11 days to go and Mike and I are getting all of the animals settled and ready for our departure to Colorado for our wedding... It is finally here! Marley has been doing light trail work only the past couple of weeks since he will have some time off of any hard work while we are away for the wedding. He seems pretty happy about this, the trails are is favorite place, plus it has been so hot here and the forest provides a welcome relief from the heat.
To add to our ever growing family, I share with you Roy. He is getting along with the Chance and Jalapeno, and he absolutely LOVES Marley. Anytime he sees him he gets the greatest golden retriever butt wiggle imaginable.
I promise that after the wedding I will have lots of photos, videos, and updates on Marley and his progress. He is looking and feeling great!
Much love to everyone, and the next time you hear from me, I will be happily married!
Yeah I know. Old news. Moving was way too much work, and once again, the blog was put on hold. But here we are, in the California sunshine (even though I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be rainy, but hey we'll take it!) while there is a blizzard in Colorado.
Our Rig! From Colorado to California.... Here we come!
It was quite the trip, and Marley sure is glad to be settled in to his new home. It all started when only a few short days before our move, Marley suddenly decided that his hind feet didn't belong in the trailer. He wouldn't get worked up, he wouldn't kick or stomp, he just simply stood there with his front end in the trailer and his rear end out of it. Believe me, when I say he was stuck, he was truly stuck. No amount of coaxing, pressure, or ANYTHING would get him to pick up his hind feet. At this point, I hated our little straight load trailer, because I couldn't move him in any direction to get his feet off the ground. Finally, almost jokingly Mike closed the door on Marley's butt (which was still hanging outside of the trailer. Marley calmly picked up both feet, placed himself in the trailer and acted as if he were saying "Oh, you wanted all four feet in? Why didn't you say so?". After 4 hours of trailer loading, this was all it took, and he hasn't had a problem since.
Even still, the morning of our move we didn't want to take any chances that Marley wouldn't load, and we had arranged to stay in Winnemucca, Nevada overnight so we were on a bit of a schedule. Mike and I got to the barn at 4:00 AM, loaded up Marley's belongings, and loaded him in the dark. Marley was really good and got right in the trailer, and we were thrilled that it looked like our journey would be hassle free. I know, I know.... start laughing now.
Marley loaded up and ready to go
"Are we there yet?"
We headed home to say goodbye to my family and then Mike and I and his parents (they flew out from California to drive our Camry and help with the move) hit the road early. We checked the weather before leaving and didn't see any signs of snow or rain, so we took that as a good sign and expected nothing but smooth sailing. Enter Wyoming.
A wrecked semi and treacherous conditions in WY
I've never had anything against Wyoming. In fact, most times I've visited the state, I've enjoyed the wide open beauty and untouched landscapes, as it is truly Americas last frontier. On this particular day however and only three hours in to our drive, Wyoming sucked. I mean it was really truly horrible... Hell on earth to be exact. As we headed out of Laramie, the already strong winds turned into 60 MPH + crosswind. While it wasn't snowing in Wyoming, there was snow on the ground, and with winds like that it was blowing across the road and creating white out conditions. At this point, there was no where to pull over and when we stopped it was actually worse, the wind was literally blowing us (specifically the trailer) across the ice and onto the shoulder of the road. I know we may be young, but I've been driving a trailer before I was legal to drive one. I've driven across the US with only my horses and dogs as company, and I've never been afraid or doubted whether I should be driving in any conditions I've encountered. Today though, I seriously was terrified. Mike has never driven a trailer before, so I had planned to drive the entire way as it was. Now, with such a strong cross wind. I had the wheel turned at 15 degrees just to continue driving in a relatively straight line. The worst part is that it seemed never ending, we rarely drove over 15 MPH and never got over 30 through the entire state of Wyoming. I still believe the only reason we aren't still there is because some truckers (who may as well have been angels) took pity on us and formed a barrier around us, driving on our side and directly in front and behind us to block the wind. If you're out there truckers, THANK YOU!
Stopping for a break
Driving into Utah
In any case, Utah has never looked so beautiful as we crossed the border sometime around sunset. The winds had died and the mountains seemed like nothing compared to what Wyoming had dealt us. The only problem was that we had only just crossed into Utah and we were supposed to be pulling into Winnemucca in only an hour and half. We were in for a really long night.
Finally, at 2:30 AM, after 21 or so hours of driving, we unloaded Marley at the fairgrounds in Winnemucca, let him roll in the arena, and then because I was worried about putting him away after such a long trip we went on a walk. Other than being tired, he looked great. He was alert, drank water, his legs were all fine and he was eating without a problem. At 3:30 AM, it was finally time for bed.
Start day 2 of our drive. We left a bit later than we had planned originally because none of us could bring ourselves to get back into the car. I let Marley run around the arena a bit to get some bucks out and stretch his legs, and despite being stuck in the trailer for almost twice has long as we had expected on the first day, he was in good spirits. When it was time to load him up, he got right in and off we went, finally California bound.
The second day of driving was a breeze. Most of it was downhill, the weather was beautiful, and we only had to stop once for a bite to eat and short bathroom break. At 4:30, just before sunset, we pulled into the barn at the base of the Briones open space hills and had Marley settled in before dark.
Oh yeah, and just in time to celebrate Mike's birthday!
Since arriving in California, Marley has been doing exceptionally well. He lives in a pasture with a shelter and has a pasture mate named Legend. We take him on hikes, or rides, through the open space a couple times a week, and we are even taking lessons! I found a trainer here who I'm really excited to be working with, and our dressage is improving and we're both getting back into shape.
Beautiful Views
Hiking with the Fam in California
A couple weeks ago, I took Marley to school cross country with the trainer I'm working with and we had an absolute blast. Marley did ditches, water, banks, jumps, all without issue. We were even able to gallop over a few good size logs in an even rhythm and Marley was jumping well. I had this great idea to attach one of those GoPro video cameras to my helmet for "Marley Cam" so you could all see how we were doing on course, unfortunately I forgot to dump the old photos and videos off the SD card because it filled up before we even started trotting. Oh well, please enjoy the view and Marley's cute ears and fuzzy forelock. I'll get some cool video next time. :)
Marley has been diligently mowing the lawn at Brody Ranch now for the last five days, and aside from a minor bee sting, he is doing great. The second day he was there it snowed and Marley spent the day digging through the snow to get to the grass rather than eating all of his hay. He didn't care that it was snowing, he stood outside and even played with us when we kicked snow around.
My little mustang is getting bigger!
Marley seemed pretty happy with his stall, but sometimes walking through the barn was a little spooky for him. Since we couldn't do any riding as it was snowing, I decided to bring Marley into the barn for some target training. I started asking him to target to objects all over the barn that he was afraid of. Pretty soon, exploring the barn became a game, and Marley will do just about anything for a carrot. Just like that, the barn was safe.
Marley laying down on cue
The next day, in typical Colorado fashion, it was warm, sunny, and all of the snow melted. I decided to take Marley out for a ride through the field. I rode him bareback, and he was great. It was still a little wet, so we did some trotting, but mostly we enjoyed the nice weather and a relaxing morning.
Today, Marley and I spent time together and went on a long walk. He was great on the road and didn't spook once. The best part was that when we finished up for the day, I didn't have to put him into a stall.
(These are written from oldest to most recent, so if you want to start at the bottom, it may make more sense)
Marley's New Adventure
I have always talked about wanting big, green, pastures with ample space and room for Marley to stretch his legs. This weekend, Marley is going south on a trial run at a new temporary home until we move. His permanence here until December isn't for sure until we know how he and the dogs do with his presence, but so far he seems really content with this new change. Thank you to Mike and Laura, long time family friends, for their generosity.
Marley's new ride
When we pulled in Marley was still happily eating his hay and didn't seem upset at all by the trailer ride. That in itself is progress, as in the past he has been a little nervous coming off the trailer someplace new. After backing out, he stood and looked around for a few minutes. He saw his barn, the dogs, and then to his delight, the grass. That was the end of any shred of a doubt he had about this strange new place, so I walked him to the pasture so we could get his stall ready for him.
Marley backing out of his new trailer
Taking a look around
Marley looking at the grass on our way to the pasture
Taking Marley to the big pasture
As soon as I took Marley's halter off, he started grazing as fast as he could. Maybe he thought he would only have a limited time here or something, I'm not sure. Any time he has grazed in the past is when I lead him and let him graze, as the only pasture he has been in has no grass. He did eventually slow down a little, though he never got bored of eating. I imagined what he looked like a year ago, out in the wild, free to eat and roam whenever/wherever he pleased. I felt really good that he could be a horse again, the way a horse should be.
Marley happily grazing in the pasture
Jazz meeting Marley
Baby meeting Marley
After we got his feeders up, stall full of shavings, and water tanks filled, I brought Marley up to the barn. Before putting him away I spent about an hour brushing him. I tied him to the hitching post by the barn and he stood quietly the entire time. At one point, he even had his eyes closed while I combed his mane and tail out.
I led him into his stall and run area, which in itself is huge. I walked him through his stall so he could see it, and then back out to his run. He drank, explored a little, and then started grazing again. Ahhh what a life.
Marley has a TRAILER!!
As you recently found out, Mike and I are going to be moving to California in December. While we had found Marley a place to live, we weren't sure how we were going to get him there. We thought about shipping him, and we thought about the prospect of buying a truck and trailer. We really needed a trailer, not only for distance hauling, but also in case of an emergency or if we would just like to take him somewhere new for a ride. The problem is that we don't have a car that can pull a horse trailer, and buying the truck is the expensive part.
Dad to the rescue! My family has had a big suburban since I was little. We used it for years to pull horses, boats, and to pack a bunch of kids into for field trips and play dates. It now has 280,000ish miles on it, but it's still going strong. The problem? It's a gas guzzler, and my Dad uses it as a commuter vehicle. The solution? He is getting a new car and we are taking the suburban. Perfect! All Marley needed now was a trailer!
What I wanted to get Marley was a nice sized two horse slant load stock trailer that had ample room for growth etc. I also would have liked a tack room. What we could afford was a 1976 two horse straight load with little to no room for growth. It has a small compartment up front, so no tack room, but it works. The good news? It pulls great, and heck, it's a start!
Marley's Sleep Over
Marley was very surprised the other morning when I showed up at 3:45AM with my camping gear! Mike and I share one car, and while it usually works out great if we plan things correctly, sometimes it leaves one of us stranded. Marley had a trimming appointment at 7 AM, but Mike had to be at his first job at 5 AM, and then his second one at 8. There was no way we could make the car work unless I either canceled Marley's appointment, or Mike dropped me off at the barn super early. Well, I didn't want to cancel his appointment, so I brought my comfy clothes and hot cocoa and thought I would get some extra zzz's with Marley.
When we got to the barn, Marley was laying down. He watched me sleepily while I unloaded the car and set up a spot in his stall. Both of us fell back to sleep, and I didn't hear him move until about 5:30 when I woke up suddenly to Marley sneezing in my face.
I was still groggy and it was barely light out, but Marley was up and feeling playful. He tried to grab the bottom of my chair out from under me, he grabbed my thermos and tossed it around, and relentlessly tried chewing and nuzzling my hair. Finally, I gave up on any more rest and we went for an early morning walk.
The barn early in the morning
Oh!! And most importantly for his training, Marley stood like an old pro for the farrier. Not a single hiccup from him, I was so proud.
One day I'm writing about Marley and the next I start planning a wedding and the blog goes out the window. To my readers who are still waiting, Marley is back and I'm so sorry to keep you waiting!
Marley just a little over a month ago... before the winter coat started coming in and before the growth spurt
Look at that belly! And awkward conformation!
Since we have spoken last, Marley has grown. He has grown so much that his butt is about 4 inches higher than his withers. I realized this when his trot started to feel a little funny, not off or lame, but just different. When I got off of him and stepped back, I realized what the problem was... Marley is getting bigger! I have stopped training him under saddle because of it, other than very light work that is, and we have been doing a lot of ground training and fattening up. I apparently didn't get the memo that only Marley needed to gain a few lbs, so lately I have been getting a daily workout with Marley in his famous games of chase. Also notice Marley's dark coat coming in.... he is shedding like crazy and getting ready for winter! It looks like his winter coat is almost a liver chestnut color, but it's still a little hard to tell. It might end up red like his coat was when I picked him up from the BLM. I still can't believe that was 6 months ago! Although, he acts as though it has been much longer. I think Marley loves his new life, and I'm not just saying that.
In a recent talk that Marley and I gave to a 4H group about the benefits of positive reinforcement training and relationship building, Marley started to learn how to fetch. Currently we are working with a soccer ball, and I hope to eventually add other objects to his repertoire.
Finally, I have some big news. Marley, Mike and I will be moving to California in December. Mike is from the bay area and we have decided that Northern California will be where we make our eventual permanent home. We have looked at several barns for Marley and the top two contenders each back up to hundreds of acres of trails and wilderness to explore. This was absolutely the most important thing to me in regards to what I wanted for Marley, and I'm excited to work with him in a more rural setting.
There is so much more to talk about, and I promise, it is all coming. I will start posting once again about Marley's training in more detail, and I will get back to the videos and photos that everyone keeps asking me about. And if you think I'll go right back to wedding planning, you're wrong. I was so anxious about planning that I just went ahead and got it all out of the way, so now all we have to do is basically wait until June, minus a few minor details. :)
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