Home sweet home...

The new stable was amazing.  Large, roomy stalls.  Covered arena.  All weather jump ring.  Large dirt ring.  Grassy field to ride in.  And dirt paddocks with good drainage.  Life was perfect.  Right?

Except PSSM means that my horse doesn't always approach change logically.  He is also crazy, possessive of Jessie.  Freaking out if Jessie leaves his sight...and...apparently, since the move...if *he* leaves Jessie's sight!  Yay!

At least the barn cat liked me...or my stuff...

Shamrock loved hanging out in his stall, with Jessie directly across from the aisle!!!

Jessie was pretty comfortable as well!

Did I mention the stalls are roomy?  Shamrock is positively swimming in his!

Moving on...

I had really enjoyed the year I spent at our barn...but a few issues popped up, leading to me deciding to move my guys to a different stable.  The biggest issue was that I really, really, really wanted to board at the stable my trainer worked out of.  I had been planning on making the move in the summer, but ended up doing it in March.  Because it was raining...it started raining and I wasn't able to ride or work Shamrock.  Not to mention he was living in a mud pit and couldn't be moved to the pasture because there was still *grass*.  So I moved Shamrock and Jessie to Retama Equestrian Center.

The great protector...

One of the reasons that I kept Shamrock was because he did such a great job of protecting Jessie.  Shamrock is little...I do use pony as a term of endearment, but in Shamrock's case, it actually fits.  He's only 14.2 hands.  But he'll run an 18 hand thoroughbred around the pasture for an hour if he feels that it poses a threat to Jessie.

When Shamrock was moved to his own paddock I discovered how great of a job Shamrock actually did.  In the beginning, when they first moved to the barn Shamrock only allowed a donkey to be near them.  As soon as Shamrock was put in a no grass paddock Jessie started getting beat up.  So we moved him into the same paddock with Shamrock...they had less room, but Jessie was much happier, and safer, with Shamrock...and Shamrock was much *saner* off grass.

New barn...

We moved to a new facility and the horses *loved* it.  They had their own stalls for meals, but otherwise got to spend *all* of their time outside...the way both of them preferred to live.  I also decided that it would be a good place to hang their stall signs!

Work, work, work...

While I was making progress with Shamrock, it was slow in coming.  Partially because I was working at the barn where I kept the horses...and many times I used up Logan's patience for the barn with doing my required work (cleaning 12 stalls and watering horses...and then cleaning my own 2 stalls as well).  Logan was 3 at the time, and a very good sport about it.

He did love the barn, and it was a great environment for him.  He made lots of friends and was also able to come to the barn and invite friends over to come for pony rides.  It also meant that having horses there meant I rode rather sporadically.  Not ideal...especially for a PSSM horse...but that's what we did.

Logan did start to love riding though...especially when there were girls riding at the same time!

Settling in...

Eventually Shamrock settled in, got over being scared of the barn...

And even enjoyed playing with his new friends in his turnout.  

Jessie and Shamrock had opposite turn out schedules...they were in the same pasture, but Jessie went out at night because he was having trouble with the heat.  And then Shamrock went out during the day because he wasn't 24 years old.  Their stalls were across the aisle from each other.  The whole situation was a blessing, I just didn't know it yet...

Meanwhile Jessie was perking up...

Jessie flourished at the new barn...seeing me every day, getting extra feed and having great horsie friends.  Here's a little before and after where you can see how well he gained condition, and rapidly.

Meet Jessie...

This is my 1989 Appendix QH gelding, Jester Jigger.  He was my 4-H horse growing up...I got him in 1994 and my first year showing him was 1995.  He has big shoes for Shamrock to fill...but I have renewed faith that Shamrock can do it.  In the summer of 2013 I moved Jessie to Texas.  At first, he thrived...but then it became apparent that he needed a familiar face, so as soon as I could, I moved him to a barn closer to where I lived.

Unfortunately there was only one stall available at the time...so only Jessie moved.  I also worked at the barn so I had even less time to spend with Shamrock until another stall opened up.