Today was the first day I wasn't sure what to do with myself.
It didn't last long.
Carrie asked me to fill in the rut in the unused stall.
It's amazing what mice can do.
I found a mound of excavated soil between the barn and stall walls.
It wasn't a hard job. I got a wheelbarrow full of dirt, filled, tamped, and repeated.
The trick was to finish before Carrie came home with a special delivery.
Meet Pippin. She's been sitting on a back lot at Sonya's for a couple of years and has gone straight to "chonk."
"Chonk" is a technical term used by horse women and (as far as I can tell) it means Pippin's fat.
Fat and happy thanks to her disposition. Pippin hadn't been in a barn for a couple of years and was uncomfortable, but showed it by freezing rather than causing a ruckus.
She passed gas, too. "She's a farter!" Amy laughed. "She's my type!"
Yes, a new horse is a reason for horses and boarders alike to congregate. Everyone wants to meet the new barn member.
Especially, Lorelai. She stood guard outside Pippin's stall and kept looking in however she could.
Maddy didn't bother for long. There was fresh grass.
Carrie brought the girls in for some hay and hellos eventually.
The plan I was told was to let Pippin into the field Tuesday. I guess Carrie got impatient, because she and Ellie turned the girls out for a show while I was cooking dinner!
The girls bonded quickly. It looks like Pippin is going to be the new alpha mare.
Carrie waited until the next day to give her a dieter's muzzle!
We do not own Pippin. She's on a free lease. The hope is to create a win-win scenario.
Win for Sonya - There's one less horse to take care of.
Win for us - Carrie finds someone who wants to lease and ride Pippin and pays for her board.
Carrie already has someone interested. She'd charge less than usual with a lease-to-own option, but Pippin would have to stay at our farm until there was a final sign off from Carrie and Sonya.
To that end, Carrie wanted to start handling Pippin to see where her mind was. The first lungework session was revealing.
Pippin kept halting and turning to face Carrie which was a problem (if a horse were to charge, they run the way they face!). She required a much heavier hand to respond to than Carrie likes.
Carrie called Sonya and she said she suspected the person who worked with Pippin two years ago used a training method called 'move their feet.' Neither woman was fan. To sum it up: You whack at the horses feet.
The good news is Pippin was much better the second day Carrie took her out. She's adapting quickly and with the right training Carrie hopes to introduce her to the prospective rider in early June.
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