Saturday, May 25, 2013

Vacation and Dapples

Harley is enjoying his vacation, but I am not.  It is getting close to two months since I have ridden my horse.  This is the longest that I have gone without riding since some of those long winters during college (I graduated over ten years ago.) and at the interim between getting married, moving, and finding a new barn to call my home.  This is definitely the longest since I have owned Harley.  I thought that I would still be able to have fun with my horse from my own two feet, but I have had to give up groundwork now, too.  My center of balance is completely out of whack and I cannot put on any of my barn shoes or boots due to foot and ankle swelling.  It is really gross, but "normal" in the world of pregnancy.  My husband and I went to K-mart and bought men's Wellington-type boots so that I can at least visit my horse in something besides sandals.  I would not be able to reach down to lace up my regular boots even if I could fit into them.  My existence is very strange and foreign to me right now.  I am an active person, but I cannot manage even a short walk without needing to use the restroom and I hobble around like a crippled person on my fat feet.  Needless to say, this has also made my job as a middle school teacher very, very challenging.

On a more positive note, Harley's dapples have arrived!  At least the stunning beauty of my horse's spring coat can lift my spirits.  He is just so gorgeous.  I know that I am biased, but every year his coat transformation is remarkable.  I documented it in detail last year.  Just choose the "buckskin" tag to see some more impressive photos from 2012.  He is pictured below partaking in his favorite vacation pastime.

His tall, dark summer stockings are growing up his legs!  I love those.

Can you see some dapples on his shoulder.  They are not very visible in this light.  This picture doesn't do them justice and was taken in mid-May.  His coloring is even more dramatic now, at the end of the month.

Good Boy, Harley.  He has been cleaning his bowl every though he does not get formal exercise at this time.  Thank goodness for 24/7 turnout and a buddy to pal around with.  Despite his vacation, he remains a perfect gentleman when I retrieve him from the paddock for grooming and carrots.  I really am a lucky horse girl.

23 comments:

  1. Harley is as gorgeous as ever. Hang in there, not much longer now!

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  2. He is gorgeous!! I love Buckskins..I always swore I would buy a Buckskin when I was able to get my first horse, but I ended up with a coppery bay...I couldn't be happier with my Bay baby though!
    PS: I envy his mane so much. My horse came to me with literally no mane and it's just now growing out. Man, I love long manes!!
    Kalin from Sittinginthesaddle.blogspot.com

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    1. Well, a buckskin is a bay, just a diluted one! Copper bays are gorgeous, too.

      Harley used to rub out the lower section of his mane completely by eating grass through the fence. I had to put up foal wiring to prevent it, but he still threatens to rub it out on the fencing along the woods. Your horse's mane will be long before you know it! I highly recommend a detangler like Cowboy Magic. That stuff is gold.

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    2. Red would rub his, too. He had TERRIBLE allergies and was so skinny and barely had a mane or tail at all... I've been using a homemade detangler that a woman at the barn I board at makes, but I'm going to get some Cowboy Magic, as well. He needs all the help he can get! Hahaha!

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  3. Harley is amazingly handsome as usual. I'm sorry you're not able to ride, or even do groundwork, but just think that in a few weeks, you'll be able to meet your daughter for the first time!

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  4. It's almost over, you're in the homestretch! And I know from experience that in the first month of having a newborn, you're not even going to remember that you have a horse!

    Harley is looking beautiful, as always. And you'll be back on him before you know it!

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    1. Not remember Harley? How is that possible, Shannon? I guess that I will have to wait and see.

      I am looking forward to showing my daughter to Harley, from a safe distance of course. :)

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  5. Can I just say, Harely is all of the above. I love these pictures. Just think, in the end it will all be worth it! :)

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    1. Thank you and you are right. My life is just really boring and uncomfortable right now so it is easy to lose sight of that.

      Blogging and sharing comments is still fun though!

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  6. Being pregnant is a strange and sometimes not quite so wonderful thing. I remember looking at my legs and thinking "Where did my ankles go?" My leg just sort of went calf to foot it was so swollen! Harley looks great in his summer coat though. :)

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    1. Those are my sentiments exactly. I had to go buy cheap shoes that are a full size and a half larger than my normal shoe size and I still can't fit into them with socks on. So strange, but in all honestly, I am glad that I am having the experience. What is life for except collecting experiences and learning from them?

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  7. Can't wait to hear about your baby. I wrote a novel about a pregnant horsewoman (Moonblind--the ninth novel in my series), in which I describe just what you are feeling (which I felt,too, near the end of my pregnancy). How huge I was, how I waddled everywhere...etc. And a man actually wrote me that my descriptions were very unrealistic and that pregnant women don't waddle. HA! Fat lot he knew about it (!)

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    1. Was that guy for real? How completely ridiculous! Before I was pregnant, I wondered why pregnant women walked that way. Now I understand that it is not by choice. It just happens. ;)

      I did not know that one of your books was about a pregnant horsewoman. That is great!

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  8. Hang in there Val; you're reaching the home stretch! I know how frustrating it is not to be able to do ANYTHING like you used to.... Even bending over is a challenge! But you'll get there, and it'll totally be worth it to meet your little girl. :)

    bonita

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    1. You are right. It is just tough right now. At least Harley is healthy, happy, and well-taken cared for so that I do not have to worry about him.

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  9. Oh girl I feel ya on the whole active and not able to do what you use to... that is why I HATED being prego!!!

    How much longer do you have? You can do it!!!

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  10. Harley is looking lovelier than usual - if that's even possible. ;D

    I hope these last few weeks fly by for you!

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  11. Ooh Look At Him...He's Blushing Beauty For You. I Love The Spring Dapple S, Even My Mare Gets, Red With Black Undertones.

    You're Just About There, And While You'll Never Forget Harley...Hell Get To Be Something You Can Share With Your Daughter, And When Not With Family, He'll Be Such A Haven
    Of Delight, As He's Always Been.

    The Gal At My Stable With A Buckskin Mare, Just Had Her First Daughter Last Year. The Only Thing That's Not Getting Attention- Is Her Blog!
    She Works And Rides Twice A Week...Drives An Hour To Do That.

    Hope You Deliver Your Girl Soon,And All Is Well!

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