Our New Routine

Friday marks one week Milo has been home! I have truly been enjoying every moment of it, and we are already falling into our new routine...

Mornings I get up earlier to feed and hopefully brush Milo. I make sure his fly-mask is still on and spray him down with fly-spray. 

When I get home, I let the dog out, change if needed, and head out to see the boy! I tie him up to the trailer with a bag of hay, and brush him down. Luckily today he stayed pretty dust-free. 

While he eats his "appetizer", I clean his paddock (which is what I will call it until it actually becomes an arena). I pick up his waste and any debris (sticks and such) along the way. 

I dump the manure load, then go back for a rock collection. Where we live is basically a giant rock out in the mountains. While some parts of the county are beautiful soil and dirt, we get a lot of rocks....and since this will eventually be an arena I will be picking rocks for probably the rest of my life. 

I fill up a wheelbarrow load full of rocks...or at least until my back or the wheelbarrow cant take any more. 

All the while I have been watering the paddock via sprinkler. Milo has already established his routine "hang outs" so I concentrate on those areas to help keep the dust down for him.

After the first chores are done, I prepare his dinner in the paddock, and feed him his grain. 

Then return the baby to his paddock. After he is nice about waiting for his food and staying out of my space, I let him have dinner. 

But today he turned away from his food after I "released" him, and walked straight towards the sprinkler. He let it spray him a few times, then trotted around briefly before starting in on dinner. I guess it's his equivalent to our "dip in the pool, then lay out and tan". Silly Milo! This was the first time I ever saw him do that!

Things are good. :)

Exploring the Trails

I learned of a trail entrance across the street from my house about three years ago, when we moved into our place. My friend showed me with her horses, although she has since moved. It had been at least two years since we rode the trails so I wasnt sure if they were accessible still or not. Nevertheless, I tacked up Milo and headed out. Although there was a gate put up at one entrance, there is another way into the trail system just past it, so thats where I took Milo. 

There is a cool bridge for us to cross to get there too!

We enjoyed a nice trail ride for about an hour and a half, exploring trails I had once been done before, and re-mapping some of the trail system again. Although I could spend hours upon hours out there, I stayed on the general path, leaving all of the side-trails for later exploration. I really like these trails out here though; there's not only more then where we used to be, but a larer variety of "real" trails, aka, cut in the wood, not log trails. 

Some are more open, some have more tree coverage, some are rockier, and some are soft grass. I can see us spending a lot of time out here!

Another perk is that we have to pass the neighbor's horses to get there. Since Milo came home on Friday, he has called to the neighbor horses, who return the greeting to him. But he cant see them from his paddock. I hope that since we passed them and he saw where and who they are, it will make him feel a bit less lonely. Or it could make him long to be with them more...time will tell. In the meantime, I am searching for a companion for him...more on that later. ;)

SQUEE!!! He's Finally Here!!

Milo was scheduled to come home last weekend but things just werent coming together smoothly so we pushed it to TODAY. The last few touches were completed and when I got home from work, giddy with anticipation and excitement, I filled up his water trough, laid down pallets for his hay storage, and hitched the trailer up. When Future Husband came home, we took off like a rocket! 

When we made it home I walked him the perimeter of his new arena area, but also around the property and let him graze. Later I tied him to the trailer with a hay bag while I unloaded the hay and organized the trailer - our new temporary "tack room".

I had a good time at our previous barn. We were there longer then originally planned, and no place is perfect, but there were nice people there and Milo always seemed content with his home. I was sad to leave. It was interesting because during the fifteen minute drive there from home I was bubbling over with excitement, but as soon as the trailer was packed and we hit the road, I felt sadness as we pulled out of the driveway. I wont be surprised if I come back at some time, even just for arena usage (actually tomorrow I will go back, I forgot an eye-hook in the wall for Milo's hay bag and my dressage whip). I wondered for a brief moment if I was making the right decision. Of course Im happy to have Milo home, but my hesitation is if he will be happy alone for a little while until I get him the right companion. Or if our fence will hold! There truly shouldnt be any doubt in my mind over the fence - we went to lengthy efforts to make it secure and it should be just fine, but now that it is MINE I have some reservations. Although truth be told I'm sure my fence is MUCH stronger then the one Milo just left...

Anyways, I unhaltered him in his new home and he surprisingly didnt tear off running. He turned to his hay, sniffed the water trough, and resumed dinner. A little while later he turned and checked out the front line of the fence, then turned back to the hay.

Happiest Cowgirl Ever today!!! :D

Fencing is almost done!

Saturday morning started with some work on the barn and the posts. Local cement supplier, Hard Rock, came early and unloaded into each post hole.

Our friend helping out (best man, actually) insisted that each post hole needed a penny for good luck.

Some more dirt work was finished in the arena (Milo's first home) while I was away the rest of the day at my Bridal Shower.

Today, we rose early and headed to Gig Harbor to visit our favorite farm store, Wilco, where we got our 12" gate and the solar powered electric charger. We got home and headed straight to work, spending the next six hours straight putting the fence posts into place. It was an exacting feat requiring a whole lot more measuring, leveling, and cementing then I thought was necessary before today!

Two hours later and all the electric wire was strung though the fence posts (via crochet hook...haha). We test ran the solar charger, which works, but decided to leave the finishing for another day.

It looks so pretty!!

The last finishing touches will be done evenings after work this week, so the new plan is Milo's debut home on Saturday!

New Stuffz

Although we continue to busily work on our property (practically every waking moment), I thought I would take a step away from that topic for a moment today to tell you something else new in my horse world.

I joined the Kitsap Mounted Posse. For those not local, the Posse used to be part of the Sheriff's office, but due to budget and drifting away, they separated a few years ago and are now the "Mounted" posse. So what do they do and why did I decide to join? Well, you can learn more on their website at kitsapposse.org, but heres the rundown.

Although the posse is no longer affiliated as a Sheriff's mounted posse, they are active in volunteer organizations around the county, participate in parades, serve as fair and rodeo security, host local events like the Northwest Junior Rodeos, or Cowboy Mounted Shooting Events, and all around are a group of people dedicated to good horsemanship and the people involved in the community. Something I have felt a little left out of lately. Which is why I joined, really.

Aside from the parades, the Grand Entry at the Ellensburg Rodeo, and the CMSA events and clinics they hold, I really wanted to feel like a part of something again, but in a less competitive or demanding organization then I have been part of in the past. I have gotten to know a lot of the posse members the last few years by attending various events around here and have found them to be a great group of people I look forward to sharing a campfire with.

Along with being a part of something, I am really looking forward to being a part of their group's equestrian events too, dont get me wrong. I actually and looking forward to doing some riding events that are just for fun. The Posse holds a "Posse Playday" with fun gymkhana events, which I think really can be a good tool for Milo and I to get out and just have fun without the stress of competition. Not to mention though, the posse can help me get more info and involvement in our CMSA events around here, which I feel like is something I really want to do.

So, I'm sure you will eventually see posts about whats going on with "the Posse". Now you are in the loop!

This Weekend's Progress

A lot of work happened around here this weekend so far. Yesterday I spent the morning spent weed-wacking while Future Husband did some "tree-wacking" of his own. The last tree in the arena area that was impeding a straight line was pushed down via the tractor.

Then FH proceeded to push more dirt in the arena to give us maximum space and get the area ready for fence posts. 

Angie supervised. 

The trusses for the barn were delivered, and Angie found them acceptable. 

And the barn posts were put in each hole...

And squared and leveled to perfection on Sunday!

(excuse the wee mess in the front - some left overs from Thursday's fireworks party we had here...)

I also busied myself Sunday early afternoon by drilling ALL of the holes for the arena fence posts. My was that a chore but it's done now and ready to sink into more post holes!

Measure, drill. Measure, drill. 

I think we are headed back out soon (needed a serious power nap and food from two days in the heat and yesterday we were outside from 9am-8pm STRAIGHT) to finish drilling the holes for the arena fence.