Cold again

The calendar says its Spring but the temps are not. At least the cold won't be hanging around too long, April 1st is next week!
No horse work today, spent time cleaning (at least trying) the paddock. I think it looks a little better.
I really miss hearing the rooster crow in the morning. David is surprised that he does too. :(

3rde day of bridle work

Spent a few minutes working with the bridle again. Didn't go as well today, but ended well. More resistance today than the last 2 days. Just a learning curve, will work again in a couple of days.
Sad day at the barn. Found my rooster dead in the hen house, 2 chickens gone. My mother in law heard a fisher cat outside her window 2 nights ago. David saw a mink 2 weeks ago. My guess is the fisher, need to contact a professional who can come trap for me.

Bridle work

I spent some time with Chance yesterday. We did some bridle work and it went very well! After a very short time he actually opened his mouth and took the bit on his own. He has never done that before! I have always had to play with his mouth and stick my thumb in there so he would open it and then put the bit in.
One other thing, I had taken him out of the paddock to work. I found Scruffy in the middle of Deering Ridge Rd watching us. Not a safe place for him to be! I called him a couple of times but he didn't come to me. He is a little afraid of Chance now since Chance chased him across the paddock. So I told Chance we HAD to go get him before he got hit by a car. We left the yard and ended up chasing Scruffy home. Chance went with me without any hesitation leaving his home and Pilot behind. He never even took a second glance! When Scruffy was safe and I gave Chance a minute to stand and look around I decided it was time to go back. Pilot was getting upset that Chance was gone and Chance handled it wonderfully!
I'm so grateful the vet found the lyme and that Chance has been treated. He is a different horse now, he feels good and can think straight! We are off to a great start this Spring.

Spring training began today

I decided it was a good day to start getting Chance ready to ride. The footing is horrible as the snow is melting and the paddock is full of mud, ice and manure. So with a limited area to work I decided it was a perfect time to start with the bridle. We did about 5 minutes of work. I was set up to put it on him, but only held the bit in front of his mouth, then down by his chin. He pulled his head away once pretty hard and held his mouth shut tight. So I played with his mouth to help him relax, scratched his chin and made it as pleasant as I could. I took it away a couple of times then put it back just getting it ready to put on, but never did. In about 5 minutes he took a deep breath and gave a big sigh and lesson 1 was over. I think the 1st step is really getting him to relax and be okay with the bridle again before it goes on and the bit goes in his mouth.

Scruffy Graduates

Spring officially starts in a few days!

So does clean up from the winter. It's amazing what was hidden under all that snow. It's still melting and I can't believe how many wheel barrows of manure are waiting to be picked up. But it's okay! The weather is beautiful and the temps are rising.

2nd Lyme Test

The results of Chances 2nd Lyme test were good. The vet said the numbers are significantly lower, meaning the treatment worked. So unless he becomes symptomatic again we just do what we are doing. :)

More snow and cold

So it's March now, Spring really is right around the corner. We will be changing the clocks soon and Maple Syrup Sunday is this month. I find myself really struggling to stay up beat after cleaning up after another storm and hearing that the temps tonight and tomorrow night will be around 0. I'm hearing the same thing from lots of other people, everyone is tired and craving some sun and some warmer temps. I think I'll go to bed early tonight to avoid adding crankiness from a lack of sleep to how I feel. I skipped Scruffy's training tonight, just not up to it. The warm day on Friday was so nice, but the energy it gave me has run out. Tomorrow is another day!