I love Summer. I love it when it’s hot and sunny every day and your hat gets soggy after your first horse LOL. Selena does not have this problem, she got a fabulous new hat from Charles Owen that has removable ‘inside’ which can go in the washing machine! The hat comes with two linings so you have one to use while the other is in the wash. WHAT a good idea.
Benny is enjoying being back in work. He also has his first set of shoes on. Without his shoes he moves straight, with his shoes he wings his left fore….sigh. Solo was exactly the same, without his shoes he moved straight as can be, as soon as he was shod he winged with both front feet. I am hoping (as optimistically as I did with Solo) that as he strengthens his movement will straighten up. Solo’s did not, but I have other horses in the past who moved like camels for the first year they had shoes on and they straightened up as they matured.
Anne Marie and Rummy pose for the camera.
The horses that were bashed and bruised from the excitement when we had a loose horse are recovering well. It has been over two weeks and it has taken that long for stitches to come out and bruising and inflammation to die down. I don’t think I have ever had such dire consequences because a horse got loose for ten minutes.
Rummy’s splint is still an issue. We had him turned back out at night because he was feeling much better, however, it’s hot and sore from being on the hard summer ground even although he does not run around much. He is a pretty laid back horse in the paddock. I am so very despondent that we are not able to ride him. He is our entry for the thoroughbred makeover and we were hoping to get him out to some small events and shows by mid august. The makeover is at the end of October. It is very depressing to have to stop work at this point.
We have had three new working students join the team. Ella is from the UK, Jane is from New Brunswick and Veronica is practically a next door neighbour coming from Brockville, Ontario. It is always fun to have new faces in the barn. Jane and Veronica have brought their mares ‘Gina’ and ‘Maple’ with them, and we have two more new horses in the barn. ‘Gatsby’, who has been with us before has come back to be part of our working student program and ‘Van Gogh’ has come in to Balsam Hall for some ongoing training. ‘Van’ is a five year old, bred locally and this is his first time away from home. He was a little upset for the first two or three days. We gave him some Omega Alpha ‘Chill’ before we turned him out and that seemed to help him. The trick is to give them the Chill BEFORE they get upset, not after.
Anne Marie is struggling to be ahead of the game should we find ourselves going to Rio. She has to give the dollar value and the weight of everything on her list. Also, she cannot take anything that has already been opened. Everything that goes through the border into Brazil will have to be sealed and . By the time they announce the team, if we are lucky enough to have Selena, Anne Marie and Woody be part of it, she will have less than a week before she has to be packed and ready to rock.
The Team will have lots of preparation involving Canadian State Veterinarians and complying with Brazilian import regulations. I personally will be very happy when the team is announced and preparations can go into full swing. I think July 14 is probably ok if you are a swimmer and all you need to pack is your trunks, but when you are an equestrian, the preparation and packing for a horse is not something that happens in a moment.
Selena just came back from two days of lessons with Clayton in Orangeville. She rode ‘Van’ who was a good as gold for a little boy who hasn’t been ridden in nine months. He is a sweet boy. Tomorrow morning she and Anne Marie leave for Virginia to attend Great Meadows Nations Cup. Woody is going to be part of the Canadian team there. I hope the ground down there is not as hard as it is up here.
Woody is working hard, he likes a little nap when he comes in and Anne Marie makes sure he can snack while he rests. He is a VERY sweet horse. Here he is having breakfast in bed on his day off.
