Bad News Bears...

So a little bit of bad news (don't worry, it's not too bad)...

#1. I dont have pictures of Santana's new kicks. When Nelle (pronounced Nelly) came to do her feet last Saturday, there were a million things going on at the barn. There were lessons going on and people everywhere. Couple that with the fact that the weather had been bad a few days prior and Santana had been kept up in her stall and you get one very impatient horse! She did NOT want to stand still and was being pretty ornery! So, we ended up putting a twitch on her to help her relax and remind her to behave. A twitch is a device that is placed on the horse's upper lip and tightened. This doesn't really hurt the horse, it does 2 things really. One, it gives the horse something else to focus on other than whatever they think is bothering them and two, it actually releases endorphines to the brain and calms them. She had obviously been twitched before because she put up ZERO fight and she was a different horse once it was on!

Here is an example of a twitch on a horse:

I will get pictures next time! PROMISE!

#2. Danielle and I didnt go look at the horse, Lilly, last weekend. The lady who is keeping her was playing phone tag with Danielle and Saturday came and went. The good news about this is that Danielle finally talked with the lady and we are going to look at Lilly this Saturday! So I should be able to get pictures, maybe even a video, of them this weekend!

As far as updates with Santana go, she is still doing very well. I rode her last night and Julie was commenting on how much muscle she has gained in the last month.

If there is ever a time where she is not a complete mudball, I will take some updated pictures and post them!

It's been a long time...

So it's been a little while since I have posted on my blog, I need to keep up with that!

The weather hasn't really been cooperating with Santana and I lately. Last week it was rain, rain, rain and this week it's a combination of the leftover rain and it is coooooooold! Brrr! Santana's water buckets freeze over several times a day, which reminds me that I need to look into getting at least one heated water bucket. Who would have thought we would need that in Texas?

I noticed last weekend that Santana was losing a little bit of weight. Probably due to her workout regimen which, until this week, has been a steady 5-6 days a week. Prior to me owning her, she wasn't getting regular workouts. It is also probably due to it being winter time as well. So we increased her hay intake in the hopes that this will keep weight on her. She seems very happy about this!

Nelle is coming on Saturday to trim/re-shoe Santana. I will try to snap some pictures during this process, so I can share that with everyone.

I am also excited about Saturday because Danielle (which is a girl that feeds at Trinity River Farm) is going to look at a horse. The horse is named Lilly and belongs to my husband's Aunt and Uncle. Lilly was given to them by a friend and they never ride her, so they have decided that they would like to find a good home for her.

First, a little background about Danielle and her situation. Danielle rescued a horse at the beginning of December, just before I got Santana. Delia was an older horse, but Danielle after she brought her to the farm and had the vet take a look at her, Danielle found out that she was older than they had originally thought, around 24 years old. So Danielle took it very easy with her and she was mostly a companion animal.

Well about 2 weeks ago, I got a phonecall from Julie, the owner of the farm, saying that I would need to come and let Santana out of her stall because Danielle had to trailer Delia to the vet. It was New Years Day, so I was very worried. I text Danielle and asked if everything was ok. She replied that she had made the decision to put Delia down. Apparently, Delia was unable to pass food down her throat. The vet tried to do a scope (this is when they try to stick a camera-like thing down the throat to find out what the problem is) and when they did the scope, Delia's esophagus ruptured and she began bleeding heavily.

So, this was obviously a very sad thing for Danielle. She has come to grips with the fact that she did the right thing for Delia and she is ready to move on from this.

SO....I told her about Lilly and she is excited to meet her and see if they will be good for each other!

We are going together on Saturday (hopefully) to look at her. Again, I will try to get some pictures!

New Year!!

I hope everyone had a fantastic New Year! My husband and I met several friends at another friend's house to ring in the New Year. It was a ton of fun!

So now on to the important stuff, Resolutions! (I will keep mine mostly geared toward Santana for this blog)

1. Save Money! This is definitely on my list this year. My husband and I have some small debts that we want to pay off in the next 6 months or so. We are looking at selling our house this year in order to build a new one, how exciting!

2. Get Santana in shape! My little girl will be 5 years old this month, but she still looks a little like a baby! Time for her to grow some muscles and stop getting winded after a 10 minute workout (me too!)

and lastly... (I don's want to set my goals too high for her this year since she is such a newbie)

3. Attend at least one schooling show with Santana! A schooling show is exactly what it sounds like. It's where you can trailer your horse to a show and just school them around so they can get used to the atmosphere and requirements of what a "real" show would be like. Schooling shows are a great opportunity for horses (and riders like myself who have been out of the groove for a while) to gain experience without the stress (and financial burden) of a "real" show.

Anyone else have any Resolutions they want to share?