Apology City

I feel like such a walking mess. In my transition back to living at home during summer, moving horses, getting serious with Stella's training, trying to find a job, finding a job, getting really screwed over with that job, leaving that job and finally getting back into my element by working 35 hours a week at a really nice, 40 horse stable, I'm literally feeling like the walking dead.

Ernie and Stella haven't been neglected by any means, but I feel like I haven't been able to give them the attention I want. The pasture they go in has a brook running through it, and so they are muddymuddymuddy when they come in at night. I think I spend more time grooming than riding and long-lining. Oh, and taking care of all the scraps and cuts they've been getting. I don't know where or how, but they are coming in with new ones on their legs all the time, and it's starting to piss me off. The guy who owns the barn is in his 70's and an old school horse guy (you know, the "run 'em 'till they're tired/oh, a little separation won't hurt 'em/they can tough it out" type of trainer), and he isn't too concerned about most of my complaints. The horses seem happy enough; they're out from 6AM to 7PM every day, get lots of grass and nice, deeply bedded stalls at night. However, the guy insisted on cutting back Ernie's hay because he's been leaving some. I told him no, no we will not, because he already lost a little weight and since he refuses to feed him 3 times a day, I don't want to up his grain. He also has automatic waterers outside; no a huge deal, except Ernie CANNOT grasp the concept of an auto-waterer. He won't drink from one (it doesn't help that these ones, are, well, not as clean as I'd like). So I'd been leaving a bucket of water out for him; the last thing I need is for him to not drink for almost 12 hours. Well, the guy didn't like this, and said he would never learn to drink from one unless he had no other choice. Uh, wrong. No, no, no!

I don't subscribe to the "tough it out" care method very often. Rarely, actually. Especially with Ernie. He's almost 30, for Christ's sake. If he hasn't earned the care he prefers now, when the hell will he earn it?

Stella is doing SO GREAT, by the way. I started long-lining her before I came home for the summer because the lady who owns the barn I'm at during the school year is a excellent ground trainer and has started a bajillion young horses. She's happy to have a new job, and I can tell she's going to be easyeasyeasy to start under saddle...which, by the way, is happening today! I'm going to sit on her for the first time ever, which for me is a totally foreign concept. I'm so used to riding horses whom someone else has broke and started, and who come with all their own issues. For the first time, I will be starting my OWN horse, with a clean slate and no previous issues to speak of. Super, super excited. Pictures will be coming.

Ernie is doing well. I've scaled back his training; he's become very tired, lately, and also really, really unhappy when I put leg on. I don't know if he's developed ulcers or what's going on, but he has been pinned ears and uptight when I apply leg in certain spots. And the up transitions to the canter? Forget it. They're OK, but nothing to brag about. The down transitions are fantastic, however.

I have more to talk about. There's been so much that's happened in the past couple months, it's going to take a while to get it all down.