So here's the rundown:
I moved Dixie to a barn in the Oakland hills, with 50+ miles of beautiful, secluded trail access. I moved her because she just kept losing weight at the barn in Portola Valley. I could have done a more thorough job of trying to investigate why she wasn't getting enough to eat, yelling at staff, etc., but honestly, why? They were not doing an adequate job with her, and it's not like there's a shortage of barns.
The new place has very small stalls. :( But they try very hard to give the horses daily turnout in individual pens. The stalls are mucked 3x daily and the horses are fed 3x daily. Three weeks after moving her, Dixie's put on at least 50 lbs, and I've almost stopped apologizing when I introduce her. ("Hi, I'm Funder, this is my TWH Dixie and I know she's too skinny and we're putting weight back on her ohgoddon'tjudgeme!")
We had a chance at tying for high mileage TWH for the year, but it didn't happen. I couldn't afford another ride, my horse was too skinny to ask her to do another ride, and she was body sore. It sucked. :(
Today I had a chiropractor work on Miss D, and if I'd had a free hand to take pictures I would've! Dixie Does Not Like to be Touched, so her expression kept flipping between "don't touch me. don't let her touch me!" and licking-chewing-"how interesting!" I was down with a cold all weekend, so I didn't take her out for a walk after the adjustment - I'll go ride tomorrow or Wednesday and hopefully she'll be happier.
White horses are easy to take pics of, but it's hard to show muscles or lack thereof. You may have to take my word for it: that horse was very thin IRL when I moved her. Here she is right after Red Rocks:
One month later, two weeks after being moved to a barn where they feed her as much hay as she needs:
Last week, looking lovely on a walk in the woods:
The Oakland hills are astonishingly pretty.
Lots of really great hills!
Also, the days of letting the cats freeload on our largess have ended. Our cats have jobs. Our cats are business cattes.
edit: Work it, girl.
Dirty Dixie rolling in the sand from Funder on Vimeo.
OMG the cats with their ties are just adorable... and they'd probably do a better job than many business men!
ReplyDeleteOne of my worries about putting my horses in livery is the loss of control, but five weeks in all is going well, they are in good shape and the people who run the farm keep saying "treat it like your own home." I think I've been very lucky & I hope your new place in Oakland turns out like that.
PS I've been missing the Funder & Dixie stories!
Hey Funder! Glad to see your are still kicking it!
ReplyDeleteDixie doesn't look too bad - she was always a lighter type. Glad she is picking up again.
And I FRIKING LOVE the Business Cats!!
SO good to hear from you!!!
ReplyDeleteBummer about Dixie, but it sounds like you have it well in hand. Glad there are lots of barn options. Looks like nice trails out there.
Please post how-to info on the business cattes conversion. The freeloading has gotten out of control here as well!! ;D
The best feline haberdasher in the business is Sew Smooth. If she puts out some Christmas ties, our cats may have to attend the company party!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about "getting back in the [blogging] saddle"
ReplyDelete*le sigh*
Good to see Dixie putting weight back on. I have this argument with Flash every year... Me: You WILL put on weight. Flash: Drop dead.
So the cycle goes LOL
Well, we've missed you and Dixie in the Blogworld, so glad you've joined us again. But hey...aren't you supposed to be READING a BOOK right now?
ReplyDeleteI'm not talking *Game of Thrones*, and you know it.
>g<
Thats why I moved Skip and Kolijah this year! Poor Skip took three months to gain his weight back. :( he'd dropped around 150lbs close to 200. The pics of him from then are so AWFUL. :( I hide them.
ReplyDeleteThose kitty ties are awesome!! I think my cat would slit my throat as I sleep if I put one on her, but they are so stinkin cute!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're enjoying the new barn and that Dixie is gaining weight... it's amazing what the proper amount of food will do!
Beautiful riding trails!!! I'm totally jealous. So glad you're getting Dixie back on track. Scary when something like that happens to your horse. I'm with you, why bother with them...once they lose your trust and let your horse go downhill, I couldn't trust them again.
ReplyDeleteLove that executives!! So cute.
So glad to hear you and Dixie are doing well. Your new barn sounds great and the trails look enviable!
ReplyDeleteLove the Business Cattes!!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely rounder in the last photo, and a bit cleaner, as well...At least until the video. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSo funny, your description of Dixie getting bodywork was EXACTLY Desire. She did NOT want that lady laying hands on her but you could just SEE the release and almost surprise on her face and by the end she did actually half nuzzle the lady once, which for a stranger is like being given a parade by Desire.
ReplyDeleteGlad Dixie is fattening up and the new barn just sounds SO much better. Is it ride season yet??
Good to hear from you, Funder. Glad you moved Dixie.
ReplyDeleteThe kitties are adorable in their business atire.
Aw, Dixie-girl, loved the video! She looks to me like one of those tough-as-nails horses who is just always going to be lean. It's hard to say from pictures, but it seems like her build makes her look skinnier than she really is - I think the good bone in her legs, neck, and head make her body appear too small, when she is really quite petite in the body. I'd agree she needs some weight but I'm guessing that her naturally lean build in the body is just the way she is. An ideal build for endurance, if you think about it.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about the high-mileage TWH award but good on you for putting Dixie (and your wallet!) first.
I might appreciate those cat ties more if mine weren't driving me crazy at the moment...I'd be more likely to strangle him with them. Yes, I'm kidding...but barely.
Glad to hear you have found a better place for Dixie and the weight is coming back. I'll be happy to send her some of my excess weight....
ReplyDeleteLove the Business Cattes. I have shown them to Allie, who has now gone into hiding for fear I'll expect her to get a job and maybe - gasp - wear heels to work!
Dixie and I are both glad you moved her to a new barn where she started getting FED. I mean, really, how hard can it be to run a barn right? she looks good now!
ReplyDelete- The Equestrian Vagabond
Yay you're alive! Sucky about Dixie losing weight and that you had to actually move her to get her weight up again. :( Too funny with the business cats, I'll have to see about getting my kitty into the cubicle as well. ;) Wish I could watch the video, but vimeo hates me and my computer, I've never been able to get it to work.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear from you! Finding the right barn stinks, but when you do...she's recovering nicely.
ReplyDeleteShe was definitely looking a bit on the thin side, but not alarmingly so. Take that with a grain of salt, as I'm used to seeing racing fit Thoroughbreds, so lean is the norm.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in my experience, it may not have been just a lack of calories that made Miss Dixie thin. Sometimes, it's the other horses, especially if you already have a nervous nelly. I had a TB mare who looked skeletal and no matter how many calories I shoveled into her, she never gained weight, until I moved her. The other horses were very pushy and bossy and she worried and walked all the calories off. At the new barn, there was no one bossing her or making her nervous and within a couple of months she gained weight and I could cut her calories by half.
It sounds like a good call to move Dixie. I'm glad that she's doing better.
ReplyDeleteI don't have 'business cattes', mine are therapy petting cats:) They'd be fired from any other job for laziness.
Glad you moved, it looks as though Dixie approves anyway! Good to hear from you!!
ReplyDeleteThat is what I like about you....if it ain't working for you, you do something about it. D looks so much calmer and happier in her expression in the last pic in the woods you posted. I mean, look at her eye there, she's telling you something about how she feels now.
ReplyDeleteShe looks beautiful!
Back to reading my favorite blogs! LOVE the photos of the area - how far from where you live? Glad to hear that you found a better place & Dixie likes it better, she looks much better & happier too!
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays to you and yours!!
ReplyDeleteHope you and the Dixie mare , business cats( A-dorable) and hubby are well!
ReplyDeleteBet she has better groceries at your new place...sounds nice. Do tell soon Funder.
KK & Wa mare