We moved!

I posted an update on Princess Fancy Pants's blog a couple weeks ago, but we moved from California to Oregon a few weeks ago!

The horses have settled in and are quite happy here. The horse set-up was very well thought-out. The barn has four stalls (only three in use and three paddocks) each with a paddock. At the end of each paddock is a gate that goes out to a drylot area. There is an irrigation canal through the drylot, then across that is an irrigated pasture. There are two other irrigated pastures as well. There's a (small) indoor arena, a full-size outdoor arena, and trails on the property!

I've been doing a lot of fun things with Mac - we started with a couple days in the indoor, then ventured out to the trails where we did some fun conditioning work. The neighbors behind us have a playground, a skateboard half-pipe, some tarps flapping about, a dog, and they are building a shop. That is great de-spooking stuff! The other day we were working out there and the guys were using their nail guns to put up siding and we just went along with our work.

Mac ponied Princess Fancy Pants for the first time last week. They both were great! Mac seems to really enjoy having a job to do versus going around in circles. Hes nice and forward and happy when we work on the trails. He's a great leader for ponying the pony. It is so nice to have the indoor because PFP's paddock is right outside and she can look over the gate to the arena and see us working. I use that to my advantage to work with a rope, a lunge whip, a flag, a tarp, whatever. It seems to help.

I've been working him in his new western saddle, but today I rode him in his dressage saddle to do a proper dressage school. He's been a bit fidgety in the cross ties and I'm trying to figure out why. I've been stretching him lately - don't know if that has anything to do with it (like he's asking me to help him stretch). I palpate his back and his muscles feel good. He does seem to be reactive when I curry his neck and chest (although he's always been like that). I've got to find a new vet, so when I do that I'll see if I can find a chiropractor also.

I did find a clinician who has a hackamore clinic coming up, so I'll see if I can go to that . . . if the trailer is fixed by then. A wheel fell off of the trailer the other day! Just fell off! The bolts just sheared off and the whole wheel drum rolled right away. The good news is that we were actually driving it to be serviced. The bad news is that the part they need to fix it is discontinued so they're trying to track one down online.

I haven't been good about keeping up with pictures, but now that we're settling in, I'll try to get pictures and/or video every now and then.