Really Mother Nature?

Sorry I haven't updated in so long! Johnny and I have been home for a week now and we are both getting back into the swing of things around here. of coarse, poor John has to be re-initiated into the herd of horses, which meant that Mikey and Doug found it totally necessary to gang up on him and chase him into a fence while the other kicked at him. We have cattle fencing (not my choice...) because we also have cows, so when Doug ran Johnny towards it, he slid in the mud trying to stop and slammed full force into it. I just so happened to be riding Emmy down the drive and witnessed the whole thing. Johnny got his hind foot stuck, slipped again and flipped over, flailing on the ground trying to get up while Doug bit at him! I kicked Emmy into a gallop (poor girl is barefoot now and we were on gravel!) and did the worlds best flying dismount off her when we got to the fence. Sometimes I'm pretty sure that I should have been a rodeo queen instead of a hunter rider. Johnny managed to free himself just as I got over to him and he jumped up and took off across the field at a trot. I checked over all of his legs and he seemed fine execpt for a wire cut across his back leg. I cleaned it up, iced it, and bandaged it for about 3 days. There is still some swelling, but he seems fine.

Yesterday, my best friend C and I decided to take the horses to Chagrin Valley Farms for a local hunter/jumper schooling show. Of coarse, with his recent injury, there was no way I was going to show Johnny, or even jump him for that matter, but I figured that it would be a good time to flat him around the rings and make sure he wasn't lame (no indoor at home). The forcast was calling for snow, but the morning dawned just fine so we loaded up the horses and went anyway.

BAD idea. The show itself was great...C's horse Abbie FINALLY got around her jumper coarse (for some reason she just HATES Chagrin...she stops at least once every time in the ring) and Johnny hacked around just fine. It wasnt until we went to pull the trailer up to go home that we realized it was snowing outside.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but it was starting to get dark and it the the kind of fine blowing snow that covers the roads and makes it almost impossible to see. The truck and trailer were sliding all over the road and when we almost got stuck going up a big hill, I told C that there was no way her horse was going home tonight...she could stay at the farm with Johnny.

THAT required a bit of re-arranging because we are definetly at full capacity stall wise, but there was no way that it was safe for C to trailer another 40 minutes home by herself. We ended up relocating the pig up to the top of the barn, (yes, our barn is very old and its 2 levels) putting the donkey in the pigs stall because, quite frankly, he's the smallest equine we have and the only one who would fit in there, and then putting Abbie in the donkeys stall. Pumpkin, the mini who wanders around the aisleway (dont worry, its gated at the end) was FREAKING out over the new-comer. He tries to be super studly and impress the mares...lol its very very funny.

Anyway, we scrounged up some dinner for Abbie (luckily I have quite a collection of grain types and Abbie just so happened to eat the same thing as Johnny) and then left for the night. I went back out at midnight to make sure everyone was still alright and alive and they all seemed to be doing fine.

This morning C met me at the barn and we went out for a trail ride.It was cold but super fun to be able to ride together like we used to when we were kids. Our horses were always really good friends too (Emmy and Abbie) so they enjoyed each others company :)

I've got some pictures that I will put in a seperate post!

Peace.Love.Ponies.