It's been sleeting alllllll day.....

... although it did snow a little bit. Apparently their first snow here... which means I brought it with me from the great glove state.

Gogo's had her week off, and it feels like we're getting a brand new, fresh start. I felt this way last year when I gave her a brief winter holiday and then got myself into gear for the new year. I really like it! I lunged her today in the chambon, and man she was FORWARD! I loved it! Usually you have to give her reminders to keep going forward and using herself, but today she was trotting around like a million bucks and it felt great to just stand back and watch her go. She was moving GREAT. I also finally got out the hole punch and punched about a zillion holes in my chambon.... nope, even on the top hole it was STILL too long! Alas, I still had to tie knots in it, how ghetto.

But yeah... it really felt great. It's kind of hard being at a new barn - everyone does things a little differently at each barn, and every barn has their own little cult thing they do that YOU are the outcast if you come in and do it differently. Here, they have a really ridiculous blanketing schedule (and I thought I was crazy about blanketing), and I don't have the same kinds of blankets they do, so I feel a bit weird about her currently wearing her turnout sheet INDOORS... which I have to say, to be fair to myself, is only because the stable sheet I ordered her never came in on time. Also, everyone here wears shoes, and has some big name fancy farrier doing the horses. The typical reaction to a healthy bare foot is "Oh my GOD! Those heels are so low, those feet are so SHORT! Isn't she CRIPPLED??" and I feel fine explaining all about this to normal folk, but to my employer? If she asks about it, I'm going to feel a bit awkward. She's the one that's supposed to be teaching ME stuff. Hopefully Gogo will be prancing around in front of Vicki the way she was for me today in the arena, and she'll go oooooooo that horse NEVER will need shoes!

Ohhhh the stigmas of being in a barn full of DQs. I've yet to directly be scolded for my odd ways but I'm sure it will come. Hopefully it won't be too awkward. Once I'm here for a bit longer I'm sure it will be fine.