This fall the construction crew moved from the actual riding area in the indoor arena over to the part of the arena that will house the horses. As the weather got colder and the stalls weren’t quite ready, Terry, Jo and Nicky moved the horses that needed to be worked daily into temporary pens in the arena.
As you can see here, Gunslinger, one of our new weanling colts, had a hall pass from his pen while Jo was cleaning it. He was trying to visit with one of his future girlfriends, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Ahh, rejection starts at a young age. Keeping the horses in the warmer environment and with blankets on helps keep them from growing the woolly mammoth coats that they grow when they live outside. This, in turn, makes it a bit easier for upkeep with them when they need to be worked daily because if they sweat during a “workout” they will cool down and dry off more quickly. With the 2 and 3 year olds we have added, it is important to work them year round so they have a proper base of training before we put them into the string for guests to ride.
Just this week, the crew did finish work on a couple of the stalls so a few of the mares were moved into their new digs and are keeping an eye on the guys working on the tack room and wash bays.
It’s starting to feel like a real live training barn down there! We hope you get a chance to visit it and smell the great smell of cedar shavings filling the barn area.