Kota has Left the Building

Dakota officially left my care this morning.

We tried to go last night but whiteout conditions forced us to turn around, so Kota spent the night at Auntys house instead. He was a good giant pony and when we loaded up again this morning, it was clear but bloody cold. -37 including the windchill. That is COLD - since -40 is the same farenhieght or celcius, you know how cold that is no matter what country you hail from!

So after dressing in a million layers and lots of fleecy things, we went off to find his new home. The directions we clear but it was waaaaaaay out in seemingly the middle of nowhere on a winding road. We drove very slowly to get there for fear of missing the lane and not being able to turn around, the return drive was much faster [isnt is always though?]

As we went around the round about laneway I heard a little scuffling but nothing major so I guessed Kota was just shifting around, but when we stopped there was a big stomping sound but that stopped to, so I just thought he was being anxious to get off the trailer. Its not his usual tactics, but it was an interesting day. I was wrong. We opened the trailer door and Kota was LYING DOWN. HOLY CRAP.

Pardon the expression, but I was shitting bricks. After the hell of driving a horse trailer through sudden whiteouts the night before to this now, I was not impressed. He seemed fine, the divider was a little bent, and he was just curled up on the ground like he was sleeping. He wasnt panicing, just laying there and looking at me like "Will you help me now?" Thank goodness. So we opened the door and I held his head and we tried to get the divider over so he could get up since half his body was under it [its a swinging divider, not a full wall] Somehow [and I am still not sure how] he just got himelf up before we could move the divider.

I clipped a lead on and backed him off, he seemed fine and calm. He had a cut on his knee, just superficial, that was bleeding a bit, a cut on his lip and some fur missing off his other knee. Other than that he was fine. He wasnt being spooksy or freaking or anything. I got him to move around a bit and he didnt favor anything, and was calm. THANK GOD!

So we led him to his new pasture, which involved some interesting squeezes between I-dont-know-whats covered in plastic and the house that werent much wider than him, and he didnt even flinch or jump at all! He has a paddock all to himself right now, sharing a fenceline with his new buddy, a thoroughbred who looks like a dainty pony next to him, its cute really. The did the sqealy strike thing over the fence while I still had a line on him and then Kota looked at me like "Now what?' So I let him go and he went over to the hay piles his new owner put out for him. Easily satisfied he is.....

She showed me her barn, and Kota's new stall, all set up with fresh shavings. It is a really nice place with rolling hills and an old style century barn thats been renovated. I think Kota is going to be so happy there. He will have a whole family to dote on him and love him and he will have a gelding friend to keep him company. I am very happy with the home choice. I feel really comfortable knowing that is where he is going to be, and I have been invited to visit anytime, which I intend to do when I get back from being an extern.

So now I am down to two horses - Mo and Indy, and almost on my way to Florida. B flies in on wednesday afternoon, I called Parelli to organize payment yesterday, and my awesome dad already has the trailer to work on fixing the centre bar. Funny side note, my dad, who hasnt always been the most ...in favour... of my horsey obsession-must-make-it-a-career choices, I think is really proud of me for this trip this time around. Im going to be gone three months, by myself [not really, just without blood family] and being an extern... he made a big deal about my big trip so I thought that was nice. Its cool that he is proud of me [or I at least feel like he is] especially since it used to feel like he really didnt like me as a person. So yey for that. Side note done...

Et Voila. Life = Happy now. Everything is working out. Karma maybe still loves me!

Interesting quote from the Universe this morning, really seemed apt for me right now:

Folks are often so mesmerized, Sandy, by gold medals, trophies, and the daunting heights they aspire to, they tend to forget that their heroes and heroines, more often than not, started with far less than they now have.
You are poised for greatness,
The Universe

I like it anyways! :-)

S