Rodney & Milton’s Excellent Overnight Adventure

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Madame President, pro tem. WFLA: Kamala Harris first woman to have presidential power as Biden undergoes colonoscopy AP, Nov 19, 2021.
~~~

We took Rodney and Milton for a sleepover.

Simple, right?

People take their horses places all the time, yes?

This was a first for us. First time Rodney has been away from home overnight since he arrived. First time we had taken both horses.

Rodney used to stress about shipping. He thought each new barn was his new home. He figured he was being abandoned at this new place. Took him many, many trips to convince him that we would always bring him home.

Milton was 50/50 for sleepovers. In the plus column, the two practice shows back in 2017. In the minus column, the Tennessee show that led to the practice shows and the vet visit, which went fine from a people perspective, but Milton would definitely put it in the minus column. Links below.

They did great, mostly we think because they were together. Rodney either knew it was temporary or decide he could cope with relocating as long as his buddy was there.

Simple plan. Drive down. Dual lesson. Camp out. Second lesson. Return.

Working in our favor was all of the shipping we have been doing for schooling. We capitalized on this. The first day was treated as we would a one-day trip. Arrive. Unload. Get tied to trailer. Hay snack. Nap. Tack up. Nothing different. Nothing to see here. This is just another normal schooling day in a new place.

Stalls were not mentioned until riding was done.

The stalls were wonderful. Big. Wide open. Next to each other. The half wall at the back looked out over paddocks in the distance. Rodney was fascinated with the view. I had expected to do more hand-walking. but they were fine in the stalls. Whenever we checked on them, they were chill. So we left them to it.

The only downside was that the viewing area was on one side and the hay was on the other. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. The shavings got mix-mastered. Next time, hang hay in viewing area so Rodney can snack while watching.

The next morning, Milton seemed the slightest bit jumpy. I don’t know what was on his mind, but I started having Tennessee flashbacks. We decided to operate out of the trailer again, photo. Worked like a charm. Apparently, they are more comfortable standing being tied to *their* trailer than moving around in a strange stall. I’d say it was weird, but we all have our foibles.

Tomorrow, where we went & why.

Practice Show I [Here for the Experience, Milton at Mid-South 2018]
Practice Show Ii [Notes from North Georgia, Milton]

TN show [I am not back. This is not a post., Milton The Driving Horse]
Vet [Milton’s Medical Update]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine