Fall Photoshoot

Dee didn't smell as bad today, but I opted to give her a bath anyway.

 

 

I love that face!

 

 

 

 

This might be my favorite picture of her.

Hears the crinkle of peppermint wrapper

Commences "cookie face"

PLEASE mom, you KNOW I love cookies!

Happy camper.

Skunked!

Today, when I went to give Dee her hello hug, I got a whiff of something strange.  So, I sniffed her face a little more closely.  Yup, definitely not smelling like a horse.  Definitely smelling like a skunk.  But, no eye irritation or anything suggesting she was uncomfortable.  Just stinky.  Luckily only her face smells.  How my horse got herself sprayed in the face by a skunk, I'd like to know.

You're the one who's always bruised and broken...

Poor baby has a nasty stone bruise.  BUT, she's still a happy camper down here in Tennessee, which makes me happy.  In light of the stone bruise, we have been grooming and grazing and just generally bonding.  She has been eating more peppermints than may be necessary, but a cookie monster has to be satiated somehow, right!?

Love.

I very nearly cried today.

I am not a very expressive person.  I don't relate well to most other people on an emotional level.  I don't read people well.  Sometimes I feel like a robot going through the motions of "sympathizing" or "commiserating."

Dee is not the friendliest of mares.  She hates to be cuddled.  She is often grumpy and trying to kick/bite/you name it.  Ears pinned.  Tail swishing.  She is also not so kind to other horses.  Sure, she goes out with other horses, but she doesn't seem to "make friends."  She generally ignores the horses she is out with currently.

And yet...

I love this horse with all my heart.  The time I spend with her makes my heart lighter.

Today, she showed me that she loved me too.

When I got to the barn, she had JUST been turned out (into an enormous grass field with other mares).  I figured I'd have to spend an hour trying to catch her.  In fact, she met me at the gate.

When I turned her back out after our work was finished, she got straight to eating.  It took me a minute to get the gate latched, at which point she was a good 20 or 30 feet away.  I told her to have a good night, and instead of continuing to eat, she marched over to the gate and said goodbye to me.

She still doesn't like to be cuddled, but that little gesture made me realize that my little lady might just love me, too.

Photo Blast

Pretty Lady - it took me awhile to get this pose.

Not really cooperating... she was mad that I didn't want her right up in my face.

Cooling down

Asleep while walking?

Southern Comfort

It's been so fantastic to spend the last 4 days with my beastie.  She is her usual non-cuddly self, but she has been letting me love on her a little more than usual.
Considering that she hasn't worked in who-knows-how-long, I've been going slow with in-hand work. She is incredibly settled already, and her in-hand work has been fantastic.  She is working beautifully on the lounge in a relaxed, stretching, swinging trot, and the canter is weak, but she is still super relaxed and really willing to stretch over her back.  What a good girl!  I can't wait until she's legged up enough to get on again.
Of course, her first order of business upon arrival was apparently to scrape up her hind leg.  It looked pretty gross at first, but she's completely sound and it now looks like just a flesh wound.  Leave it to Dee to try to kill herself as soon as she got to Tennessee.
To her credit, everyone at the barn seems to like her.  Everyone keeps telling me how absolutely gorgeous she is, and (at least for me) she has been a complete angel on the ground.  Since the moment she stepped off the trailer she has been polite and relaxed.  Sure, she's still a little bit of a witch when it comes to being loved on, but that's just Dee and that's part of the reason I love her!

Dee in Tennessee

I don't feel like doing a proper post but...

She's Here!!