Mr. Gus' Update

Gus hasn't been featured in a while on the blog, but it's high time he got some of the recognition he so heartedly deserves.. 

From the snapshots I get of it - Gus' life certainly seems to be charmed, not that we expect anything less from the big man.

Gus in situ

From all accounts Gus seems to have life pretty well figured out.  He's got his big green pasture, perfect for snoozing and escaping any expectation of "work"

Gus is closed.  Come back later.

But there's a price to be paid for such a wonderful life.  The love of a little girl comes with some risk - particularly if there are scissors involved and "all the other horses have short forelocks"

uh oh.

Not Pleased

But the toll must be paid!

All in all, it seems like a small (although slightly tragic) sacrifice for such a good gig.

Special thanks to Gus' Mom for keeping us all informed of Gus and his many adventures.  Love that big horse!!!

Making The Right Choice - Gus

As owners we make so many choices on behalf of our big lumbering animals that they don't really get to have a say on.  Where they live, what they eat, who they hang out with, what they do all day, what they wear and when, who else gets to work with them. 

Gus, in situ

Basically our horses are screwed if we're morons, selfish, or just incapable of making good decisions.  At least our spouses, friends and bosses can fire us if we're too obnoxious - but not our sweet ponies! they are stuck with our thoughts and decisions and bless them for their patience.

This responsibility is exactly what wakes me up at night every once in a while wondering if I should try a different treatment, supplement regimen or even discipline in order to be fair to my horses, but nowhere does this guilty conscious shout louder than when I'm looking for a new home for one of my horses. 

Admittedly I haven't sent that many horses down the road - and I've sent even fewer to homes and/or owners that I haven't had a 10+ year relationship with (really just 2).

So, there was a bit of trepidation when Gus loaded on the trailer last winter bound for a new home, in a new state with new people. 

But every time I hear from his new mom about how he's doing and what he's up to, I get that huge, massive sigh of relief that only comes when you know that your beloved pony found a home better than you could give him yourself. 

Gus. Is. Great.

He's also living the life most horses only dream of.  Huge green pastures, a nice turnout buddy, and most importantly a little girl to adore him. 

I should note all of these photos are from the farm his new family just moved to, I've been choking down my jealousy ever since they landed in my inbox. 

want want want

 

Gus Heaven

Gus House :)

 

I mean, I'm tempted to move out there myself.

But I can assure you, there are no 2am musings over whether or not I did right by Gus. 

Gus. Is. Great.

Gus & His New Girl

I have been entirely delinquent in sharing Gus updates with everyone which isn't very fair since I've been lucky enough to get several myself - I'm just dropping the ball in sharing.

Or maybe a more accurate statement would be that I haven't even picked up the ball such that I might potentially drop it.  The Ball is well outside my reach and the baby always seems to be between me and the ball.

Nothing like horribly extended metaphors on a Monday!

Kisses go here

Anyway! Gus is safe and sound and adorable (as always) in his new home.  Brookledge once again delivered a quick, safe, and relatively stress free journey, and from the sounds of it, Dave the driver was about to take Gus home for himself.

Gus was a well hidden surprise for his new little girl, and as promised we have a short vid showing just how cute kids surprised with ponies really are.  She knew Gus was coming eventually.  But thought he wouldn't arrive for a few months (or what amounts to FOREVER in kid time)  This is her first meeting the big guy:



Gus has been getting lots of love and lots of snuggles.  He's dealing with a 40 degree drop in temperature with a super toasty blanket, and some snowball pads on his shoes. 

His only hiccup was a bit of more-than-normal-stiffness when he first arrived, but we think that might have been a combo of being on the truck for a few days and missing his bute.  Now that he's back to his normal routine all seems well. 

Here are a few of the pics that have been passed along, what a handsome boy he is, and more importantly, he looks happy and healthy :)

(I should have harvested some of his tail for Prairie before he left...)

Making Buddies

Gus is the best horse to be brave on

spoiled!

more spoiled!



treats go here

his new job

It's a real pleasure to see such a good horse in such a good place.  All of our horses should be so lucky.  And all little girls deserve a Gus!

Gus' Great Adventure

apologies for falling into baby-land again.... I have not been great at updating the blog as of late...eek.

First - Prair is good.  her face has a few scratches and it looks like she really bit her lip.. BUT that seems to be the worst of it, so WHEW.  I have some good rides to update on so hopefully I'll get to that shortly.

But GUS.  Oh sweet Gus. Last Friday Brookledge picked him up and he started his big journey East again.  Lucky for Gus the truck was mostly empty and he got upgraded to a Box Stall for the journey.  I spent Friday morning loving on him and trying to clean him up and shoving treats in his big beak. 

Byeeeeeeeee Gussie

One thing I enjoy about Brookledge is they are very on time and extremely courteous.  They showed up about 20 min before they said they would and happily go the van ready while I finished wrapping Gus up and getting him all ready.  They asked good questions like when I would like him blanketed as they went through cold weather and also if I had any concerns about anything or reason to suspect him getting upset or anxious.  I said he was a good boy and an easy hauler, but the driver still gave me his cell in case I wanted to call and check on him along the way.

True to Gus form he walked eagerly on the truck, stopping only to swipe a bite of hay on his way in.  he was thrilled to find a stall, deeply bedded with multiple flakes waiting for him and he set about munching happily. 

We chatted for a few more minutes before I gave him one last kiss and sent him on his way.

I knew I would be sad to say bye to Gus, but it was harder than I expected.  Mostly because this is one of the few times I've had to say bye to a horse and know that they weren't coming back.  Usually someone gets sent off on trial and in my head I'm trying not to jinx things and think that more it's more than likely that I'll see them again in a couple weeks (cough cough, Pia, cough). 

Fortunately I feel great about his new home and got the report that Gus landed safe and sound on Sunday afternoon.  I was impressed that Gus was able to basically get there in 48 hours even with all the craptastic weather crisscrossing the country.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the big guy's arrival when I get them.  But knowing that he's happy and settled and "home" is enough for now. 

"there's food in here"

Looking for one last treat
 

A New Home for Gus!

I haven't been broadcasting it on the blog yet, but behind the scenes we've been working on me admitting that two horses 90 min from each other is not a good accessory to baby.  (wah). 

(A good testament to that fact is that I'm hammering out this post while watching a slightly fussy, slightly annoyed baby squirm around in her crib.... )

So we've been quietly looking for the perfect option for Gus man, and true to blog-land fashion, this incredible little community seems to have provided the answer!

Meet Jessica.  She's a reader, mom to two (adorable) kiddos, one OTTB named Chance and a bulldog - on top of working her way toward being a vet.  

(and here I am wondering how to feed one baby, ride one horse and maybe get some laundry done....maybe.  oof)

It's Jess!

Much like myself, Jessica's horse addiction can be blamed on a grandmother who gifted well intentioned riding lessons not knowing (or maybe knowing) that years down the road some poor fool of a man would have to deal with the consequences. 

After growing up in the H/J world, Jessica stumbled back into horses as an adult when she started leasing an OOTB named Chance.  As is often the case in these lease-first-love-affairs, it wasn't long before Chance was all hers (for better or worse).

They've learned a lot together and have forged a great partnership, complete with the appropriate number of treats (and kids to dispense said treats.

Love an OTTB face

<3 td="">

Good guy that he is, Chance still isn't totally husband (or kiddo) safe, which is where Gus comes in.  Jessica's daughter has been taking lessons and starting her own horse addiction, just, without an actual horse of her own. 

(Cannot WAIT for our little girl to be holding her own lead rope, I mean CUTE)

Plus the whole family is moving to a small farm of their own in the spring (jealous) - so having a Gus to haul a husband, or a daughter (or herself!) around without a second thought is perfect.  I'm sure Chance will appreciate another old man pasture buddy too.

So that's the next adventure for Gus.  Brookledge should be picking him up sometime this week, and he should be walking off the trailer ready to surprise the kids 3 days after that.

I'm really going to miss having Mr Gus around to ride, play with and enjoy loving on - and I know M2 will miss him even more.  But knowing that he'll have kids to call his own, another old man to enjoy his pasture time with and a burgeoning vet to keep an eye on him?  well that's just better than any horse mom can hope for.  And I've learned that if you can find a better home for a horse then you can provide yourself - that there is joy in watching your horse enjoy that new home and new job (and lots and lots and lots of treats). 

We will, of course, be expecting regular updates, especially the always adorable new-horse-delivery photos.

Gus is going to be *great* at this

Retired. (or fired, or whatever you want to call it)

Frustrating news, Gus is being retired from his therapeutic riding program.  He's a favorite and lots of kids already love him, but a couple of times he's gotten rather nervous in the main ring when multiple therapy sessions are going on.  Even though he's not spooked or done anything dangerous I understand that the program has to be super conservative in preventing any possible accidents, so since Gus has displayed the same anxiety on a couple of occasions, he's out of a job :(

This is sad for me on a number of levels, but really it was so wonderful having a suitable day job for him, while also being close and available to M2 for regular love and carrots.  It's a scenario that I'm not sure I've ever be able to replicate. 

love this nose.

Knowing that Gus is out of a job in the New Year prompted some serious discussions of What To Do With Gus. 

I adore this horse, and when we took him on I promised him a safe, happy, comfortable home.  I was mentally prepared to put him down if we had to, but I hoped we would be able to rehab him.  I'm thrilled with how well Gus is doing, I'm happy with his soundness, general health and demeanor.  He's worth his weight in gold and the type of horse that would take you 10 years to find if you were looking for it.

But, he's never going to be my show horse, which means he's never going to be boarded with Prairie, and since The Boy and I have yet to find that magical farm, Gus has to be kept at a second facility.  Split horses has worked for me in the past, (at one point Prairie and Pia were 4 hours apart...) but with the kiddo I have even less time than I thought I would (I know, I know... people warned me... I just didn't listen). 

My issue with Gus not having a day job anymore has less to do with the $$ (though that's a consideration), but really my concern is not having enough time to visit him on a regular basis and give him love and care.  I'm not comfortable boarding a horse who I don't see at least twice a week when they aren't in some sort of full time training/care program. 

So, I'm trying to decide what to do with Mr. Man.  Right now the right thing seems to be to look for a care lease or a new home where he will be loved and adored and hopefully continue to get some light work. 

On one hand he's an old, lame horse - and I hear those are hard to give away. 

But on the other he's safe, trustworthy, loves to work and gives you the same ride regardless of whether you're riding him six times a week or once every six months. 

Anyway, we have lots of thinking to do.  If the right home begged for him, I'd let him go in an instant.  Putting him on Dreamhorse is going to be a painful thing so I'm not sure its going to happen tomorrow, but eeesh... I'm not sure what other options are realistic.

big frowny face.

On the upside his nail hole is healing well :)

It's Not About the Nail

... Or maybe if you're Gus it is :)

I'm sure a lot of you have seen this little clip by now, but I think its hysterical and couldn't help but think of it when Gusford shoved a nail in his beak.



Gus is doing just fine, btw.  Everything came out cleanly and he's got a tetanus shot and some SMZ's to make sure he heals well :)

You're HIRED

In my baby brain stupor I totally forgot to mention that Gus passed his job interview and is officially a working career man.  He is currently enjoying a full time job in the therapeutic riding program where he lives. 



So far the reports are glowing.  The kids and adults in the program adore him (obviously), the volunteers love working with him, and the trainers and staff think he's just the neatest horse ever. 



Clearly Gus approves of all the attention and adoration and seems to be taking it stride.  Currently he's just being used in walk/trot sessions which is probably a good, sustainable plan for him. 



He is taking his duties very seriously and seems to think that the extra energy required of him is worth all the extra hugs and kisses he's getting in return. 



More to come on the adventures of Gus as he climbs the corporate (or not so corporate, really) ladder in his new career :)

paychecks, err, treats go here.

Weight Gain - Gus' Turn

Prairie isn't the only one packing on the lbs, I'm happy to report that Gus is also finally padding his ribs a bit.

The Boy and I went to visit Gus on Sunday in order to give him a few treats and see how he looks now that he's most of his way through his 30 day trial period.

Baby was along for the ride and got her share of horse slobber as well, so really - fun for the whole family.

Magical disappearing ribs

Gus fans will be happy to know that he looks awesome.  Glossy, perky, and finally gaining some of that lost weight back.

They seriously must be bathing him every day, because that horse is CLEAN and anyone who's ever spent any amount of time around Gus know that he is a dirty, dirty gelding.

More importantly though he looks great on the lunge.  He's not miraculously cured, and you can see the stiffness more when he's traveling to the left and that RF has to swing wide, but for Gus, he looks great.  No head bob, lots of energy - all in all what I call a happy boy.  So that's encouraging.

Fingers crossed for Prair's vet visit tomorrow!

Gus's Big Job Interview

I'm behind on posts (and laundry.. and other basic tasks) but such is life with a baby I'm told.

Gus has been doing so well at his new home that I finally felt comfortable with reviving my earlier conversations with the Therapeutic Riding Center about potentially using Gus in their program.  Typically they only use horses they own outright, but I guess they have from time to time also leased appropriate horses, usually from staff members or established volunteers.

The process of being approved for use is fairly rigorous.  There's an initial interview of sorts, followed by approval by their executive committee, followed by a 30 day trial, followed by a final vote of yay or neigh (lol) before a horse gets incorporated into use.

So last week we arranged for his first interview which would include members of the staff watching me ride and videoing, then a member of the staff riding, and finally testing Mr Gus with some program like challenges.

The Gus.

 Gus was a great boy for me (no surprise).  He felt a bit stiffer than he has, but was still steady and very happy to tootle around.  We showed them our best walk, trot and canter complete with work on the contact as well as plenty on the buckle.  True to form, Gus was steady, happy and reliable.  Finally, because it's so hard not to play with Gus' buttons, we did some lateral work, flying changes and halt/canter/halts.  (so FUN).

When their staff member got on, Gus didn't bat an eye.  He stood still at the mounting block and walked off on the buckle when asked.  After about 5 min of walking and trotting, his rider politely asked if she could borrow my spurs (oops) as Gus was slowly getting lazier and lazier.  (his signature move)

Once she got the (tiniest ever) spurs on, Gus offered some lovely canter transitions and worked like a gentleman.

The next part of the interview involved attaching a lead and asking Gus to walk and trot around with both a leader and a rider.  Gus was perfectly pleased to do this.  Then they added a third person who represented a potential "sidewalker" who would offer support to some of the riders during their sessions.  Gus thought that he had just accumulated extra friends and was perfectly willing to walk around with a crowd.

They simulated some of the "spookier" things that volunteers inadvertently do (falling behind and running to catch up, dropping the lead, waving arms... etc).  Also the rider offered some tests such as falling on his neck, leaning off one side, shaking the reins, kicking, shouting, etc).

Gus was not concerned.

Finally, it was time to test his interest in some props, so his rider got off and out came a bucket of toys. Initially Gus was convinced that said bucket would be full of treats (naturally), so he was moderately disappointed when his panel of interviewers pulled out a big plastic ball to throw around.  Gus gave it a hairy eyeball, but kept his feet on the ground and watched skeptically as the ball was tossed and rolled and passed around.  After a few minutes he was perfectly willing to let the ball roll into his feet, or get tossed into his neck.  None of the other toys (rings, stuffed toys, etc) caused him any stress, though he continued to inquire as to whether or not each item could in fact be consumed as a treat.

After a few more minutes of exploration, the interview was over and Gus was told that he would be hearing from them soon.

Well, the big man got a positive review and was approved for his initial trial period which actually starts today.  During the trial period the staff basically replicates the environment and processes that Gus would experience as a program horse.  He will join some of the group sessions (with a staff rider), walk around the property and work with some of the therapists and get poked and prodded and tacked as though he had clients working with him.

After 30 days we'll discuss whether or not they think Gus would be a good fit, and if he is, we'll talk about options.  I'm not ready to let the big guy go entirely, so I think we'll be looking at a lease, maybe a partial lease depending on his workload.  Ultimately it will also depend on how much M2 wants to be using him and for me... if Prair is back in work or looking at a longer layup.  If Prair continues to be out of work I may need Gussie for some good ol saddle time.

Those Lips

Fingers crossed for Gus!

Back to the Tack

Last week M2 offered to watch the little munchkin while I got some pony time in.  physically, I've been feeling oddly normal? (I mean, aside from the obvious zombie like sleep deprivation state..) so I've been eager to get back in the saddle and get horse grime stuck under my (oddly clean) fingernails.

But this is when I'm really thankful I was able to avoid a C section (which secretly I thought sounded way more pleasant than going into labor at an unknown time and then, you know... being IN LABOR).   A friend of mine had a C about a week before our peanut was born and she's still in massive recovery mode while I (although floppy and out of shape) felt totally ok with putting my leg over Gus 2.5 weeks post baby.

Gus was way less excited than I was

I've been walking about 3 miles a day, but walking is not riding and I was curious how okay I would feel in the saddle....turns out, I felt great!  I mean,  I felt floppy and my core was crap and my legs were squishy, but that can be overcome.

Even more exciting? Gus felt awesome.  As good as he felt when we took him to that B show last year - which I think is as good as it gets for Gus  But its nice to see that all the ground work with M2 is helping keep the big guy comfy!

I was planning on mostly walking with a little trot, but Gus got a full ride in.  Shoulder in, lots of trot, lots of transitions, quite a bit of canter... it was fun! I even got a bit wild and asked for a few flying changes... Gus was, as always, an obliging gentleman.  Very fun first ride back :)

The only thing that's  not so great is that Gussie is definitely dropping weight again... which is sub-optimal.  Going to bump his hay again and see what that gets us.  Currently he's getting 5 flakes of Orchard over three feedings with rice bran and alfalfa pellets (and platinum) with his breakfast and lunch.  I'm going to throw him a flake of alfalfa with all three meals and see if that helps at all.

Excited to try and get a coulpe rides in per week.  Especially if Gus stays as sound as he is right now! Lord knows we could both use the exercise...

Baby! (and Barn visits)

Well she's here! Miss Cayla James - and in her two weeks in this world we've naturally already been to the barn multiple times.  In fact, at her two day check up when asked if we "had any questions" I got slight eye roll from The Boy when I inquired as to when it was appropriate for babies to visit barns....

Fresh out of the oven!

Thankfully our pediatrician (who's kid rides the Junior Hunters...) said that we were ok to take the little peanut to the barn whenever we wanted.  

So we did.  

Prair got the first visit last week, and we've since been to see Gus as well.  I'm not sure Baby has actually been awake when we've been visiting the ponies, but I'm sure her happy snoozing is a good sign too.  Prair was very intrigued by the baby seat and snuffled softly at Cayla, happy  to keep her muzzle resting nicely on the seat.... whereas Gus thought the stroller was perhaps some sort of dangerous monster, or at the very least competition for treats, so he remained a bit more suspicious of the whole bundle.  

Sweet Mare

So far we're having way too much fun with her, and she's been making it easy for us.  She's giving us 4-5 hour sleeps at night and really only fusses if she' starving or needs clean pants (takes after her mother...).  Her delivery was also much more pleasant than I was expecting, and I'm thinking I will be ready to throw a leg over Mr Gus later this week  Even if we don't accomplish much, I'm ready to get back on a horse already!

But otherwise, we are enjoying our time at home, lots of walks in the park and a good excuse to keep The Boy away from long hours at work.

So fun!

More on Gus and Prair shortly, they both have updates of their own to share, but for now a couple more Baby Pics for the Baby-Curious

New Family!

Nap Time with Dad

VCBH: Interested Parties

I know I keep missing a few Blog Hops from VC here and there, but I'm trying to keep up!

Her question of "what made you interested in your first horse that led you to buying them in the first place?" is a good one.  It's also relevant as I spend time watching my horses from the ground and in planning for baby there's a lot of thought around "why do I choose to do this, and what are my objectives?"

Separate question - but let's start with the real Blog Hop.

Prairie.

Prairie wasn't a total impulse buy, but she was the front runner from start to finish in my totally-rational-totally-justifiable search for a second horse.  Mostly I was getting frustrated that Pia was still at Summer Camp, and I really (really, really) wanted something I could ride regularly again and enjoy. As casual perusing turned into obsessive shopping, Prairie continued to be a top contender, and in all honestly - it was her trot that had me glued in.

I guess her canter was ok too (Pic from original ad)

I couldn't find anything else that moved like Prair without jumping to a whole new price range (possible red flag), but I ascribed most of that price gap to her total lack of experience relative to her peers.

I have always been oddly okay with taking on horses that have zero experience, (in fact, aside from the original pony, all my horses have been total green beans).  So I kept looking, I even dabbled in reaching out to some of the high end "factory farms" that pump out insanely expensive, insanely nice horses, but I kept coming back to that huge black mare with the big, floaty trot.

So we went to see her, I really liked her and after sitting on only two other horses, I decided to make an offer.

Then I got married two weeks later, found a new trailer that would fit her and the rest is history.

So the easy answer to why did I buy her?  Her Trot.  Turns out I like her personality a ton and there are plenty of other positive qualities, but really, her trot is what sold me.

Gus.

If Prairie was "sort of" an impulse buy, Gus was that pack of gum you grab at the checkout stand cause you haven't tried "tooti-fruity-space-mint" before.

Gus was not in the plans, the budget (he might still not be in the budget) or frankly on my list of "horses to own in a lifetime."  But he was in a tough spot, lame and seemed to be deteriorating daily.

We decided to take him on a "trial" of sorts in Feb of 2013 to give us time to suss out his medical issues and see if he would prove to be as bomb proof as I was hoping.  He did, and we made enough progress on his sad feet and nutrition that The Boy talked me into moving forward with him.

What attracted me to Gus initially was his personality.  He is a total clown and is very fun to interact with.  He's playful and inquisitive, but also inherently extremely lazy which makes him a fun lesson horse you can trust with beginners or say... your husband.

It didn't hurt that Gus has literally every button installed and was perfectly happy to oblige irrational requests for leg yields, half passes, tempis, etc.  He is just way too much fun to ride and very, very willing.

(crappy, but cute video of Gus from March 2013 about 6 weeks into working with him.)



We've struggled over the last year and a half to keep him consistently sound, and like many elder statesmen - there's a fine line between enough work to increase his mobility and fitness and too much work that overloads his old injuries...  For the last 6 months he hasn't been getting quite as much exercise as I would like, but hopefully I'll be back into the saddle again shortly and we can pack some muscle back on the old man.

Weekend Fixes

The Boy and I are coveting our final kid-free weekends and trying to fill (or not fill) them with as much casual lounging and time spent doing our favorite things.  Things like lazy brunch followed by barn visits and reading on the deck... the sort of things I imagine might disappear for a bit when we're surgically attached to a crying, hungry, sleepy bambino.

Saturday, I scooted out to see Mr Gus and get him started on his Power Pack.  God he's cute.  Just the cutest.  And really he isn't even that rude about his paste.  My mares always give me a huge stink eye when they see a large syringe, then refuse to accept treats afterward as though I have severely violated their trust and they will never (ever) accept another food offering from me again after that horrid, horrid, paste.

Gus however, does not hold grudges.  He scrunched up his nose with his wormer but then immediately sought out more treats.  I suppose his theory is that most things I give him are delicious, so the paste must have been a fluke and certainly the next food offering will be delicious.

Cute.

Anyway, walked him around, gave him some grass, and turned him out to enjoy the sunshine on his own before zooming down to see Prair.

Not looks as ribby as he does in my mind... thankfully

 Main trainer was down in CA judging all week (I hope she was nice to L and Ramone!) so Prair and HLL have been lessoning with the assistant (love her).  The OCD part of my brain gets anxious about mixing up the training regimen right before two weeks of showing, but in point of fact, it seemed to be a good thing for both Prair and HLL, because they both looked awesome.  Relaxed, happy, adjustable... all good things.  Prair was really holding her shape nicely in their flatwork, and they both looked mush more confident over a couple courses.  All in all, exactly what you'd hope for before packing up to show. :)

Also, I really can't emphasize how well groomed Prair is.  HLL buffs that mare to a SHINE.  It's insane.  She's soft and glossy and all trimmed up, which is more than I can say for my own efforts when I'm the one in charge of the elbow grease...

Sleepy, Shiny, Happy.

Prair ships today, and I'll join her Wednesday (fully relegated to Treat-Feeder status) for a few days of spectating and socializing.

Looking forward to completing a comparison of where we are relative to our outing at this show last year..