Home — Pick a Beauty

A few months can really feel like a lifetime even if they fly by. So much has happened since May and now that I have a brief chance to breathe I am happy to have a chance to share some of the highlights.

Memorial Day weekend, I packed up the Boulder apartment and headed west to Bend, Oregon to start Desert Lily Farm. Situated just east of the city, we have about 10 acres that we are slowly upgrading, fixing, and then fixing again. When Oliver and his buddy Dante arrived last week we rounded off our current herd of 5 horses, four of which are ours. Super exciting. A little stressful. Incredibly rewarding.

Oliver spent June and July down in Erie with Sean, both to give us time to get the property ready and also to allow him to have some more training with Oliver. As I have learned seems to be par for the course, we had some big learnings in those two months that will very much change the course of Oliver’s work for the next year or two.

Sean’s work with Oliver was supposed to include some riding--we had laid the foundation with solid groundwork and when I left we were riding Oliver 2-3 times a week, mostly at the walk at the trot because his canter remains a little wonky (not too surprising as he is still very much a baby). We were determined to take things slowly, but I really wanted to get Oliver comfortable being ridden so I could continue with him up here on my own in the saddle. Oliver’s growing body, though, had other plans.

After a few chiropractic visits and some close watching of Oliver’s gates and comfort when being ridden, Sean reached out to share some observations. Oliver is still very “clicky” and at the canter he switches leads in his back end. The chiropractor noted that his pelvis is not yet fused and advised that we really take time off of riding to give him a chance to grow safely. This was not too much of a surprise but it was a little disappointing, simply because we had made so much progress and it was exciting to get him under saddle. That said, we want this horse to be healthy and happy for many years, so we need to do what is best for him. So groundwork it was!

Ollie arrived here in Bend the first week in August after a somewhat harrowing trip for Sean and Dani due to some truck issues. He didn’t seem fazed by all the stops and layovers in new places, though, and when he walked off the trailer, he looked around, went for a roll in his temporary paddock and headed for hay. I couldn’t believe how much he had shot up since I had seen him last--I haven’t sticked him yet, but I am pretty sure he grew a few inches in his withers.

The next weekend, Oliver had his moment in the spotlight when Sean demonstrated round pen work as a part of the clinic he held here. True to form, Oliver was a little slow to get started, but it is clear he still retains the basics we have worked so hard to instill. Despite all the distractions: new arena, lots of new people and their horses, etc. he did really well. I wouldn’t say he stood still quietly on his breaks, but he was sweet and curious and handled all the sensory input like a well adjusted two-year-old horse.

The plan now is for me to continue working with Oliver on the ground. First reinforcing all the basics and then, hopefully, doing some liberty work with him to get him more sensitive and connected. In the meantime, Oliver has discovered his new favorite spots at the farm: the shady places in the pasture, the front pond (which is about 4 feet deep when filled) and the paddock he shares with Dante. He loves going out in the pasture with Dante and his new buddy, Split, and can often be found lying around or standing in the sprinklers on the particularly hot days. Life is good and we have much to look forward to here at Desert Lily Farm.