Mr. Fuzzy Ears

A little bit ago I went out with my phone and took some pictures of mr. fuzzy ears. It was a sunny day and I think the round pen was wet to I couldn't do anything with him. Right after I took these pictures, I let him out to graze right outside his yard. I had put up the white fence so then I would leave his main gate and another section open. Allowing him to go back in if he wanted to. Which, a few times he ran back in. =)   

                                                            Mr. fuzzy ears himself!

                                                                ~Day dreaming~
 (I love this picture!)

                                   "Did you get the picture, or should I look back again?"

                                                   A little blurry but a unique picture.

 He wants out so bad! He would undo the gate if he could! ;) Sometimes he stands there and knocks the gate trying to get it open.

This was a few weeks ago so he is now a lot less fuzzy. He's shiny now! I will get a post up with more recent pictures real soon!

Guess What?? I'M SO EXCITED!!

I am so excited to tell you guys this! I got a round pen! What does that mean? That means; I have a confined area for the first time ever to work Chester in on our property, I can work him more often, we will both be safer, I can work with him in more ways now, and my wild pony can use up his energy!!!

                                                                        Here it is!

                                                                          It's 40 ft.

                                       It's used but really nice!! I'm so happy and excited!
Every time I think about the stuff I can do with him in the round pen, I get excited! I can now work with him loose and don't have to have him on a lead or lunge line.

                           When the sun starts a shining, this round pen's gonna get a lot of love! =)

 Here is a picture so you can see how it is relative to the other parts of the our yard. That's the garden fenced in over there. 

                             Here, I'm taking the picture from up on the hill that our house is on.

 Now, I'm down by it looking back up there. I was standing on the hill to the right of the house. You can see a little bit of Chester's fence and barn up there.

                                                                Lovely round pen!!
    (Oh, that's our play house over there to the right.)

 When we got home, Chester came over to his fence and watched us unload the round pen from the trailer. Then he stayed out there when we set it up. He's one smart horse!
We are planning on putting sand in it. But we're taking it one step at a time! =)

Day Eight and Nine

Day Eight- A little about the barn/stable you are at.  

I am very happy to say, I keep my horse at home on our small farm. He has his own shed/little barn. It's a two stalled barn- with an open stall for him and a tack/feed stall. It was custom made by my dad and me, so it fits us both for our sizes. (If that makes sense.) So if I was another foot tall I would have duck to get into the tack room and also Chester wouldn't fit too well if he was a 16 hand horse. = )
We both love it and Chester stays nice and dry through our wet winters. Sometimes he doesn't even come off his rubber mats. When I feed him he will manage to turn around to say hi, turn and have his head in front of the feed stall door, and then turn back into his stall with out touching the mud. Pretty smart. = )

He has a small yet good sized yard. Mostly fenced in with wood fence but still some electrical fencing, as we haven't finished the wood one yet. He respects both types of fences; which is nice.  

 In the summer I put him out in our field, we have a small one closer to our house and then a big one farther out. I usually have him in the closer one because when he's out in the farther one he is icealated from everyone and doesn't like that. Which, I could work through that but there is plenty of grass in the "First Field", as we call it.

Here is the most recent picture I have of our horse barn.

                      This is from down the hill a little bit. On the path that go's to the main gate.

I wanted to show you guys what it looked like when we first got Chester. It was definitely cleaner and there was no mud! = )

We hadn't finished the upper door on the tack room when we got him.

                                             A couple hours after we brought him home.

He didn't want to walk on the rubber mat. So we took his hay out of the feeder and put it closer to him. This was hours, well maybe one hour, after we got him.

                         Then some pictures from last spring when we added on more roof.

                                                              Further down the hill.

                                                               A little up the hill.

                                              You can see the goat barn below, there.

      I love this picture- Chester's like, "Are you done taking pictures? Can I please eat in peace?!"



Day Nine- Any injuries you've gotten from riding

I haven't gotten any injuries from riding and I hope that I never get any serious ones. = )
Or any at all for that matter! lol  

Smart Or Too Smart?

We have been working on Chester's wood fence up by his barn. It is looking great and it's so much safer than the white electrical one we have been using; which is not charged at the moment because the battery ran out and we haven't recharged it. Thus I am really liking the wood fence right now. We even put in a little man gate! Though, right now I find it easier to just slip through the fence. I'll come around some day and start using the gate like a proper person. = )
I took down the part of the electrical fence that used to run along where the wood fence now is. I had some extra white fencing (pictured below) so I decided to run it back up along the fence line, at the far side of his yard.
I was going on a trip and I thought that that might intimidate him if he spooked in that direction and it would also just get the fence out of the way.
Well, when I go back from my trip, I noticed that the grass in between the main fence and the extra fencing was eaten. I figured my dad had moved the fence for Chester to eat. A couple days later, I looked up the hill and saw Chester leaning over the fence and eating that area. I guess he figured since I put the fence further that he was allowed to eat that grass. Hmmm, smart or too smart? I'd say too smart! = )

You can see in this picture where I looped the fence up.

 

And here you can see the section he ate. I think it is so funny! He didn't eat on that side of the fence until I put the other section of the fence up. 

Also for other new news, we took Chester out for the first time last week. I was very excited and nervous about how it would all go. It proved to be a time of, learning, getting more experience and proving that I have a great horse!
The trailer we got has a ramp which, after loading and unloading Chester a few times, it seems he doesn't really like. But, on we go!
I was nervous about Chester seeing other horse after not seeing any for a year and a half. Guess how he did? Fabulous! But then again, he is 17 so he has more experience with other horses then I do! = )

    I am taking ground work lessons right now. (One down, second one this Wednesday) Then hopefully in September some time start riding lessons.
I am so excited to be working Chester, doing things with him and both of us learning!
One of the best things we get to do is work in a big, safe, dry, covered, sand arena!!! I also am with other horse people that totally understand horses and understand how to handle them. And they are also working on things with their horses- which means...... I am in the horse world!!!! I can barely believe it!! It is sooo cool! It is truly a blessing from the Lord.

Going back to few hours before we left to Shadows Equestrian Center, I made sure I brushed Chester extra good! I even put conditioner in his tail and a little bit in his mane. I mean, I don't want them to think I am country girl with her back yard pony do I? Oh wait....that is what I am! Oops! = )
 I took some before and after pictures of his tail. (Just so you know, brushing his tail is my least favorite grooming task.) 

Before...

Before...

                                       Some leave-in conditioner with some/a lot of brushing!

Ta-da!

Done!

 After! I think it is much better, plus, he smells good! It doesn't quite smell natural for a horse but it's fun while it lasts!

Do you guys have any suggestions for keeping a tail clean? And a really long tail at that!

Thanks for horsin around with me!