Friday, November 7, 2008

First Hack

Today was warm, but no rain so I decided to go ahead and go for our first hack around the property. It was also our first ride since the big fall, but I was surprisingly unconcerned. It was also the first hack since the kick. Brego's leg looks almost normal, but the hock is very tight. He's been favoring it for some time now. So a slow walk through the woods and up and down hills is exactly what he needed.

It was nice to be back in the saddle again and Brego was eager to go. I can tell from his goofy, expressive personality that he is feeling better these days. We explored the back of the property, getting thoroughly lost, for about 40 minutes and then hacked down the road to the fairgrounds/farmers' market to work on bending on level ground. The boy was stiff and I was not much better. Between his leg and my knee, we were quite the walking wounded. Four good legs between the two of us.

It was quite warm so the walk back home up the steep hill got him sweaty. He got a nice cool down, a little in hand work to stretch his neck, and a snack in his stall before going back to his main job: brush hog.

This whole crazy adventure just might work out. The barn is pretty small and definitely not built like Fort Knox, but since I won't be storing food in it, I think the stalls will hold Big Brego. The property is pretty wooded, but the place across the street is drop dead gorgeous pasture, so I know what is possible. Of course, I can't afford the drop dead gorgeous property across the street, so I am pretty lucky to have what I have (as we all are in these crazy times).

Thanks for all the kind compliments, everyone. Seeing Brego out the window in the morning makes the last year and the big move from Texas worth it. I couldn't afford a place like this in the Austin area. It has been hard leaving my friends and familiarities behind for a better horsey life. And people definitely talk "funny" up here. But everyone is friendly, our neighbors are gracious and kind and it's starting to feel like we've finally come home.