room for ravers

Last Tuesday afternoon we found this note on our chalkboard. Apparently, Sovereign had snuck into the barn again and left a message for my mom. She had a great ride on him in the morning! Yes, it is true - she is back riding! She fell off on July 31st, and she phoned me Tuesday morning and said that she was ready to get back on. I wanted her to stick to riding inside the pastures, so we took a few turns in there first. Then, she said that she wanted to go back out. Out we all went and the horses were wonderful for us. It was a gorgeous sunny September day and we rode around the field and back. I think Sovey really liked that she rode him again.

Other exciting things were happening at Honeysuckle Faire this past week. We got our new "Paddock Paradise" pastures that I posted about last April. They aren't quite as elaborate as I outlined back then, but they do include two shady inlets in our field. These areas were lovely riding vistas, with shade in the summer and wind barriers in the winter, but since the horses are outside 24/7 now, they need the diversion and protection. In addition, the inlets are not visible from the old pastures which should encourage more movement.

All our fences have been installed by a company called Pro-Fence from nearby Shippensburg, PA. They do an amazing job and are very patient with me and all my horse-specific requirements.

This is the small inlet that I wanted to fence for windbreak and sun protection. The space was too narrow, but lovely. Pro-Fence cleared the area for me to make a perfect natural "shed" for the horses.

I haven't turned the horses out yet. I hope to introduce them to the new space on Monday. They have been ridden in that area millions of times, but it will be different and exciting for them to be free out there, I think! I will try to capture their reactions in photographs.

My farrier trimmed their feet on Friday afternoon and was complimentary about the condition of their hooves. This was shocking to me because I had completely forgotten to show up for their last trim appointment on August 4th. Somehow, I thought my appointment was scheduled for the end of August. I think I forgot because their feet looked so good throughout August. When I phoned and learned that I had missed an appointment, I asked Travis if he had trimmed them anyway because their hooves looked so good! I think he thought I was nuts until he saw them on Friday. Continual movement is supposed to promote healthy hooves and natural wear. I am impressed so far.