Cheyenne has taken to eating wood recently. The woman mentioned she had to ask another boarder to leave because her horse was a wood eater. So I was terrified this would become a huge issue! When I called her today & mentioned the new habit she said not to worry! That she was sure it would subside with lots of room to roam, plenty of hay & new friends. I pray she's right! I think it's a combination of boredom & peer pressure (her next door neighbor is a BIG time cribber, poor guy has NO TEETH left!) I told her I bought her a grazing muzzle in case the issue continues & she was so sweet & told me not to worry about it & everything would work out fine. She's not worried, I'm not worried. I do hope she quits this nasty habit soon though!

So next Saturday she'll be at her new home. It's a perfect opportunity for a new beginning. I feel like we made progress, then it all just fell apart. I wasn't able to work her consistently so our hard work kind of went out the window. Now that she's closer I'll have more time to spend with her. It's also the beginning of Summer so I will have most of the weekdays to spend with her. I decided to move her next week in case anything goes wrong with the transition I will be done with my school obligations so I can keep an eye on her. It won't go wrong though, nothing will. She's going to love it, her new horsey buddies will love her, & the other girl boarding will become a great new horsey friend! Positive thoughts! :) I'm really excited! It's bittersweet but I know it is HONESTLY what's best for her. She deserves & needs to space to run around... she was a WILD mustang after all. She's not accustomed to fences.

Update on Cheyenne Phelps

WOW! My last post was the beginning of March & now we're in April. I feel like I've mentally blogged a lot more of things that happened this month than I have. I always think "I should write about this", but it never happens. My favorite moment of the month had to be Cheyenne's swim. This is the horse that won't even step through a PUDDLE! Next thing I know she's decided to give herself a swimming lesson. We call her Cheyenne Phelps at the barn now. Watch & see (if you can... my phone has terrible video quality. I also have no idea what happened to the background noise... it just sounds like chipmunks hijacked the audio. *shrug*



In other news Cheyenne & I will be leaving our current barn at the end of the month. I love the people there & will be so sad to go. But it is just so far & I will be moving in with the future hubby @ some point and it is WAYYY too far from his house. I found a nice place much closer. There's a large turn out area with run in stalls and a river. I hope she'll enjoy it - I'm sure she will. I hope she doesn't take to chewing the wood there. She does in her little paddock but I hope it's only out of boredom & when she's turned out she'll be okay. *fingers crossed*

& lastly, Cheyenne can officially be MINE now! She's a BLM horse & so the government owned her for the first year (this is done to avoid people adopting mustangs super cheap & then selling them off to slaughter for profit, etc.) but now I can mail in my paper work saying she's been taken care of & she'll be all mine officially. :) yayyy! I'll have to celebrate her adoption day!