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It’s hot out, and irrigation came, so horses are pretty bored in their stalls. I made up one of those horse popsicles going around Facebook with the electrolyte water, apples, and carrots.
Next time, I’ll hang it over a feed bucket. Most of the electrolyte liquid was wasted, and a few of the carrots and apples hit the ground, too. I think they’d be just as amused with just frozen electrolyte water, honestly.
Today we put on a halter and a lead rope!
We walked around the arena and practiced whoa, walk on, and trot. She whoa’s fine, but I lose her attention – it’s a grass arena. Not bad for a first attempt, though.
I’m just hanging out in baby horse’s stall, sitting on a bucket, watching her eat and drink. She turns to me for scratches and pats and attention constantly. She’s very friendly and curious. I got super lucky with this one!
Today I brought a mallet out to show the baby horse. She was totally unfazed by it.
Today is the day! My 2.5 year old White River NV mustang has arrived. 18188707 is officially home forever today. The BLM gathered her in November, 2019 from the White River area in Nevada in what would be one of the last gathers made. All remaining White River mustangs have been rounded up and there is no herd in the wild there any longer.
They say a picture is worth 1000 words, and today, this is probably the biggest understatement ever uttered. I’m here at the Van Dickson ranch, home of the Skull Valley Polo Club, about to enjoy chukkers and a bbq on my own horse, in my own tack, with my own mallets and helmet, and all of it. I’ve really, finally gotten started!
It was an agonizing decision – for some seemingly very vague reason now – to board my horse up here. But here she is, looking so relaxed and settled in, and absolutely ready to go play some polo!
I actually got to play her up here last Sunday, but it was her first day in the barn, and she was very high strung. Honestly, all the horses were that day. It was pretty breezy also. During stick and ball warm-up time, she felt great. It was everything I imagined my horse on grass to be! She was hard to control in the first chukker, and jumpy around the other horses, though, once play started. I was pretty scared and traded horses for one of David’s. Unlike last weekend, I survived both chukkers on Cali, today. She’s still way too much horse for me, but she was much more relaxed about things, and though the fast was way too fast, it wasn’t impossible this time. I managed to hit the ball a couple of times, and carried it down the field a time or two.
Also, I baked cranberry, caramel apple hand pies for the BBQ.
She is from White River, Nevada. I’ve been approved to adopt by the BLM, and she is being TIP trained until July 1. She’s about 2.5 years old. Her tag number is 8707.
Here are some pictures of the herd gathered from White River.
Seaman-White River roundup update: 172 total wild horses captured, 2 killed
Here at Steve’s with Calli, and we rode ’til I couldn’t feel my legs, and my arm couldn’t hold the mallet up, had a bath, and now, we are just relaxing in the grass, enjoying the absolute pleasure of today. Like, life is good.
- if [ $BITBUCKET_BRANCH == 'master' ]; then
- echo "We are on master"
- fi- >
if [ $BITBUCKET_BRANCH == 'master' ]; then
echo "We are on master :)"
else
echo "We are not on master :("
fiRecently, I’ve bought horses — three of them. Wildfire is 20 years old, a grade horse, and about as sweet and gentle as you could imagine a horse being. Henderson is 11, an OTTB, and Mina is 8, also an OTTB.
Next month, I’m moving into a ranch house with a barn, where I’ll get to live with these guys. Right now, they are stabled at a barn near my current house.
I’m excited, and terrified.
