We are quickly approaching the time to wean Patty. Today, Patty went into the stall she has shared with Vixen since her birth while Krissy saddled up Vixen and rode her for a half hour or more down on the hunter/jump course set up on the track (now, the barn is cleaner than my house and the track is decorated prettier for fall than the yard ... oh well).
Patty happily munched on hay the whole time -- a very, very good sign. I don't know all that much about horses, but I stopped to watch Krissy ride for a while and to the untrained eye Vixen looked beautiful -- smooth and sound. Krissy said all the horses are a lot happier in that setting. I guess they like the idea of no fences!
When Vixen went back in the stall with Patty she actually didn't let her nurse -- another good sign that she is actually weaning the foal herself! Starting tomorrow we are going to feed them their grain in separate stalls. Soon, Vixen will be in a different pasture and stall than Patty till she is completely weaned.
Linda told me today she thinks with a month of concentrated work, Vixen will be ready to put back in the school horse rotation! She is such a pretty horse. We just need to watch her leg for that old lameness injury, but so far she seems good. I worried about her the last few weeks of the pregnancy.
We can certainly use another walk/trot pony for beginners and advanced beginners. Vixen actually has great breeding and was destined to be a 'fancy' dressage horse until sometime around 2 years she went through a fence and hurt her leg. She recovered enough to go on to a YMCA camp where we are told she was a great camp horse. Being a sound and calm camp horse and a good riding school horse are pretty consistent.
I still hope to possibly breed her again one more time ... she did such a great job and threw such a beautiful filly! And speaking of that filly, it is clear why Vixen was so big those last few days of her pregnancy. Man, that filly is getting HUGE. The bigger she gets the more anxious all the riders get to saddle her up. But the really good news is what a great disposition she has. A little spirited for sure, but loves people and lets you handle her.
Who wants the first lesson on Vixen?????
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