So Far, Safe and Sound!

Little Bear the mare arrived after 9:30PM last night. I raced to get there ahead of the trailer when I got the call that she had crossed the Throgs Neck Bridge. She showed up riding in style in a big 6 horse gooseneck from the horse shipper my trainer connected me with. The shipper was a great lady and she praised Little Bear for her calmness and good manners.

LB stepped slowly off the trailer and into the main barn where all the show horses are boarded. I wanted to groom her a bit and then see if Monty's old sheet and halter would fit her, as she arrived naked and wearing a nylon halter. She slipped right into his clothes like she'd been waiting her whole life for them.

As I worked on her, all the horses were peering out to see who the newbie was. Only one head was missing - Ruby. The old man tends to ignore things that don't concern him or the hay he's munching on. But he must have heard my voice and looked out at me. When he saw it was me, he whinnied happily at me. And when I said his name he nickered again. As soon as he did that, LB turned her head and looked at me, like she was really interested in who was handling her. I got the feeling whatever Ruby said got her interested. I quickly got a little treat for Ruby and offered one to Little Bear. She bit it in half and dropped it. I picked up the pieces and offered it to her again. This time she took it, slowly moved it around in her mouth, tasting it and then chewed it up and finished it. I don't think this girl has ever had treats before.

I took her to her new stall, tucked her in with bran mash and more hay and watched as she and her neighbors squealed it out a little for the first few minutes. Then LB decided to ignore the geldings on either side of her and focus on her food.

This morning the barn manager texted me to tell me she loves this mare! She is so impressed with her calm, sensible personality. The big test was when my trainer showed up. Good news is, he thinks she's cute, too!

Looking forward to getting to the barn this afternoon and playing with the mare. Hoping I get to ride, too. The weather is less than great and I don't think she's ever been in an indoor riding arena! Maybe I'll get a few pictures with my cell phone, too.

Feel the Fear - Do it Anyway

She's coming.

Today.

I'm freaking out.

Scared.

Thrilled.

Hopeful.

I took this chance, please let this be wonderful.

Welcome "Little Bear".

WarHorse - a refresher

After my post yesterday mentioning the play WarHorse, I went back and I found my blog post from almost 2 years ago when I first heard about this production. Reposting it here with links (which hopefully still work) to keep everyone up to date!
SolitaireMare's blog post about WarHorse

WarHorse and the mare

I had the pleasure of seeing WarHorse a week ago on the first night of previews of it's run on Broadway at Lincoln Center. If you love animals and in particular if you love horses you can't help but be moved by this drama. The music is beautiful and stirring and the equine puppetry is more breathtaking in person. It was a full house and I had gotten great orchestra seats. We were sitting close to the aisle. At one point in the play, the horse Joey is led up the aisle and away from the stage - he walked right past our seats! How cool to see him so close!

By the end I was crying. I was one of the first in our section to stand up for the ovation and here I am clapping and tears are streaming down my face. I had dreamed of seeing this show from the very first times I'd heard about it. It was magical to finally have that wish come true! I'm planning on buying tickets for after the show officially opens to compare what I saw in previews to the "official" performance.

And the mare that On The Bit and I checked out? She's getting her spring shots and a coggins pulled. As soon as all that is cleared from her vet, she will be coming here for a pre-purchase trial. I am happy and yet scared, too. It's getting closer...

When Horse Bloggers Meet!

This weekend had the potential for yet another depressing blog post. On Saturday, my labrador puppy was hit and killed by a car when he escaped our fenced back yard. The poor goofy guy never made it to his first birthday, which is this upcoming Wednesday. My husband was devastated and I can tell he's still feeling very bad. My kids are sad and asking too many questions. My parents are upset.

I'm numb.

I had a "go see" meeting scheduled for Sunday in NJ to check out a young horse. I didn't know if I should cancel, or just go anyway. The ad for this horse was sent to me from On The Bit over at "A Horse and a Half ". She's sent me ads for horses before and this time I asked her to come on over and help me check out this horse. I figured having her there and getting to actually meet her was worth the trip, even if the horse wasn't suitable for me.

It was a pleasure meeting her! She's said before it feels like we've already met and know each other and in a sense, that's true. She writes so often and so well, I completely relate to her involvement with horses and it was so comfortable and familiar talking with her about this prospect. It felt as if we'd checked horses out before. She has a good, critical eye and we agreed on things we saw. She took video of me riding the horse and we critiqued it together.

As for the horse? She was cute, green and a definite maybe. It seems I've been offered a chance to bring this one in on a trial basis. I am working towards that, now. So many things to coordinate to bring a horse into your life and it still may not be "the one"!