Lexington Bound (again!)

I wasn't planning on being back in Lexington until next month when I passed through to get to and from Michigan for Birthday/4th of July week. There's two people there though that had different plans for me. 

My friends have their homebred filly selling at the Fasig-Tipton 2 year old sale in Maryland. They want to either go watch her work or sell so I'm going up to be there in case they can get away (as long as a mare doesn't have to be bred or something like that) and I can take care of the animals. 

Echo!

So I'm driving up on Monday, and staying until the 21st. 

Lots of time around MareFace!!! Can't wait to see her and my Kentucky family.

Look at those giant ears!
She should be getting checked to see if she's in foal in next couple of days.

The Miles They've Traveled

Yesterday I started thinking about all the miles both my horses have on them, literally. Not in the riding sense, but how many miles I've hauled them across the country. I was somewhat surprised Dakota's wasn't higher. Echo's is since I've had her, no idea where she may have gone, if anywhere, for weanling/yearling training. I didn't include any individual farm moves in Kentucky when Dakota and I first started out, there were a lot before we settled. So this is just pure long distance interstate miles, and of course approximate since I don't know the exact route shippers took to get them around.

Echo 

October 2012 - Lexington KY to Michigan

June 2013 - Michigan to Lexington

October 2013 - Lexington to Texas

January 2014 - Texas to Lexington

Total: 2,520 Miles (4,055 Km)

Dakota 

August 2006 - Michigan to Lexington KY

December 2010 - Lexington to Michigan

June 2012 - Michigan to Lexington

December 2014 - Lexington to Louisiana

March 2015 - Louisiana to North Carolina

Total: 2,940 Miles (4,731 Km)

Post Trip Hangover

I haven't had an ounce of energy to type a post since coming home Tuesday evening so I apologize. I swear I cannot leave work for more than my normal 2 days off without coming back to a pile of things to do. Anyways.

It's not much of a secret at this point because I'm terrible at keeping secrets when it comes to my own life happenings. Another person's deep dark secrets never leave me but my own stuff... not so much. Anyways, I'm exploring the possibility of a job at a thoroughbred farm. The farm however, is in Louisiana. Nothing is certain yet but I'll update more as it progresses.

I headed to the airport Friday after work and arrived in Houston for my layover without problem. However, a cancelled connecting flight, airport food vouchers and a free night in a hotel I got to Louisiana on Saturday morning. 

As soon as I got there we got on the road to travel another 3 hours north to Shreveport / Louisiana Downs. The owners/trainer I was visiting had three horses in stakes races so it was a good chance to see Louisiana Downs. I'll say this, the track was very... small and quaint. Even the small tracks I've visited before have the tv screens in the in-field for you to watch the race unfold. Not there, you had to go high enough to see over the tote board and watch them run from there or go inside to watch on a small tv. Still exciting as always to watch races though and the gelding that's my favorite of theirs ran 2nd in his stakes race. 

Lion before running 2nd in his race.

Sunday I got the chance to go around and see the farm(s) and more of the area. There's the horse farm portion being built, cattle farm, training farm where yearlings and racehorses go and a golf course. 

Cottage & pond at the cattle farm.

Cow. Moo.

Sleepy filly!

I spent rest of my time getting to know the owners and helping out at the golf course which is getting ready to reopen after renovations. 

Home. Seeing a equine airline cheers me up after another close call of flight status changes.

Week of Plans

It's going to be a crazy week. I had yesterday off but today on what would be my 'Sunday', I'm working. This way when I leave town Friday evening I don't have to use a vacation day at work. 

I can't deny I'm nervous to be flying with all the terrible world news involving planes. Self medication will help, I hope. My plane takes off 5:50ish on Friday and I'll be back mid-day Tuesday from my trip. I hope more than anything that I get answers while I'm gone and can make some adult life decisions. 

Since I'm at work, I won't be able to be there, but the farrier is there to trim both horses this afternoon. Echo has continued to do ok barefoot (despite the hard dry ground), so we're proceeding to Kentucky Classique barefoot all around. Her hind hoof that sustained the injury continues to grow out and I now have to work to find signs of the injury. Dakota has been ok in the two times I've rode him barefoot so we're going to have a go at it for another 6 weeks. His leg he had bowed his tendon in years ago is having a few problems with swelling and tiny tiny bit of heat. He has worked through it both times I've gotten on him so who knows what the leg is doing. 

Koda Ride!

Echo has jumping homework after her lesson last week. She can do a course but when it comes to jumping basics she needs to still learn those. She doesn't seem to be a huge fan of having to use her feet, body and brain. It'd be super easy to bypass it all at this point since she can go clear and loves to jump bigger and bigger - but I'm sure it would haunt us later on.

Unhappy horses waiting inside during a storm while I cleaned stalls.

Conclusion of Texas

Oh what a cluster ____.

So my friend A that had Echo in Texas basically pressured me as of Dec 27th about moving Echo back to Kentucky. Things just kept getting worse and I started requesting shipping quotes New Years Eve. 

Friday (1/3/14) - I get a text asking if I can take Echo back this weekend for half price shipping. Shipper would be leaving tomorrow (Saturday) and is watching the weather to determine best time to leave. I texted my barn owner where Dakota is and made sure there was a stall open and gave the ok that Echo could come home this weekend. 

Saturday (1/4/14) - 

4:30pm - I get text asking what blanket I want on her in trailer. I make silly assumption this means she's leaving very soon. 

7:00pm - I get a very rushed texted asking if I'm by my computer (I'm at barn taking care of Dakota) asking if I can sign the shipping contract or shipper won't put her on. Ummm why couldn't this be done Friday more promptly? Did I mention my phone was dead so I never saw this text?

9:30pm - Thank god for tech savvy phones that allow you to sign documents when your phone comes alive and you see worried text and you freak out. 

11:30pm - Told the shipper should be there at any moment. At that point I just want to sleep. A sends me pictures of Echo all wrapped and ready to go and pictures of my stuff packed and ready to load. 

Sunday (1/5/14) - 

12:54am - Finally a text from A saying she's loaded and homeward bound. 

11:17am - Report they're in Little Rock Arkansas. 

4:02pm - Shipper reports they're stuck in traffic in Nashville Tennessee. 

7:00 - I can't stand sitting home longer and I go to the barn to at least take care of Dakota. 

8:02 - Shipper reports they're in Elizabethtown Kentucky. Finally they're at least in the correct state. 

9:08 - A text me (not the shipper which adds to my level of annoyance) - that they had to put the truck in 4 wheel drive and it started driving funny so a mechanic was heading out to look at it. Meanwhile the arctic blast crap was starting to hit full on and it was becoming icy.

10:00pm - Truck is fixed but the shipper wraps the horses up and and waits the storm out for the night because of the wind and road conditions.

11:00pm - I'm finally told this and head home from the barn.

Monday (1/6/14) - 

1:30am - After talking to A some more, I finally go to bed. Not much else I can do at that point. She's instructed the shipper to contact me as soon as she gets back on the road since the shipper stays in better contact with her than me. 

8:30am - I text A asking for any updates because I haven't heard from anyone. Neither has she. Every time from the start of the trip, if I call the shipper she does not answer.

10:30am - I get a text from the shipper that is jumbled and makes zero sense.  I'm irritated. After some back and forth with her she straightens her texting out and says she will be to the farm in 20 minutes. I find out she's been in contact with A all along and no one passed it along to me. I quickly get going for the morning and call the barn to tell someone she might show up before me. 

11:38am - George (barn manager) calls to tell me she's there and in her stall. 

I finally get there 5-10 minutes later to find the shipper sitting at the end of the drive. I had to give her a saddle to take back to Texas to A, which was back up at the barn and the shipper assumed it was in my car so I had to go up to the barn and come back to end of drive with the saddle. I finally got to go in barn and greet Echo who was poorly dressed in blankets but safely in one piece. The shipper also forgot to unload one of my blankets - A claims she'll snatch it when she sees her back in Texas - I have my doubts. 

Echo is just settling in for a few days in her stall until its safer conditions for the horses to go outside. Negative wind chills = not good for any of us!

Surprise!

Ummm so guess who is back in Kentucky? Yep that's right... Echo!

As I hinted at in my last Echo update (linked here) things with her haven't been going fully as planned. She's gotten herself into a fair bit of trouble since that update and there was a spot open on a trailer heading north and basically had no choice but to put her on it to come back.

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To save myself the pain of writing a lengthy blog and the pain of my readers for when I write a novel I'm going to attempt to summarize here. 

Grain has been switched - twice. MareFace is has had a hard time with retaining any training and looses focus. You 'lunge' her - which is more like a wild horse show - for 20 minutes and then her brain clicks and she's back to a sweet loving horse. You put her away after your session and you return 30 minutes later and she forgets who you are.

The video below just... makes me semi worried that maybe the idiot ways of her sire are maybe genetic - he died in a paddock accident in which he basically impaled himself on something. In that case who knows what I'm up against. This was taken last week:

She's also taken out two stalls, kicking and destroying them overnight. Well built stalls I'd like to add - not something flimsy like a temporary show stall. She empties 300 gallons of water at a time - going tank to tank dumping them. Basically making lots of enemies. 

Anyone have thoughts or advice on improving focus? Other than routine and consistency? I've ordered her an ulcer supplement and put her back on raspberry leaves and have another calming supplement on hand if it's needed. The only thing I can connect is that maybe the trailer ride from Michigan to Kentucky, that took 20 hours, stressed her enough to start ulcers - causing the behavior changes. She's not really the laid back puppy dog mare I knew then. Not that this makes me love her less, just stumps me somewhat. I know Michigan was not as stimulating as an environment and the hay quality etc are better now so that may have part to do with it. 

Now that she's back with me I plan on letting her settle a few days and let the ulcer supplements get a good week in her before I start messing with her brain. Then it's to the drawing board for her. 

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So despite things not going as planned, I'm determined to look at the positives.

• It's now known that she's terrified of pigs, especially in potbelly form. Any subconscious desire to ever own a pig is gone. 
• She no longer spooks at a donkey bray.
• Trailer rides are no big deal. She's a pro.

Bootcamp Departure

Echo left for Texas at approximately 6:30 yesterday morning and arrived to Texas before midnight. Sounds like she traveled like the rock star that she is and never really stressed. A will have her in isolation from the other horses for 14 days and then she will slowly be introduced into the herd of mares there.

It's early and I'm suppose to be asleep...

Please excuse my wrap job. Pretty damn good for a 6am job. Also none of my pillow wraps were the right size so I was using what I had since there there was no way around it that early in the day.

Here's the pictures I got from A of their rest breaks on the trip yesterday and one of her relaxing in her stall this afternoon in Texas.

Someone was worried about her nose getting to rubbed.