First, my apologies for the silent blog – I can’t believe I let two and a half months go by between posts. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head, but I just haven’t been able to sit down and write. Kelsey, the Amazing Super Working Student (yea, that is her official job title, especially after this weekend) is back, so I will be able to find the time to blog more consistently.
The big, time-absorbing event– we moved!!! I’m very excited about our new place. We have 23 stalls, indoor and outdoor arenas, and –drum roll please – 24 acres of pasture divided into everything from tiny paddocks to a big, 8 acre field. This is the best turnout I’ve had in Pennsylvania. I can offer horses whatever they need – whether they need a small, don’t-run-and-hurt-yourself postage-stamp sized paddocks, or a rolling hill to stroll up-and-down and strengthen their stifles. I can customize my turnout as much as I already customize the grain and the stall choice.
Our new location is at 9 Lyon’s Run Road, Glenmoore, PA – less than a mile from Journey’s End (we seriously considered hacking the horses over, but one section of road lacks a shoulder, so we decided to travel in trailers). Banbury Cross has been there for a number of years, and when they relocated to Journey’s End, I jumped on the chance to grab the facility.
This move, compared to the move from Red Bridge, was rather uneventful. Tylene only showed up for a few brief moments (and again, my apologies to anyone who happened to be around during those moments. I really shouldn’t let hoses get me that angry….). Cheryle actually gets a lot of credit for keeping Tylene at bay. She asked everyone to direct questions her way, instead of to already-overloaded Ange. This let me focus on what I needed to focus on – getting horse management set up and horses settled.
Before I begin describing the move, a huge thank-you to everyone who helped– you are special people to brave helping me with this move coming so soon after the last one. You guys rock.
After Cara and I finished the training on Friday, Kelsey, Cara, Amy, Shelly, Cheryle, and I moved the bulk of the training equipment, medical equipment, extra blanket storage, fans and feed room, and set up the stalls. Saturday, Cara and I moved the horses in the morning while Kelsey, Amy, and Joyce cleaned out our stalls at Journey’s End. In the afternoon, while students were moving their trunks and equipment, Cara, Linda, Kelsey and I brought over the wheel barrows, tools, water tubs, and all of the other things that couldn’t leave Journey’s End until the horses did. Kelsey and I spent Sunday putting things away and creating systems to keep everyone’s stuff organized. And--brace yourself—Sunday I actually rode my horse. This contrasts sharply to the 5-day riding dry-spell I had when moving to Journey’s End. Riding is Prozac for me, so once I got on Venus, the manic voices in my head settled, and I started to be able to see clear pathways through the workload.
We have a lot of work to do to get the place up to where I want it, but the basic framework is in place. The wash rack in the indoor arena has some flooding issues, the fences need to be Karison-proofed, and I need to buy a fun motorized toy to make mucking, watering, and moving hay easier. And the whole place could benefit from a paintbrush, but with so many offers of help from students, I think a pizza/beer/painting party may be in the future.
The horses have already settled. By Saturday night, only our hot-potatoes were unsettled. By Sunday, they all acted like they have been there for years.
Linda was popping photos like a paparazzi, so hopefully I’ll have a photo-blog soon.
Happy riding,
Ange
Ange
No comments:
Post a Comment