Four Mares. No Money.: Goats Love Beet Pulp

Did you know that? Because I didn't until just now. Neighbor goats went all cray-cray (only time I have said that word) for some leftover crunchy beet pulp. Huh.

And also, I think we need a drum roll, because.....I ate too much spaghetti!

No, just kidding. BACON AND PANDORA ARE HOME!!!! And I did eat way too much.

Whoa. New house!

So, Saturday the boy attempted to bring ponies home while I worked. And I paced and paced at work, imagining all of the horrific scenarios playing out in my head (someone gets stuck in the front feeder in the trailer, the boards break and legs fall through as Blake is driving down the freeway leaving me with nubby horses, etc.) and all of the girls told me it would be fine. And then I got a call from Blake saying he couldn't get Bacon in the trailer.

So after work, I rushed home to find that he had thrown her back in her pen with her shipping boots still on standing in about a foot of mud. Nice job there, buddy. I took those off, attempted to get in her the trailer, and realized that she wasn't going to fit no matter how much we wanted her to. Way to tall for our tin can two horse trailer. Plus, I don't think she had been let out of her pen for several months and it was all windy and crap, so that didn't help. I decided to lunge her, and I felt like I was flying a very large kite.

"Hey Eugene! Is this what I am supposed to be doing?"

Luckily, we have awesome friends who came to the rescue. Instead, we came out to the track on Sunday, and I got legged up on a super sweet red filly. She had been aced the previous day and was a little slow, so they thought she would be fine without any for my ride. And she would have been if I didn't have such flappy little arms...oh well. I backtracked her longer than I was supposed to, turned around and took off after the horse in front of us, then another horse, and being it was only her second day on the track I waited for her to tire. And tire she did, very quickly. Having done this A LOT last year (a tale for another day), I felt quite comfortable on a horse I had no control over with my sad little body. We galloped a lap, and parked it. We were both very tired. People laughed. I laughed.

Aaannnddd my body was done. Boy walks me back.

Then, redheadlins and friends brought a spacious three horse over, and loaded up the nervous wreck of mine, and the Pandora. Very slowly, ever so slowly, we drove to our home. I was amused when the horses arrived, saw me out of their windows, and nickered at me in what I would call a very confused tone.

They came. They saw. They rolled. And rolled. And rolled some more. Loving all of their new sand and mudless pens. I was very happy. And very exhausted.

We got us a sand pile!

The next day, I took them out after work for a good lunging in their new tiny arena. There was more kite flying. The day after, not so much. They decided they didn't like all of the hard work they had to do in the deep sad. Muahaha!

Well hello Bacon's ass. Welcome to the picture.

Today, I rode the red filly again (drugged) and she was perfect! It was so weird to me to turn a horse around and not just haul ass. I couldn't believe I was going so slow. A horse even passed me. I had to kiss at her to keep her momentum. And my legs were burnin' after! I believe that was the shortest my stirrups had ever been. I still don't feel I have accomplished this galloping racehorses thing because the only ones I can gallop successfully are drugged ones or "babies". At least I don't fall off?

That's funny. I don't remember bringing a yak home.

And for today, since the ponies have settled in so nicely, I decided to hop on Bacon and give her a good grooming session. It was wonderful! I haven't ridden this girl in a good 5 months or so, but she was great. I even suckered my dad in to taking some pictures. She also had a pedicure and a beard shave. Such a lady. (Side note: Pandora has already escaped her pen once. That is what I get for not triple checking the clip on her chain).