Yucky weather, beautiful Suki and Nikki

Thursday, February 21, 2013
I realized as I stepped out of my car when I arrived at the barn, that I smile instantly.  Before I even see my girls.  The wind had been whipping all day and the cold air infused with earth, hay, and yes, manure (from the manure heap) caused me to pause and appreciate the country air of Berks County.  I grew up in a suberb of Manhattan, yearning for life in the country for as long as I can remember.  Maybe it was that commute into the city for ballet, or the traffic in Bergen County NJ to go...well, anywhere.  Once I finally started to ride horses at age 15, all I could think of was wide open space and pastures full of horses. 

Closing the door behind me to shut out the wind, I turned on the lights.  Big brown eyes blinked at me from all directions, adjusting to the light.  Usually at the end of my time at the barn I give each horse a treat.  Today they looked at me so expectantly that I couldn't resist....so I started the visit with a peppermint for everyone. 

Friday, February 22, 2013
I always worry about blankets for Suki and Nikki.  Warm, but not too warm.  You know the drill.  Often I feel like I am the only one at my barn who worries about such things....in previous boarding situations, blanket dancing was the norm...  But I sawAmanda who owns Ophelia, and she was asking me about the blanket weight because of the constant change in temperatures. She said that she worries about it constantly...I am not alone!

Saturday, February 23, 2013
Rainy and cold.  Yesterday I spoke to the barn owner about putting the girls together and the barn owner was fine with that.  He said that Kilian's owner has complained that Nikki swings her but at Killian when she is trying to get him.  He rears and strikes at me when I try to get Nikki.  He is very aggressive with her and she is a bit frightened by it.  I have never seen her spin and kick, so we need to stop that now!  Suki and Banker's relationship doesn't seem as good as it was before.  But I worry about Banker because he and Killian went out together once and Killian kicked Banker in the face, requiring stitches.  Nikki was being blamed for the aggression between her and Killian in the field, but it sounds to me like he is the instigator. 

I went to Oley Valley feed for wormer, bird seed and I had hoped, a stall toy for Suki.  Successful for the first two items, but not for a stall toy.  I guess I will have to order one.  The drive over was dreary and rainy, but the Oley Valley is always beautiful.  The dairy cows werewaiting to go into the barn, but one ambitious lady was looking in the window of the barn as if to say "hey!  It's raining out here!".  The quilt shop parking lot was packed, so there was either a class or a 'quilt in' in progress.  I bet they were having a great time!

When I arrived at the barn I was surprised to see the horses out, but it had not been raining earlier and was just a bit misty.  Suki and Nikki were not too wet, but I knew that I would not put them out once i had groomed them.  It was 2 PM when I got there, so that was sufficient turnout time for them.  Both were anxious to get in, and Nikki tried to steal the carrots from my pocket while I was fastening the gate.  With rain falling gently on the roof I played classical music on my phone and enjoyed peaceful, quiet time with my girls!  Suki was slightly fidgety in the cross ties, but she could hear the horses outside so that sometimes makes her uneasy.  Nikki and Banker were in their stalls, so eventually she relaxed.  The whole right side of her (including her face) was muddy, so cleary she had a decent roll, even though they were just in the paddocks!

Tomorrow I will be auditing another dressage clinic.  The clinician is a trainer from Paul Belasik's farm in Gettysburg.  Paul does a lot of in hand work to teach higher level movements.  I am a huge fan of long lining, and one of the riders tomorrow will be working in hand as well.  Paul also has intensive seat short courses which apparently are not for the faint of heart.  I am hoping to attend one this summer.   

here is his website...
http://paulbelasik.com/

REALLY looking forward to this one!
I am also making quite a bit of progress on the Suki memoir.  I put the children's book aside because I have finished writing it and will go back to read and edit it again.  It would be wonderful to have a Breyer horse or plush toy to go with the book.  Plans continue to create an in-hand musical freestyle with Suki so that we can perform exhibitions at some of the horse expos....and dare I say it? Dressage at Devon??  Not 2013, but hopefully for 2014. 

I am really hoping to get Nikki out showing strong this season also. So much planning, so much hope.....