MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!

These new templates on Blogspot are making me crazy, so I moved to

http://sundayhorse.wordpress.com/

Graze in the shade! Especially when it's 95 degrees!

My horse is no dummy! When it's 95 degrees out, and he's not in the field with the ponds, or in the run-in, at least he has the good sense to graze in the shade. There was actually a nice breeze when I was there tonight. I'm so disappointed that I'm not feeling better, faster. I'm going broke paying for hoof trimming - I'm so used to doing it myself!!! He's also still got that golf-ball sized swelling (that's not been warm) on his leg, so it's good that I can't ride for another month or so. Jill says that it bothers me more than it bothers him... he's trotting and cantering in the field (usually after getting bitten by something!) and he's not limping... Dawn has Hoppy coming out Monday, so I'm anxious to see what she thinks about it. Unfortunately, I'm back to work, so I can't be there when she works on him. Figures, right?

I can't ride for another month or two...

But I can visit! Almost sunset at Tory Hill.

I have to mention my other critters though - Bauer and Rumor, the Ridgebacks. They're both Therapy Dogs who volunteer at Children's Hospital in Philly. Well, they are going to give us trading cards of our dogs to give to the patients, so each dog had to do a photoshoot.

We arrived at the Abramson Building's cafeteria, for headshots. Bauer, my nearly 11-year old, went first. He was a trooper as usual. They wanted to go outside for some action shots. I told them that he's an 11 year old dog, it's 95 degrees, he's not going to have much action in him! They got him to run a couple strides, but for the most part, he just chilled... because that's how Bauer rolls...

Then I brought Rumor over for her turn. Rumor's almost 4, but she acts like 4 months. She is shy at first and warms up fast... sort of like the shy girl who has a drink and then is dancing on the bar! She didn't disappoint! She went right over to Bauer and started to wrestle with him! They got some pretty good shots, then wanted to take Rumie inside for her headshots. She was a perfect little imp for her headshots, then they wanted to do a few action shots of her. Because I didn't want to let her off-leash in an un-fenced area (I can trust Bauer, can't trust Rumie though!), we took her up to a bridge that connects two of the buildings. She was really good for her first elevator ride! We walked to the bridge and she ran back and forth between some of the Hospital PR staff and me, and was really a good girl. What made me most proud happened at the end of the shoot... they have a glass circular staircase with granite steps that winds from the second floor to the lobby. I thought it was something we might not ever encounter again, and there were so few people around, I thought it was a good training opportunity. With lots of praise, she handled that glass staircase like a champ!!!

Way to go, Bauer and Rumor!!!!!

I haven't been blogging much; I'm concentrating on my healing after this stupid surgery (from here forward, a period of time to be known as "the bad dream"). Once I was allowed to drive again (4 weeks post-op) the first place I drove was to the barn. I've been there just about every day since. I cannot ride until August or September, which is really disappointing, but on the bright side, it's been too stinking hot to ride anyway.

Daniel has gotten really attached to Granit, the mare whose leaser refers to her as "Daniel's Bitch." She calls him if I take him away, and as in the video above, he calls her when he's away. I've never seen him this attached to any other horse. It must be love! :-)

But, they're smart old horses: using the ponds in their field to cool off and spending lots of time in the run in sheds, especially the one with the front and back access that Daniel seems to LOVE. The funniest thing to watch is when they go in the pond to cool off, then roll in the grass at the pond's edge, pick themselves up and canter back to their run-in... the ground shakes as they tear by!!!!

I may not be allowed to ride for another month or so, but I am sure that I have the cleanest tack in Delaware County! I've been sitting in a chair, watching my horse in a breezy spot and cleaning tack a lot of afternoons. That's all ending though... back to work on Monday. The doctor cleared me to be out until August 2, but I'm supposed to go on vacation on August 5, and I feel terribly guilty working 3 days after being out 8 weeks... so I'm going back 2 weeks early, but my boss is letting me work from home 3 or 4 days a week... going into the office for minimal "face time."

Visited Daniel

I still can't drive, so my mom drove me to the barn. I saw Daniel grazing in the pasture off the barn (AKA fat camp for him, Granit and Charlie) and called his name. His head shot up and he cantered to the barn. He ran straight up the outside barn aisle trying to find me. I didn't do much, in fact when I saw Jill, I told her I wore completely inappropriate footwear (flipflops) so I wouldn't be tempted to try to do more than I should. He looks great! Rhoda's been exercise riding him; one of the other boarders (who's our barefoot trimmer), Dawn, put our equine dentist, Krystin, on him and took her for a trailride after she did the teeth of the 3 or 4 horses she had to do while she was at the barn. I don't think I'm going to be riding for another month or so, hell I can't even drive for another two weeks or so, but it was sure good to see him looking so good!!!

Rambella

Instead of flowers, one of my friends sent me a huge stuffed Monkey to keep against my stomach as I heal. It had a ribbon headband, so it was first mentioned that it looked kike Rambo, but with that flower, we decided it looked more like a girl, and we dubbed it Rambella... I wonder when I start riding again in August or September, if I'll have to hug Rambella after I mount up? Can't even think about that now...

Meeting that goal!

It's been over a week from the ER trip and 6 days since I was admitted, but I'm going home less one perforated, about to burst gall bladder, plus the all the incisions from where they tried laproscopic removal and the big one they had to use to removed it... Now some home nurse visits, follow up with surgeon in a week, and we'll see what's next. One nurse said I may not be able to drive for 4-6 weeks, another said it might only be 2-3. We'll see what the doctor says since he has to sign off on my return to work. Good thing I have 87 or 88 sick days!!!

So much for a summer of no grad school and lots of riding... Good thing my friend Rhoda's been exercise riding him for me and has been enjoying that. I asked Dawn if she'd take over his trimming for me while I'm laid up. Mrs W, my fellow boarders and Mrs W's students are going to him extra TLC for me while I'm laid up. Hopefully it won't be too long!