Nova is following in the footsteps of her mother, Sage the Brave. When we were new horse owners and winter came, young Sage proved how brave she was. She walked across the ice of our 3 acre lake to get to the yard. We came home to find Sage in the yard happily munching grass. Velvet was across the lake, very upset. In the dead middle of the lake was a pile of poop. Sage had walked across the width of the lake. We turned a shade of fearful pea green at the thought!
Our pasture is divided into two parts. Since Sage’s lake walking event, we have been able to shut the horses from the frozen lake during the winter.
Well, time has passed and Sage is over at Pine Dell now as a lesson horse. Our fence has detoriated badly. We pulled down the fence that separates the two pastures. The horses have free access to the lake. We have hired a guy to come and upgrade all our fencing. His due date is about a month past. It turned winter overnight and the lake froze.
Nova discovered she could walk on the ice. All she did was walk out on the ice around the fence that goes out into the lake. She took JR with her. A few mornings ago, I stepped outside in the frigid air to start my car. There was Nova and JR happily munching yard grass while Isabel screamed at me from the lake’s edge. Isabell had enough sense not to walk on frozen water!
That afternoon, the temperature shot up and the edge of the ice melted. As soon as it got dark and the horses consumed their supper, they took off for the far side of the lake. Nova led JR out into the mushy lake mud and water and they happily started devouring the yard grass again. This time, I caught them. I stuck my head out the door and yelled for Isabel. She screamed at me. I knew that Nova and JR had deserted her again.
Nova has to be shut up in a small corral while we wait for the fence guy. That is sad. We don’t know when the fence guy is going to get here and then he has to make the fence. When would that be!?
Yesterday, I decided to ask Jenny to see if there was room for Nova at Pine Dell Farm boarding stable and would she take her on for a month of ground training? “YES!” We decided she could live in the pasture with the training horses or in the pasture where the permanent pasture horses live. That’s where Sage lives and Sage will protect her baby from the other horses.
Sage is #1 Dominant horse of the pasture (of course). I came home from work in the dark. I got Nova out of the small corral and took her to the trailer. It’s parked right next to the flag pole and flag. It’s windy. The wind is whipping the flag. The wind is also moving the trailer door just a bit. I turned on the trailer interior light and asked Nova to load. “NO WAY! ARE YOU CRAZY?!”
I had forget to wear my gloves. Nova and I argued for sometime about this loading issue. Finally, she decided that her feet would do as I ask, and she jumped in. I took my sore aching cold hands inside the cab of the truck and we took off to Pine Dell.
Nova is now installed in a stall at Pine Dell. She has to be supervised before she is turned out.
I asked Jenny if she had a chance to play with Nova today. I just want to hear about my child’s first day of pre school. No, Jenny is going to play (train) with her tomorrow. I might get to watch!
We have a long time owner of American Saddlebred show horses as a client at Pine Dell Farm. She has a fabulous horse in training with Jenny. This woman knows horses…inside out. She’s been in the business a long time. She wants a different “natural” world for these show horses. She’s determined that Jenny’s training of her show horse will make the Saddlebred world sit up and notice!
Today, she came out to visit her horse. She walked into the arena barn and came to a screeching halt outsideof Nova’s stall. She made appreciative noises. She said outloud, “What a beautiful horse this is. She has a very nice, well-put-together body. What a beautiful head she has. What an amazing color she is. What kind of horse is this?” to Jenny. “A Fox Trotter! I didn’t know Fox Trotters came in this color! She is very very nice.” and walked on.
Jenny was pretty impressed that Nova impressed this woman this much. She thought that this was even more impressive of story for me than the first day of ground training would have been!
I thought so too!