Not Much (plus a video)

Yeah, so Not Very Much has been happening on the horse front, mostly due to rain. We haven't done much except a little schooling and maybe a couple of lunging sessions. Allie is doing much better getting the right canter on the lunge, and is improving under saddle. I think we are super ready for lessons. I need to get off my butt and organise it!

Gracie we think has been having hormonal problems. Mood swings, cranky, very kicky when we touch her flanks and not being happy under saddle at all, very very tight tense muscles, then the next week she is fine again. We are keeping an eye on it over winter (as she will stop cycling and the symptoms probably won't show) and then readdress in spring. If the symptoms persist, then a vet visit is in order.

For the last few weeks they have been living in the stables overnight (due to the mozzie virus going around and the possibility of Easter fireworks). They took a while to settle into the routine but now that they are in the paddock at night again they seem a little offended at being left out! Pretty cute. We will probably stable them only if the weather is horrendous or if it is bitingly cold over winter. It's a lot of work! So much money spent on savings! I discovered this stuff called Struflex which is a pelleted dust reduced straw bedding. Allie is a bad stall walker and spreads her poo EVERYWHERE so I was finding it impossible to pick the poo out of the shavings even with gloved hands. With the Struflex I can use the pitchfork. I was throwing out at least a whole heaped barrow of soiled shavings from Allie's stall alone every day, (normally two!) but with the Struflex I only threw out the poo and the (much smaller) urine soaked patches. Equals about a quarter of a barrow of total waste per day. This is with her being inside for about 10 hours.

So, want to see a cute video of our girls taking it easy?

Things of note in video:

• My baby-talk horse voice. I didn't realise it was that bad...
• The traffic - see how much the girls have quietened down? No WAY would they have taken a nap while even one car was going past before we moved here!
• Look at Allie with her head on the ground in the beginning of the video. What a ham!
• Please also note that they are both ADORABLE!