Gus' New Bachelor Pad

Man, for not riding, it sure seems like lots has been going on with the horses for the last couple of weeks.. P sold, Prair went lame and Gus got a brand new home!

Last week I ventured up to D's to retrieve Gus from his lavish country life of big green pastures and fun trail rides.  It was just time for him to get close again and it's been more than a year since D has been without the burden of at least one of my horses, so at some point it's good to not impose constantly :)

Gus moved to a great facility that's literally 15 minutes from my house and a whopping 3 miles from M2's.  That basically means that Gus gets more treats and more attention than he deserves, but he's certainly not complaining :)

The farm is primarily run by a Therapeutic Riding program that I used to volunteer with and manages about 30 (?) horses for their use.  They have a second aisle of stalls that, until recently, was occupied by a local H/J trainer, but since thheir new facility is finally finished - those stalls have opened up to general boarders and cute horses like Gus.

Gus gets a nice big stall on the end, with a nice big window along with a nice paddock that he goes out in from 7 till 2, every day.  There is one indoor ring reserved for the boarders exclusively, and another indoor and outdoor ring that the program utilizes during the week, but boarders can use on the weekends. 

Perfectly picturesque

Finally, there's an old racetrack leftover from a former life that is open to walk/hack on which is kind of a fun alternative to trotting around in the small indoor... (Gus likes it, though he could do without the geese nesting in the infield).

The entire vibe at the place is just so chill, everyone is friendly and all of the employees and volunteers are there because they love the horses and they love the program.  So far it's been a very easy culture to integrate with.

We haven't been there for long yet, but his stall has been spotless, (clean, dry, plenty of new pellets, scrubbed water buckets etc.) and he's settled in to his new routine nicely.  The proximity makes it easy for me to bop out to see the old man, and I think it'll be a great long term fit!

Enjoying the sun in his paddock (after a small fight with the electric fence)

There is a possibility that Gus will get to "work" in the program a bit, but I want to spend a few months with him first, evaluating his leg, and seeing how he does with some low key regular work.