Boobalicious!

Good news on the Gogo boobie front! Yes, the swelling is WAY down, and we don't have to call her Dolly Parton anymore! There is still minor swelling, to be sure, but the majority of the edema is waaaaaaaaaay gone. Woohoo! I'm done icing it - there's nothing left to ice really - and we're up to handwalking twice a day for 1/2 hour each time. We're back to work on Tuesday, which cannot come soon enough because she is starting to jump out of her SKIN from having these past few days off.

T-minus six days until our first show of the season! Mount Holyoke is having their Afternoon Saturday Sizzler jumper show this coming weekend. It's not a count-for-anything show, just a little schooling show, but it's our first outing in front of a judge, so it qualifies as a show show! We'll be getting a spring overhaul on Friday - bath, mane pulling, clipping, trimming, tail banging, tack scrubbing, trailer tack room organizing, you name it, it's getting done! She actually just had a bath yesterday, but of course today went out first thing and rolling in the nasty gooey mud... like I didn't see that coming. So she got hosed off AGAIN when she came in. It was 60 degrees today, amazing! And now, it's POURING rain like you've never seen and it's not supposed to stop. Bleugh.
Also, t-minus 16 days until the opening date of our FIRST EVENT, OMG. The vet was out to pull a Coggins and give her a Rabies (apparently in CT it's law that you have a Rabies certificate at CT shows... I think I already mentioned that about five times), and I copied a bunch of entry forms and my Rabies certificate. Now I just need to copy the Coggins when it gets here and VOILA! Ready to go. NERVOUS! The actual event isn't until May, of course, but STILL.


I had this moment of realization the other day that made me swell a little with pride. As compltely, totally, and utterly alpha as Gogo is, I'm still always HER alpha, and she concedes to me and looks to me, and LISTENS to me when I ask her to move her body or treat another herd member appropriately. First of all, Gogo would pretty much like to kill every grey horse in the world. I don't know what it is about them, but she HATES them. Just one example of how much she thinks grey horses should all be killed happened just the other day - two of the paddocks are separated by a huge alleyway that a truck could easily pass through, so no horses can even remotely get near each other when turned out in these two, and Gogo was in one, and a grey mare named Duet was in the other. Gogo made it a point to go over to the corner that was closest to that field, where Duet was lingering so she could be close to another horse, and she stood there pinning her ears and repeatedly tapping the fence with one hind foot, as if to say GO AWAY, you aren't welcome ANYWHERE REMOTELY NEAR me! They were literally at least 35-40 feet apart, separated by more than two fences! She's not done that with ANY other horse that gets turned out there! Anyway, back to the story about respect. I made the mistake of bringing in another grey, Ashley, and hanging her in the crossties right in front of Gogo's stall. This was fine until I walked away for two second, and then the Fire-Breathing Monster came galloping over and attacked Ashley full-on over her stall gate. Ashley, having iceballs in her feet, freaked and was slipping and sliding all over the place, and Gogo was pretty much attached to her neck by her teeth. I turned around from all the way down the barn aisle where I was hanging Ashley's turnout, cried out "Gogo!", and that was all it took. It wasn't said in a scolding way - more like surprise! - but she instantly released Ashley, retreated back into her stall, and went back to calmly munching hay and ignoring her. That was it. My body language must have been enough to say, "Not your place to discipline that one. My place. Get out of our collective space," and she did. Good mare. On her own, I know she'd probably KILL a grey horse. But when I'm nearby? She's a perfect angel.

I wonder what would happen in a turnout situation, if I was out there while she was turned out with another horse that she didn't like. I feel like she'd do as I asked, but would still, as second-in-command, probably kill the thing unless I really told her not to. And of course, the second I leave she's alpha again.


Those crazy, crazy mares. Oh yeah, AND she's in violent, flaming, pee-spurting, non-stop screaming heat again. Spring is here!