Moving Day

I left my man all snuggled in his new stall, munching on his hay and generally ignoring me.

He got his new shoes on this morning and then Becky loaded him up (first try!) and we took him out to Oak Meadow Farm. It was a bittersweet goodbye with Becky but shes been amazing and I am so fortunate to be able to leave a place on such good terms.

We were greeted by lots of happy faces. They all oooed and ahhhed over Granite and I felt like I owned the most amazing equine on the planet. He suddenly grew to about 18 hands and his eyes doubled in size during the ride over. He looked and snorted, but he gets an A+ for how well he handled the whole experience. We led him into the big barn and the "annex". We took him in washstalls and down driveways. Then we put him out with 3 other horses and they played and sniffed and then happily went to grazing. So... Tyler and I were invited out to lunch with 7 others from the barn. It was so nice! I've never really had a "barn family".

Then, I got back and the Barn Manager's daughter (also named Rachel) convinced me that Granite would be just fine to go for a ride. So, I tacked up and took him for his first ride in an arena that wasn't Becky's! He was spooky and looky and all of his energy was up-and-down, but he was sane. There were 4 other horses riding with us and he really handled himself well. Then we walked around the open unfenced land behind the barn with 3 other horses! He was a pro. He also dwarfs the other horses and walks much faster (who knew he was so big!).

I unpacked my stuff into 2 huge, lovely tack lockers and tucked Granite in and then left barn. It took me ELEVEN minutes to get home! AHHH-MAZING. Tomorrow, I'm meeting Jen, D and "Little Rachel" (I'm "Big" Rachel, which is SO not cool) to go on Granite's first trail ride (on the property). My horse is so figgen amazing.

So is my boyfriend who helped me through most of the process then drove an hour round trip to go get a blanket I left at Becky's barn. He also took tons of photos of the whole process.... so, enjoy!

1 more big change for me...

Hello blog-world.

I’ve been in my new position for 1 month today. I absolutely love what I do. I stay extremely busy but I am learning new things and I feel like I am making a difference. The job is everything that I hoped it would be (although I wouldn’t have been disappointed if the job came with a few thousand more dollars a year, but that’s just greedy). I was out of town last week (fortunately, I was in Eva’s city) and I’m there again next week (for 3 days) then next month I’m at another 3-day conference. I also have some deadlines staring me down in the next two weeks! EEEK. Fortunately, my boyfriend has been a saint and he has dinner waiting for me and keeps up with laundry to take some stress off of me.

Getting to see Granite has been difficult. His barn is over an hour away from my office (some of you won’t feel sorry for me here, but that’s a LOT for me). Then, the drive from the barn to my house is another 30 minutes. It makes it difficult to get much accomplished when, on the best of days, you get to the barn by 6 (and we don’t have lights). I don’t get home until nearly 8 and then I zonk out by 10 because I get up at 5:30 every morning. I try to work out in the midst of all of that, but it often falls by the wayside.

But when I DO get to the barn, I have seen MAJOR improvements in my horse. I’ve been averaging three rides a week (not too bad, considering). His go-to bit broke and I bought a new one from D. It fits well but its too harsh (Dr. Bristol) and he HATES it. All of my others are “normal” sized and are too small for Mr. Big-Head. So, he has to deal with a bit that makes him unhappy, but our transitions are snappy and we are getting beautiful stretchy trots. We has 3-stride simple lead changes with regularity last night.

The biggest news of all is in regards to the barn situation. You remember the Dream Barn. Well, they worked out a way to take me on at a rate I could afford. We will be in the “old barn” (I shall lovingly call it the “Annex”). There are 2 horse stalls and a ‘run’ like area for their mini horse and 2 mini donkeys. There is a washstall with hot and cold, a laundry room, bathroom, tackroom (tack lockers from floor to ceiling—and I get 2). There is also a nice concrete breezeway under the overhand of the barn with cross ties. AND we are able to use all of the facilities of the rest of the barn which include a lighted indoor with synthetic dust-free footing (also a plush lounge overlooking that ring with a flat screen tv, leather couches, fridge stocked with soda and coffffeeee maker). There’s a lovely outdoor ring with jumps. There’s a field for hill work and trails. My trainer, Jen, lives 20minutes away and I’m on the way for D to pick me up for trail rides. They show there…often, and claim that I can hop in the trailer when we want to join. BEST. OF. ALL. The place is 37 minutes from the office (my house is 35 min from the office) and then 13 min back to my house. So, if my math is correct, going to the barn will take an additional 15 minutes (not the hour its taking me now).  

Now the cons. Granite will be stalled. He has to stay in sometimes (you know, snow, rain, night time—day in the summer). I HATE that. I want him to be a horse and eat hay and grass all day. Now, I’m sure he’ll need more grain and he’ll have too much pent up energy from the extra grain and the lack of exercise. Then, he’s more likely to get injured. The barn just feels like more of a rider’s barn instead of a horse’s barn. I just feel like I'm making a selfish decision here... or, I'm just trying to find something to worry about bc thats how I operate

. 

But, regardless, we are giving it a shot. We are moving Saturday. Becky is taking us over. She has eased my mind by telling me that I am always willing to come back. I LOVE my barn and I would never leave if it were conveniently located. I commute to work 70 minutes a day and that extra hour is just enough to make me not want to go to the barn somedays (and that makes me sad). So, we’re going to give this a try. Granite can put on his big-boy pants and learn to be a show horse (the whole reason I got him). Hopefully he will just continue to wow me and be the most tolerant and well-meaning baby horse ever! We have our trainer and the facilities to allow me to ride much more often. We also have a way to get to horse shows and other activities to help Granite become a more well-rounded equine citizen.

I’d say that I’ll take pics, but Granite pulled my camera out of my back pocket 2-weeks ago and threw it on the concrete… so, time to camera shop again (if anyone’s counting, that’s THREE cameras that I’ve been through this year). Until, then, check out every inch of the Dream Barn’s website and imagine a big, goofy, grey guy with huge ears in the pictures J

Busy Bee

I haven't had a moment to breathe let alone write and even more upsetting, I haven't kept up with anyone's blogs in the past two weeks. Sad to say the least. BUT-- since I'm really good at bullet point summaries, I thought I would share one with y'all.

-Saturday the 22nd: most amazing lesson ever. Jen is awesome! She reads Granite and I and I understand and agree with her suggestions. Dianne got to see me ride Granite for the same time. Best of all, they were both really impressed with Granite and how far he has come and his potential for success in his future career. I'm dying for another Jen lesson!

-Monday the 24th: first day of work. I am slammmmmed. They put a lot of stock in the position there. I get to be in on departmental head meetings (15 folks out of a staff of 600 or so). I have already had tons of meetings with different department directors about how I can help them get the word out. I've worked late most every night or brought work home when I do get home on time. Theres a 3 month backlog in addition to a steep learning curve (Adobe InDesign WILL be the death of me). BUT, I know I'm going to absolutely love my job. Its exactly what I've always wanted to do. I'm sooo fortunate and excited!

-Rest of the week: A blur including a toilet incident and a flat tire on top of work work work.

-Saturday 29th: go to barn, find Granite's knee looking more like a balloon. He got kicked Friday night. Heartbroken because I was supposed to go to my first trail ride with the guy off of the property. Jen, Dianne and their friend. Cheri were going to haul us to a local park and it was going to be amazing. But, it didn't happen. Instead I ended up going to the barn two times a day to cold hose and bute the big guy. My non-horsie boyfriend has been sainted because he went out on the two nights I worked late to cold hose him for me this week. He's looking much better and I'm hoping for normalcy before next week.

-This weekend: Winter Horse Health Seminar and SuperBowl party!

Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, its time for Ben and Jerry's and Greys anatomy (with the work Laptop in my lap of course.)

Cheers and I miss y'all.

"...the end of a decade, but the start of an age."

Well here it is. My last day of work at my first 'real' job. I've been so fortunate to have been in a supportive and forgiving environment while I embarked on my journey into a career in local government. Today is really bittersweet for me. There are so many things that I loved about my job. I often get to be a one woman show. I can dress up and pretend to be important or come to work with my hair a mess (scrunchy and not blow dried). I wear jeans on Friday, but really could do so any day because we don't have a dress code. I can take lunch whenever I want or go run errands. I can have visitors to my office or run and meet the farrier in the middle of the day. Calling in sick or taking time off is never an issue. I encounter many citizens and volunteers who are truly passionate about their town and they inspire me. Cleaning out my office brought a tear to my eye last night but then the nearly 3 hour night meeting dried it right up (thank god Grey's was a repeat bc I don't have DVR and I wouldn't have wanted to wait and watch it online).

But now I'm preparing myself for a new mountain to climb. One year out of school and I will already be serving in the position which I had been coveting. I will be the Public Information Officer for a city of nearly 52,000 (coming from working for a town of 5,000). I get to be the face of the municipality and will be set with the task of convincing people that their tax dollars actually do good things for them. I will try to show folks that we bureaucrats are actually well meaning public servants who want to make their community a better place. Thats a lofty mission, I know, but its certainly the broadest intent of what I do! I think I also have big shoes to fill when I arrive on Monday morning. I am scared to death but excited to (hopefully and ideally) be "important" and needed and challenged and useful. I hope this is a place where I can grow and learn and develop my skills to be a better public administrator.

I'm really not sure what the next step is. I don't think this will be the pinnacle of my career (at least not salary wise) but this IS what I want to be doing. So I hope that I can (afford to) stay put for a while. I haven't had consistency in my life in a really long time (try... high school). I'm always working toward the next step. But right now, I'm entering a new "age" in my career, I have my equine partner who I think can allow me to reach the height of my equestrian abilities (I will never be a high-level competitor, but I think Granite will allow me to compete and reach my own goals and the goals I have set for him), I have the love of my life by my side and I have family back home who are huge cheerleaders (and the the fact that they are so far away is literally the biggest regret I have right now). I also have a small handful of devoted friends who are around to support me, provide me with comic relief and to remind me not to be too hard on myself (talking to Jordy and D specifically on that last portion).

I hope that I can wrap my competitive and forward thinking brain around this new found stability. I hope that I can live in the now and make the NOW better instead of always worrying about what is next. I haven't really allowed myself "resolutions" this new year because of all of these transitions and uncertainties (new job, new schedule, new barn....) but I have some goals for this new "age".

(Professional)- I want to come in to this new job with an open mind. I want to embody the role of "PIO" and make the position the best it can be. I want to be devoted to my position, the municipality, and my career as a public servant.

(Equestrian)-  I want to give Granite every opportunity that I can to be the best equine partner he can be. I don't want to rush him. I don't want to allow him to stagnate and not grow. I want to challenge his mind and his body with everything from trail riding to schooling shows to lessons and clinics. I want him to be a jack of all trades even if he ends up being a master of none. Hes my lifetime horse and I don't want to give him any limits.
- I want to be a better rider. I want to explore new disciplines (someone let me HUNT for god sake). I want to be open minded. I want to learn more technical knowledge and become a horse woman and not just a rider.

(Personal)- If I can provide even 1/2 of the enrichment to TK's life that he provides mine, I will have succeeded. I want to understand that I DO deserve everything that he gives me but I also want to constantly remind myself that he deserves just as much. I need to allow myself to be spoiled, but I want to pay every bit of it back to him. My wish for our relationship is that each of us is always thinking that we are the one with the better end of the deal.
- I want to be a better daughter. I am blessed with two of the best human beings on the planet as parents. Seriously. Not only are they amazing humans, but they are amazing parents. They are there for me and they lift me up but they force me to be independent and to take responsibility for my actions. I just hope that I can find a way to actively participate in our family dynamic despite the 5 hour physical distance. I hope that I can support them in a way that they have supported me. My family is nearing some hard times and while I may not be able to help bear the burden because of my proximity, I hope that I can be the emotional support they deserve.
-I love my friends. I am so lucky to have a best friend who I actually put in the "family" category. I also have some long distance friends who don't get the interaction that they deserve. I hope to foster growth in those relationships in the future. My 'invisible' friends with whom I interact through the web-- you don't realize how much you of an impact you have on my 'real' life! I also hope to devote more time to the ladies who live right around the corner. They are a golden resource that shouldn't be taken for granted. I also hope to reach out to new friends who share my interests and values and be a more inclusive person to those I meet.
-I want to pay so many things forward. I NEED to volunteer. To have fellowship with my community. To serve on a board and become active in a community group. Although I may not love the geographic location that my life has brought me to, it seems that its quickly becoming home and now I need to embrace the community. Not only should my profession be about making places better, but my life should be as well.

So there you have it (for those who made it to the end of this emotional roller coaster).... To quote the all knowing Taylor Swift (good thing TK doesn't keep up with my blog-- bc he may dislocate an eye from rolling it so hard) "its the end of a decade, but the start of an age." My life is NOW and I don't want to regret it. Heres to living and loving and seeing life from between two oversized grey ears!!!

CHEERS,

<3 Rach

Dream Barn Please

Asking for some collective finger crossing today. I checked out barn #2 this weekend. The woman had just moved in. It was icy and cold. I wans't particularly UNIMPRESSED... I just wasn't impressed either. There are only 2 pastures and both are 5 strings of hotwire. They are also 15 acres. I'm just so worried that Granite will get hurt and no one will notice. It is also a pretty good hike from home. The "indoor" is one of those psudeo indoors that is actually the aisle of the barn. The stalls are on one side and the rest is just empty. It is about the size of 2 round pens. She also has a round pen, but no outdoor arena or jumps (although she claims to have a full course).  There is a wash stall and lounge but everything was pretty old. The price is incredible and her horses looked well kept. I won't discount it completely, but I am not excited about the prospect of going there.... thus, my search continues.

And I found THIS little ditty through D. She and Jen are really good friends with the Barn Manager. I have also met the Barn Manager's daughter through my 4-H group. The farm is 15min from home and 30 from work. There is an indoor as well (a real one), so I could ride at night. I emailed about availability and rates but I bet you any amount of money that it is way outside of my price range (ideally, I don't want to pay more for board than I do rent, but I'm willing to go $20 over). I'm hoping that my connections may allow the Barn Manager to CONSIDER offering pasture board (if they don't typically do so) or cutting me some type of deal. Please cross your fingers... and toes. That place would be my answer!

Barn Search (#2)

I called the owner/manager/proprietor (not sure which) of a barn for which I saw an ad on CraigsList. This wasn't my first choice because I think its a bit far away (I don't yet have the physical address, so I really have no clue as to exact time of travel). But, barn #1 didn't really pan out, so I assume I should expand the search a bit. It can't hurt to look and since I'm not in a huge rush to move Granite, its worth a shot.
I actually called the woman (which is shocking because I HATE to use the phone). I was pleasantly surprised that she knew my name (I guess she saved my number after our initial email correspondence). She had also mapquested the mileage from my place of employment to her barn (11 miles she says). She asked me some questions about what I was looking for and told me some info about what she had (15 acre pasture board pasture with a sturdy run-in and round bale 24/7. 3 acres of the pasture is pine trees, the rest is grassy. she also mentioned the fencing is 6 strands of hot wire....). She sounded articulate, knowledgeable and kind. So, perhaps my hopes are up a little too high.

Check it out and give me your opinions. These barns are often severely misrepresented so its almost fun to guess what I will ACTUALLY find :)

http://greensboro.craigslist.org/grd/2126242227.html

I. Miss. My. Horse.

SOOOO FRIGGEN MUCH. I haven't seen him since Sunday and won't until tomorrow. It sucks. Snow sucks, meetings suck. I want spring time. I want longer days.  I want to RIIIIIDE (and bathe, and clip).

The good news is the Granite's  nose didn't continue to bleed and when I saw him Sunday he was doing rather well. He did have a goofy spot on his hoof (heel bulb) that looked like an abscess had popped, but we never had lameness issues. So, I think it may just be from the cold/damn soil and him being barefoot.

I checked out that barn on Saturday. It wasn't really a barn. More like the skeleton of where a barn once stood. She showed me where the stalls would be. Where the ring was going. How she was going to convert the dairy barn to a washdown....etc. She was really nice and the property was amazing and super convenient-- but she had only been there a month and she appeared to be a bit transient (mentioning 2 moves to me in our conversation). I think if I find nothing else acceptable in the next month or two, I would check back to see her progress and them mark her off the list for good OR give it a try (the location is PERFECT). I do plan to call this afternoon to set up an appointment (hopefully for saturday) to look at another place. Pasture board is cheap and they claim to have an indoor arena and a lesson program. I like a laid back barn, so I immediately think this place may have too many children/hands on instructors BUT its worth giving it a shot since I think its in a good location and the price is right. Low expectations, but I will give it a shot.

This week should be BUCKETS of fun. I'm off to my pre-employment physical today then back to work for a night meeting. Friday, I have to go to the DMV to renew my license and then to the girlie doctor. Two things worse than most any fate! At least I get to look forward to a dinner with Jen, D and the three significant others of Friday night!

Ya'll stay warm out there!

-Rach