Sleek N Wow has been adjusting to his new herd this week.  The girls are hardly making it easy on him though!  Cheyenne is definitely less than thrilled with his arrival, and Ali looks to her for protection; but remove Cheyenne and he and Ali get along just fine!  I have walked both of them in and out of the barn together without so much as an ear pin from Ali.

Tied to their spots to eat in peace

The first battle wounds I found were on Miss Grumpy Pants… He apparently landed a good kick to her rump that didn’t break the skin, but a nice lump was left for evidence. Two days later, he was sporting kick marks on both hips… I’m sure it will still take a bit for her to resign to the fact that there is a gelding living in the field again  🐎

He seems to enjoy selfies too!

This week has mostly been about adjusting, with just a little bit of “work” in there too to establish our relationship. His first Sunday we took a hand-walk hike through the woods a short distance after a few min of ground work to learn the “Back” cue…Gosh he walks fast, but was loving getting out and wanted to keep going.   Wednesday he got to meet my farrier, and of course was super well behaved; we got to work on the Back cue a little more with that too.   After the appointment I measured him for Scoot Boots and sent those off for review. Just as I thought, Prophecy’s are way too big for him so we will be trying the 2 and 3 slims to see if we can get a good fit or need to try a different brand boot for now (as hoof shape still needs improving).
Thursday I brought him in again to groom and apply hoof armor to his feet. They are pretty solid from Sabine riding him on rocks, but do still need some help and it certainly can’t hurt to use. He enjoyed the pampering of course.  He has a beautiful thick black tail, but his mane is a little sparse in places!
Sadly, he has been off since Friday but between the kicks and trim I’m not sure which is bothering him! Now he has practiced a bunch of trot-outs and he is learning how to circle on the line while I video to assess.

I sized the Beta/Biothane halter of Prophecy’s from THT (see tabs for previous reviews) and I think the color is great on him! That lead rope has been with me for all 4 of my boys; it was Traveler’s and I continue to use it with cherished memories.

                        

I’m slowly working through my current tack to size it for him, I’ve already determined he needs a different rope halter long term to fit correctly.  Prophecy’s extra halter fits, but it isn’t a “training halter” Tesla’s is too small for him, and we need the right tools in our box!

Oh, and I weight-taped him on Sunday after his arrival ~950lbs and 15.1H+ (hard to do with the tape vs. a stick).  Next big thing is back mapping to see if the Synergist can be adjusted for him, and resizing the breast collar to whatever saddle we start riding in.

So while I’ve been through this before, all is new – again.  He is such a different personality, and I’ve been struggling on choosing a “barn name”.  Even when worried he stays with a soft expression and gentle nature. He might jump and flinch a little easier right now, but he hasn’t bolted even when free in the field, and I see it improving every day as he settles in.  We tried a few names this past week and right now I’m using one I think describes him as a big, goofy, kind, and lovable monster (TBA once I’m sure the name sticks!)

Friday night a friend came over to help me re-install the battery for the trailer.  Now it powers a roof fan in the sleeping area, my inverter and interior lights when plugged up (and the interior bulbs I’ve replaced with LEDs except for the florescent ones).  Time to get on that second nose storage box building so I can do a final measurement and order the mattress to “complete” the area! (for now).
During the trip to the barn last week my heavy duty magnet idea to hold up one end of the bucket of buckets failed…so we installed a D-Ring to get that back up off the floor!  We also found the right wire to hook the loading light up, so now I have light on a switch I can use outside the rear of the trailer.  The water pump needs a part replaced, but the motor is good, so that is at least a simple fix! Still trying to figure out how to make the battery charge while hauling…

Looking forward to this next week and continuing to see our relationship develop! … and hopefully no more mare mishaps and he works out of the soreness going on.