Who is ready for a stream of consciousness post??

oh you are??
awesome, bc I've been too lazy to blog for fear of being required to write in complete sentences (or organized thoughts).

So. Its 2011. It came in uneventfully. TK and I were too damned tired to go anywhere (a few days of moving and unpacking and trying to invent storage spaces in a 1 bedroom apt will do that to you). We watched a movie and set an alarm so we wouldn't forget to toast at midnight (at least we bought some cheap champaign and didn't completely ignore the holiday). Then we got to spend the whole rainy, cold weekend doing family things. With his family. And, in case I forgot to mention, we are not technically family (yet!). This makes LARGE family social engagements feel a touch awkward for me. But, I soldiered through and earned good girlfriend points (to make up for the often thoughtless girlfriend times).

Now, I'm struggling to get through the 1st week of the new year. Its been a rough winter in NC and poor Granite, on 24/7 turnout, was struggling with snowballs in his shoes. Our superiorly intelligent farrier determined that his upright hoof's angles were doing well enough to ride him w/o shoes in favor of him being able to handle the snowy winter in stride (haha...stride, get it?). So now the pony is barefoot.

I've ridden twice since and he doesn't seem tender footed at all (because my farrier is amazing and I think if you have a good farrier and healthy horse, you should be able to ride right after a trimming!). What he does seem is figgen bonkers! Granite stopped getting grain awhile back bc, well, he takes after his momma and is an easy keeper (plus hes on hay or grass 24/7-- I heart having a horse that lives outside). But now, its really cold winter time and our BO decided that Granite is now a candidate for a once a day 1/2 scoop of pellets. He gets this 1/2 scoop around 5pm. I get off at 4:30, change clothes, drive 15 minutes and arrive at about 5 min til 5 on weekdays. And my horse is bonkers. He has a one track mind.... FOOOOD! And his nighttime pasture mate, Splash-- the innocuous arab (OMG, did I tell you that the Devil Horses have moved...to a different farm! Oh glory to all things good! I'm soooo happy!), criiies for him. So hes got the crying and galloping mare and all the horse's in the pasture beside the arena getting grained and I'm asking the bozo to concentrate. Ha Ha Ha... not happening. Plus the ring has been slushy, so I didn't want to go faster than a trot. So Granite hollows, bites his bit, head in the air, ignoring most aids, and racing around the sloppy arena. Makes for a productive, relaxing ride. Sheeesh! I haven't gotten a good ride out of 2011 yet!

I did try a new bit on Tuesday, it didn't go well. Lots of chewing and head in the air. But I am also attributing that to the feeding issues and general ass-hole-ness the gelding has been portraying this week. So, I think I will try it a few more times. Its a french link, Dee Ring snaffle (JP Korsteel with the curved mouth pieces). I have had so much success with this bit in other horses and I want Granite to like it (I hate his eggbut, but he goes well in it). I'm buying the bit from D, so I think its worth having regardless.

So because my horse has taken up being a jackass (is this like his pre/early teen years-- I vaguely remember telling my mom I hated her and stomping off into my room and slamming the door around 13) and its been barely out of the 30s this week, yesterday I was thinking "man, I would love to skip the freezing cold barn thing and go eat tacos!". But then the BO called. At 3:30pm. At work. Because the grey man had a nose bleed! She was scrubbing water buckets and he wanted to help (typical) and she noticed dried blood in his right nostril. She wanted to call me to tell me to check on it when I went to the barn that evening. Obviously, I quickly changed my mind regarding the tacos. I brought him in and cleaned out his nose. It was just dried and not a lot. I groomed him and chatted with the BO. Then I look back and a fresh stream of red blood is dripping out of my boy's nose! We immediately decided to call the vet (yes, it was 5:06... hello on-call vet). Fortunately, the on-call vet was a really relaxed fellow with whom we often work. He asked us to describe it (intermittent bleed. We would get a trickle ever 5-10 minutes. He also had a fresh surface wound on his right cheek bone). Then he said that he was certain that Granite just whacked himself in the head (I can just envision this happening!) and there was a pool of blood in his sinus cavity that was mixing with his normal mucus and slowly draining. He told us to expect it for the next 2-3 day and to not exercise him or feed him on the ground (although he lives on pasture--thus always has his head on the ground). He said he would come out to look at it if I wanted him to, but he thought that was the deal. I said, "no thank you emergency vet call", and he told me to call if the blood was coming out faster than 1 drip per second or was enough volume to fill a 16oz cup. I felt like the WORST horse parent EVER putting my bloody nose boy back out in the pasture (there are no free stalls or I would have paid for him to be in last night). I went today and there was no sign of blood, so I plan to stay off of him until at least Saturday, but hopefully the vet was right.

So, I got the new job as I mentioned in my last post. I've told my current job and for the most part everyone says they will miss me but are happy for my me (best possible reaction). I start the new gig on Jan 24th. And the only draw back is that my current barn will be about 50minutes from my job and then another 20 from the barn to my new apartment (70 minutes in driving alone to see granite after work). And my barn doesn't have a lighted arena. So I would never get to ride during the week (with the exception of daylight savings time). And I would get home, at the earliest, at 7:30 every night when I could ride. So, I think I'm going to have to move the pony to somewhere in between the new job and the new apt. That breaks my heart! I love my current barn and the uber observant and wonderful BO. I've found a couple places and one that seems really promising. Eva is going to check it out with me on Saturday. Its about the same price and 20min from my house and 30 from the job. Cross your fingers for me.

In more exciting news. I have this friend. She is a member of the local hunt club and a good friend of D's. She rides an awesome QH named Pickle (um, what a cute name!). I knew she was one hell of a horse woman, but today when she mentioned her extensive competition history and her equine education (and degree!) a lightbulb went off in my brain. Um.... she would be a GREAT trainer for Granite and I. I've taken him pretty far in that we have a consistent W-T-C. Now I think I need eyes on the ground to help me progress and get him show-ring ready! This idea is in it's infancy, but I really think Jen is our answer! I'll keep you posted.

I guess thats all of my updates for the time being. I'm LOVING my new apartment and my new roommate. TK sent me the sweetest text this evening "I just thought you should know...  I absolutely love living with you. I'm ready to do it forever." I feel the same way. Its relaxing and simply amazing! Eva is spending tomorrow night with us and I can't wait to have our first house guest! Wahoooo!