In which Tristan proves he still knows how to terrify me

There is no adrenaline rush quite like seeing the barn's name on your cell phone screen as it rings. And the first few seconds of cheerful pleasantry when you really want to yell OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED IS MY HORSE DEAD?

Nope, not dead. But his left eye is a bit swollen and weepy. Not swollen shut - just with some puffiness top and bottom. He is totally blase about the whole thing, per the barn worker who called. She flushed it with saline (I don't envy her that at all, he is Not Happy about having his eyes flushed) and reports no cloudiness or overt sensitivity.

I can point to you the precise moment he got something in it, too: yesterday, in the indoor, rolling around. See, when Tristan rolls, he shimmies up and down his back too and then he lays his head on the ground, one side then the other, and drags and griiiiiinds it into the dirt. I've never seen another horse roll quite like that. Add to that his general tendency to have weepy eyes anyway (I had his tear ducts flushed some years ago to see if that was the culprit and nope, zero change) and it's not uncommon for him to get a little something in his eye, especially if he's in a sandy space like an arena or a dry lot.

There have been times when I've called the vet in for emergency appointments due to his eye. In one memorable winter he had emergency vet calls on Friday nights twice in one month. Those were bad: swollen shut, weeping and crusty. They took a few days of flushing, hot compresses, and preventive antibiotics. He was also quite clearly a little miserable.

So after many years, if he does this - comes in a bit swollen, a bit weepy, but otherwise unbothered - I don't call the vet unless there is a progression. I flush, and if I am fussed enough, do a hot compress or two.

Of course, I had just decided not to go to the barn tonight, but I know myself too well - if I don't head out and check on him I'll be a big ball of anxiety all night. Ixnay on the relaxing evening spent organizing stuff and baking...

Winter Mocks Plans

First - Hannah put up some terrific photos & video of the GMHA sleigh rally - go and check them out!

After a gorgeous day on Sunday, I arrived at the barn to do chores on Monday morning to find the vilest weather possible: mid-30s and raining. All the snow and slush had frozen solid overnight, and the water was pooling on top of the ice. It was impossible to walk with any speed. The assistant barn manager and I spent nearly an hour chipping gravel from the frozen pile at the back of the barn, shoveling it into a wheelbarrow, and then scattering it in front of the barn to try and create a path with some traction to get to the paddocks. About three quarters of the way through, the rain picked up and started blowing sideways and we reached the joint decision not to turn them out anyway.

But it was a damn fine path nonetheless.

I put Tristan's waterproof sheet on him, grabbed some hay, and put him out in the shed paddock you can see in that picture anyway. He hung out in the shed, and I checked on him every 20 minutes or so to make sure he wasn't too cold or wet or generally disgruntled. All the other horses got a turnout rotation in the indoor to stretch their legs while we did their stalls. Tris managed about 2 hours outside before he asked to come in, and he got cozied up with a cooler in his stall with some hay for a little while - and then he got his turn in the indoor to keep the baby company.

SO FLIPPING CUTE.

Baby Greta was so happy to be out of her stall she bucked and farted her way around the indoor, and Tristan even put up some antics, cantering around and following her and making some leaps through the air. I wish I'd thought to get a video of it!

When stalls were done, I settled in with a snack to watch a jumping lesson. Prince heard the crinkle of my cheese & crackers wrapper and opted out of focusing on the job at hand.

Whoops.

Then Tris got longed with his chambon and his rubber butt-thingy. I tightened up the chambon so that it would actually kick in if he flung his head into the air and after some cranky flailing, he settled in to some beautiful stretchy work. I really do like the chambon: it's the sort of thing that doesn't trap him into a particular way of going, but reminds him without harshness when he's dramatically bracing. He was even starting to soften in the canter!

Tonight, the plan was to ride and incorporate poles at walk and trot, but when I checked the weather forecast this morning I discovered that we're not predicted to get into double digits, and the wind chill is far, far below that. I'm still a bit torn but it looks like the smart thing to do will be to stay home, since it'll be too dark to hack (my preferred too-cold activity) and we won't get any productive work done in single digit temperatures. Booo.

Green Mountain Horse Association Sleigh Rally

The Green Mountain Horse Association, or GMHA for short, is a really special organization. They steward hundreds of acres of horse property in South Woodstock, Vermont, and host dressage, eventing, hunter/jumper, endurance/trail rides, and driving year-round. Their barns, offices, and other outbuildings are wonderful, and they are set in some of the most beautiful country in an already beautiful state. I've never been to another facility quite like it (and that includes the Kentucky Horse Park).

Yesterday, Hannah and I met up to spectate at the GMHA Sleigh Rally. We weren't sure what we were getting into - other than a stated goal of seeing some cool sleigh driving - but it was an incredibly special day. We saw most of the classes through the day, and I couldn't stop staring at the gorgeous horses, gorgeous sleighs, and seriously fancy outfits. I remain a bit mystified at what they were judging - class list is here, if you're interested - but it was cool to see. Some basics carry over across sport: even driving horses ran the gamut of engaged, obedient, coming through their back, etc. Some things confused me a great deal.

In short: amazing day. If you are even remotely close to GMHA - and we met people who drove 3+ hours to spectate - I can't recommend it enough. We even got lucky with the weather: sunny, clear, and no wind, comfortable weather to stand outside for 4-5 hours even if it was in the high teens/low 20s.

On to the pictures!

The last of the light. Note Hannah taking video in the middle ground. 

The streams at GMHA are pretty even in the winter.

I don't know if the above picture really captures the utter gorgeousness of that particular sleigh, and how seriously fancy the horse was with his matching not-quite-quarter sheet.

I was absolutely enthralled by the way the trailers had been modified to hold carriages and sleighs. Every one was different.

This pony's name was Mr. Wee. I am so not making that up.

Look closely. Yes, yes that is a greyhound in a top hat and Baker sheet rocking the sleigh dog class.

These guys came out of nowhere and absolutely crushed the Currier & Ives class. There were audible gasps in the crowd when they drove over from their trailer to enter the class. It was the only class they did all day, I think. They clearly came to win!

This pony's name was Edward. Look closely. There is a Corgi wearing a scarf in the sleigh.

Later, when they came back in from the cross country pace, the driver pulled him to a halt and announced loudly "That was so much fun! This is the best pony ever! I have to get out and hug him!" And so she leapt out of the sleigh and gave him a huge hug. It. was. adorable.

GO MR. WEE GO. That quarter sheet was about the size of a regular horse saddle pad.

Go and check out Hannah's blog for more photos and a video. Joan of FlatlandsFoto was there, too, and I'm sure she'll post some gorgeous stuff, so if you don't follow her on Facebook you should do so.

A Very Equine Christmas

Finally getting around to a Christmas wrap-up!

First, I got my excellent blogger gift exchange present; then I got my saddle rack (and, Tris would like to note, a bag of Meadow Mints that he is making a good dent in). Then it was time for Christmas proper!

My biggest and best present was from my parents: a Dover wool dress sheet. I had visited the Dover store in New Hampshire when I was in the area back in November, and found the sheet in his size in perfect condition in the bargain basement. It was on steep discount but still more than I wanted to shell out that day (considering I was already making a bunch of other purchases). My mother decided to buy it that day and wrap it up for Christmas for Tris. I've wanted a wool dress sheet/cooler for some time and this fits the bill perfectly AND it looks great on him!

If I were buying new I would've gotten black, but hey - the green looks good, and it was a gift and I love it!

Next horsey presents were two books from my wishlist:

Dover Horse Anatomy Coloring Book

This book is so freaking cool I almost can't stand it. It's got everything, and it's got multiple views of everything and it's all labeled to the nth degree and beyond. I had a reasonably good knowledge of anatomy and bones but wow, there are so may more muscles than I thought there were!

I had an uncle who went to massage therapy school, and I remember every night he worked on his coloring book of Grey's Anatomy to help learn human muscle groupings. Ever since then, I've thought it would be a cool idea to learn horse anatomy the same way - and now I can!

Cherry Hill's Stablekeeping

I LOVE Cherry Hill's books. I am full-on obsessive about the way she does these books: the explicit explanations, the dozens of photographs, the how-tos and the how-not-tos. Equipping Your Horse Farm was my bible when I was buying my trailer. I read it cover-to-cover multiple times, and I made photocopies of the checklists of what questions to ask when looking at a trailer and carried them around with me at all times. So I was thrilled to get this and spent a happy hour skimming through it. I'll do a more in-depth read later.


Last, the barn present to all the boarders was really sweet this year. I have been the lucky recipient of some pretty great barn presents, and every one has been great. This one is a nice combination of thoughtful and useful. (And I have to admire its clever craftiness!)

Isn't it marvelous? It was assembled from inexpensive items: a pot holder, a button, a towel, and some thread. Put all those together and you have a handy grooming cloth that attaches to a blanket bar, AND it has Tristan's name hand-stitched to the top! I love it!

More Joy Day Approaching!

Have you heard of More Joy Day? It is a wonderful thing. Read more here.

I propose we also have a horse blog More Joy Day. So, on January 9, share the joy. Post a photo, feed your horse a peppermint, tell the world about a great blog you read, donate to a horse rescue, host a giveaway, give a lesson pony a spa day, bring cookies to your trainer/barn manager, sweep the aisle, pay for someone else's coffee at the shop...you name it. Do something, anything, to bring more joy to the world.

I'll post on January 9 to share what I'm doing - I have Ideas - and if you do something awesome that day, let me know about it, ok? I'll host a roundup so we can all share in the good cheer.

So...get ready to go forth and spread more joy!