Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Building the Ark

It started to rain sometime last night. Not the normal rain, but bucket dumping, wind blowing, rain. It made me so happy that it worked out that Denali was shipped out already. I would really hate to have this storm hanging out around here this weekend, and have to take Denali down in the storm.

I got an adorable short video of her last night. She looks so happy and that makes my heart sing. I was worried that she'd be lonely and sad, but she seems to have stepped right into her role of snack taster and is happy to do it. The caretakers are so great, I don't know what I did to deserve to find them. I'm so glad that they like Denali so much. I've gotten multiple text messages about how sweet of a girl she is and how much they like her. I did tell them all the horror stories, so they probably thought that I was bringing a flying hell-beast. I know I probably exaggerated, but I don't ever want someone to not know what they are getting, and then Denali to suffer because of it. The caretaker told me she's adding a scoop of grain (total of 2) to try to get a little extra weight on Denali before winter really sets in. I'm glad she's worried about Denali. She's been getting fed 3x a day, and has access to the hay field.

Tonight I had a meeting for the center that I volunteer for and found out that one of my volunteers is taking polo lessons 7 miles from Denali!! We are going to plan trips together. I will drop her at her lesson (it's 3 hours) and go see Nawlers, then pick her back up. I'm glad to have someone to go with.

In other news I went out tonight to watch the owner ride the Dutch Warmblood I might lease. I did NOT realize how big of a horse he is. He is a big, big boy. He's a beautiful, beautiful mover and is a really good boy. He spooked once, and it of course made me nervous. GRR. The owner of the GWB is amazing, and she suggested that I take some lessons on him. I feel really stupid telling people in my life that I am really afraid of riding. Everytime I have ever came off a horse I have hopped right back up. After the trailering accident it took me months to be able to walk normal, so hoping back up wasn't easy. Now, when I get comfortable with a horse, I do okay, but I wish I could just go back and ride all different types of horses with no fear.  It takes a lot to talk myself into getting on their back. I hope to go talk to the doctor soon. I don't know what she can do, but I figure that's the first step to get over my fear. It would be different if I didn't want to ride again, but I miss it a lot. It's hard when my head is telling me NO and my heart is saying get going and ride!

Thanks for your nice comments. I'm glad you won't mind listening to me babble.

7 comments:

Kate said...

It's so funny when you have a very fresh horse and you forewarn everyone about the horses behaviour, just to have them act like an angel. It happened to me when I moved Lucy to my new barn. She was regularly walking herself into the barn on her hind legs and at the new barn, she's so busy trying to get a few last bites of grass that I almost have to drag her into the barn. It sounds like Denali is a happy baby :)

Kristen Eleni Shellenbarger said...

Hey, you will loose that fear, it just takes TIME :)
I LOVE hearing that Princess D is so happy and has great caretakers in addition to her awesome Mom/Dad!! What a HUGE HUGE weight off your shoulders!!! And you get to see her soon :) Awesome all around
xoxoxo
PS Dont give up your blog..talk about anything!! I'm sure new adventures await!

SprinklerBandit said...

First off, I'm so glad you've found such an excellent facility for Denali. It sounds great.

Second, I so hope you get back in the saddle again. I had a fairly traumatic accident this summer (and I -actually- broke bones, unlike you), and coming back is hard sometimes. Riding a good horse with a quality instructor on a regular basis is making a world of difference for me. I hope you can find your confidence again.

Ruth said...

I'm glad Denali is getting on well.You both deserve it :)!!
i think it's great you want to ride again. Good luck!

Kate said...

Recovering from an accident takes time. Its like falling off a horse and being slightly rattled x10. The fact that you haven't given up on riding in general is proof of your dedication and love of these animals.

Once Upon an Equine said...

It's great that Denali is settling in well at her retirement home. And nice that you can have some company to drive with when you go for a visit.

October Horse & Rider magazine had an interesting article on conquering fear; an issue that many of us face. The article listed several good exercises we can do to work through fear...like writing down the things we love about riding, setting goals, visualizing success, and making an action plan. I liked it.

Achieve1dream said...

I enjoy your babbling. :D

I think talking to a Dr. is a good idea. It sounds like PTSD and they can definitely help you with that. It will be okay. You'll get your confidence back. I thought I would never be confident around horses again, but Chrome has definitely cured me of my fear (which wasn't as bad as yours but was definitely there). I hope you'll consider the lease and lessons. It could be really good for you. Good luck!