WORTHY OF A SECOND POST TODAY ... We try not to fill your newsfeed with too many pictures on any given day or week but tonight was worthy of a second post, especially for those of you who have been with us since the beginning. The stalls are almost finished and since May was coming home and the bad weather was rolling in, our stall guy was kind enough to put up a temporary gate on a 4th stall and make it horse safe even though it isnt finished. All 4 of our horses are safely tucked in the barn tonight! Some of you may be thinking ... how would you possibly get George to go in the barn? Well, we wondered that too. For those of you who have more recently joined our adventure, George is our Belgian who was most impacted by his abuse and neglect. He is trying very hard to trust us and he has been making huge strides but things are hard for him sometimes. George is also the horse who started this adventure. When Jay saw George, he knew both horses were coming to Texas ... and so it began :) We brought May and Gazzy in and got them settled, then I put Bens halter on. I walked him in the barn and Jay stayed with George at the gate and offered him some cookies because he was getting very nervous at this new activity (George likes knowing the routine!). Ben snorted a little walking in the barn but walked right into his stall as I asked like the trooper he is. Then it was Georges turn. Putting a halter on George in the pasture with the cold weather was just not a possibility. We were going to let him walk in and find his way to his stall with as much support as he would allow but not so much that would make him nervous. We used the bread crumb technique with small piles of alfalfa into the barn, down the aisle and into his stall. It took about 45 minutes and several starts with George choosing to the leave the barn and then try again. He was such a brave boy! We were committed to giving him as much time as he needed. George needs to take his time assessing a new situation and not feel pressed to do something that he doesnt understand. This is very important for George and we respect this need. What also was important in this process for George was his friendship and respect for Ben. Bens stall is intentionally right next to Georges stall. George checked in with Ben several times during his assessment of this new situation. Each time Ben gently sniffed and calmly shared that this was an okay plan and they were still safe. After each check in George got a little braver with walking into the new stall. Just amazing to watch these horses. Once in the stall we slowly closed the door and he settled in to eating his alfalfa. They had dinner (warm bran mash with soaked alfalfa cubes and beet pulp) and we just did a barn check a few minutes ago. They all are doing well in a warm barn without having to manage the biting cold winds tonight. The barn kitties ... for the kitties fans ... now have one of Jays old military sleeping bags ... they love it! The chickies have special preparations for their coop as well, so all of our outdoor family members are tucked in well for the night. Thank you for all of your ongoing love and support. You truly make a difference in all of our lives here at Rally C Ranch!
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 05:07:43 +0000
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