More Generations of Horse Lovers

I love that my little mare is so sweet on the ground with my grandchildren.

 JC and Abby, Thanksgiving, 2012.

Trinity and Abby, Thanksgiving, 2012.

(Emily and Jenny in the background.)

Lisa and Hokey, Thanksgiving, 2012.

(Look closely and you can see his tongue is out a bit!)

Barn Visit

Trinity is absolutely in love with the horses. I've been taking her out daily, but she's asked to go out twice a day! A girl after my own heart. This afternoon, Craig, Todd and Lisa joined us. (Lisa is every bit as big a horse lover as Trinity!)

 Abby munches a carrot that Craig gave her. 

 Todd gives her some love. (He hasn't yet given her the carrot he has in his hand.)

Craig really likes Hokey. Why?

Because Hokey laughs at all his jokes!

Hokey can joke around, too. He nibbled on my crop while I was holding it, and before I could pull it away...

SNAP!!

Foggy Day Off

A two hour delay due to fog turned into a whole day off, so what did I do? Hop into the car with Lisa, JC, and Trinity and head out to the barn!

 They hear me whistle and come charging up to visit.

 Dolly has been pretty shy since she came back from Williamsport, but this morning she was willing to be petted.

JC finds a favorite scratching spot on Abby.

 Dolly approaches Trinity for some loving, too.

 "Neener, neener, Mom! I'm hanging with Lisa because she is the one with the bag of carrots!"

(Look at her tongue sticking out!)

JC enjoyed being the gatekeeper for us.

Trinity is her grandmother's granddaughter - she's been asking all afternoon if we could go back out and see the horses again today!

Beating the Sun

With the change back to standard time from daylight savings time, I am having a tough time getting out to see Abby and the herd after school. It's dark here by 6:00, so if I have any meetings, grading, or errands to run, chances are good I will not make it to the barn before the light fades away.

Tonight I was able to leave school by 4:00 so I was at the barn around 4:30. The herd came right up to greet me.

 All were hoping for a treat, but I only give Abby nibbles now.  (Trouble is SUCH a pain; I don't want to encourage him to come up because then he chases everyone else away, including Abby.)

 She went through an apple, two carrots, and five or six mini carrots tonight. 

(Yes, she's spoiled, but she deserves it!)

 Hokey is such a big sweetie - if he were a dog, he'd be a black Lab!

Look at his furry ears - this boy is ready for cold weather!

 Abby and Dolly have really struck up a friendship. When she came back from her summer in Williamsport, Dolly had lost her status as one of the herd leaders. I don't know why she has not asserted herself and moved up in rank, but she continues to appear happy hanging with Abby and letting Diablo, Trouble, and Hokey lead. I sure hope she is in foal!

It's a little hard to tell, but there are horses everywhere you look in this photo. Two on the neighboring farm, and then Diablo, Mason, Hokey, Abby, and Dolly.  (And many more in the other three adjoining properties!)

Fall is fading into winter, and beating the sun will get harder before it gets easier, but for tonight, I am happy to have been able to visit my pony.

Diablo Update

Yesterday when I checked on the horses, Diablo was walking much more freely. And, she proved that, while she may be gimpy, she's still herd alpha - I watched her firmly put Trouble and Hokey in their places.

Tim texted me in the evening about her, saying he'd actually seen her break into a trot later in the day. He seemed just as surprised as I was at her quick turn around.

Go figure - I truly thought she was going to have to be euthanized.

Yay, Diablo!

Tender Hearted Co-Workers

I work with some tender hearted people at Hershey. Wednesday I had jury duty, and when I returned to school Thursday, look what was on my desk!

Tricia Beeler and Linda Faust saved their apple and pear cores for Abby!

Chompchompchomp!

Diablo in Pain

It was difficult to watch Diablo this evening. She's having another one of her episodes with pain and could barely walk. I have never seen her so bad.

 I watched her move slowly down the lane, pausing for long periods of time, holding a hoof up, then shifting her weight and lifting another to take the pressure off it.

 This pain comes and goes with Diablo. We don't know what triggers it. At least she is up; once early this summer she went down. Tim's instructions to me were to get her up if I could and to then call him.

I called him tonight to let him know how bad off she was. He's worried about the coming winter and how that is going to affect her. Bute is only a temporary fix and doesn't cure the underlying problem. It may be time to do the caring thing and euthanize her.

Sweet Diablo. I have gown very fond of her, but I don't wish her this terrible pain.

She's Back!

Recognize this sweet face hanging out with my pretty girl?

 Dolly's back from her trip to Williamsport and a visit with a stallion friend.

We are hoping for a foal in July.