Boggle- USA bound!

What is the dry lot 'made' of @Michen? Is it grass based or sand? What happens when it rains? If it has grass why is it called a 'dry lot'? Sorry for all the questions but I am now really curious having seen the lovely pics. It looks a good set up tbh. :)
 
It is now. They go months and months and months without rain (I have been threatening to send some to my parents), and I don't recall the dry lot pens becoming muddy bogs, ever. My old barn had some horses in herds, but on big dry lots, and others on individual turn-out, in small dry lots.

The hardstanding paddocks at Michen's new yard look a lot nicer than some of the desolate ones I have seen over there. Looks like a beautiful barn. Hopefully the weirdness of American hunter/jumper-land won't end up being too weird.
 
It doesn't really rain here either. We just drove though a lot of smoke from a fire. It's very windy and dry. There will be heavy rain tomorrow, allegedly, but it's soo dry.

So much smoke... Couldn't really capture it well.

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CanteringCarrot said:
It doesn't really rain here either. We just drove though a lot of smoke from a fire. It's very windy and dry. There will be heavy rain tomorrow, allegedly, but it's soo dry.

So much smoke... Couldn't really capture it well.

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You're in MO, yeah? It should rain there more than CO, but climate change is making everything West of the Mississippi into a desert.

How's your little guy doing?
 
Caol Ila said:
You're in MO, yeah? It should rain there more than CO, but climate change is making everything West of the Mississippi into a desert.

How's your little guy doing?
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Yeah. I've heard it can get muddy here, I think mostly from snow melting. The field he's on is 30 acres or so and should drain well in some spots.

We just took one last break, about an hour to go now.

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Just got home from work and the first thing i did was look for the updates!
Boggle looks so well and interested, rather than tucked up and scared. He'll soon be ruling his kingdom and everyone will know he has arrived! The barn looks amazing, i hope the other liveries are friendly.

Ronaldo appears so much better in your pictures, less stressed, he's good looking, you must be pleased with him and how well he has travelled as a youngster. More pics when he arrives.
 
Very glad to see both horses arrived and looking well. I love the dry turnout pen. It’s bigger and better than I expected.

I’d choose CO over North Carolina any day. It’s far too hot and humid for me. And expensive.
 
palo1 said:
What is the dry lot 'made' of @Michen? Is it grass based or sand? What happens when it rains? If it has grass why is it called a 'dry lot'? Sorry for all the questions but I am now really curious having seen the lovely pics. It looks a good set up tbh. :)
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Caol Ila said:
It is now. They go months and months and months without rain (I have been threatening to send some to my parents), and I don't recall the dry lot pens becoming muddy bogs, ever. My old barn had some horses in herds, but on big dry lots, and others on individual turn-out, in small dry lots.

The hardstanding paddocks at Michen's new yard look a lot nicer than some of the desolate ones I have seen over there. Looks like a beautiful barn. Hopefully the weirdness of American hunter/jumper-land won't end up being too weird.
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it’s not hard standing it’s just the forest floor, so sort of dirt really. It’s nice and soft!
 
Ugh. Ronaldo.

So...we offload him at the barn and he's acting somewhat feral and struck out with his front leg while being asked to stand, so there's going to be addressing that. I do not tolerate that. At all.

We then put him in a dry lot with a shelter. He's looking around, checking out the place, not too worked up. I potter around doing clearing the trailer, getting hay situated, etc. And he's fine.

I leave the barn and 20 min later the barn owner called me and told me he went through one of the metal fence panels. Like bent it in half. She said he appears to be fine and we'll check for swelling and whatnot tomorrow. He's now just acting like nothing happened.

He knows fences, he knows paddocks, he knows stalls. Idk if it's because of the stress of it all or because he can't quite see other horses so well from his quarantine area. I don't think he's so comfortable being independent since he's a young and used to his herd of bros.

And he's big. I think he's going to be big, and I want a small horse ? but we'll see.

So now I have regrets, probably look like the boarder who knows nothing and just wanted to have a baby horse, and my worst fear came true of leaving a horse at a new place and him destroying the place. Why did I spend so much stress and money Importing this animal. I think I've spotted 2 new gray hairs on my head.

We'll see if he's in one piece tomorrow ??‍♀️
 
Aw, mate. That's a rough start. Little reprobate. But the wee guy has had his balls chopped off, then a few weeks later, he's been shipped across the world. He doesn't know you or his new barn. And in my experience (n=2), horses under the age of 4 are just not good at processing information. Maybe other people's are. Mine, not so much.

Quarantines also suck, for lots of horses, regardless of age. Some of them struggle to cope with total isolation.

At least he's pretty.
 
Cc i can see why you might be having regrets, but like the others have said he has been through a traumatic time. He has boxed in a trailer, been on a plane, in a stable all without company. after being taken away from a herd. A lot for baby brain to compute. You don't know how 'firm' the handlers have been. Now is the time for you to start your bonding journey together, he is a smart looking horse who has spirit and character, but also doesn't appear to panic (even after breaking things). To me, this is the ideal foundations to build and develop a brilliant relationship. There will be hiccups on the way, like all animals. But you have the time and patience.
 
Post proper groom. He looks like he’s lost a lot of topline and condition under the saddle. Looks very hollowy. Which is weird given he’s only not been ridden for 10 days, but I guess it’s where the weight/muscle loss is going to show first?

I mean for a horse that was shipped lean and very fit he’s done well. And he’s shiny and bright. But yeh, needs some building up. I’ll give him until next weekend off then start doing some stuff, get out on the trails and some in hand poles.

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CanteringCarrot said:
Ugh. Ronaldo.

So...we offload him at the barn and he's acting somewhat feral and struck out with his front leg while being asked to stand, so there's going to be addressing that. I do not tolerate that. At all.

We then put him in a dry lot with a shelter. He's looking around, checking out the place, not too worked up. I potter around doing clearing the trailer, getting hay situated, etc. And he's fine.

I leave the barn and 20 min later the barn owner called me and told me he went through one of the metal fence panels. Like bent it in half. She said he appears to be fine and we'll check for swelling and whatnot tomorrow. He's now just acting like nothing happened.

He knows fences, he knows paddocks, he knows stalls. Idk if it's because of the stress of it all or because he can't quite see other horses so well from his quarantine area. I don't think he's so comfortable being independent since he's a young and used to his herd of bros.

And he's big. I think he's going to be big, and I want a small horse ? but we'll see.

So now I have regrets, probably look like the boarder who knows nothing and just wanted to have a baby horse, and my worst fear came true of leaving a horse at a new place and him destroying the place. Why did I spend so much stress and money Importing this animal. I think I've spotted 2 new gray hairs on my head.

We'll see if he's in one piece tomorrow ??‍♀️
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Try not to panic, Poor little lad, he’s probably terrified, he doesn’t have the life experience that Bog has to cope with these things. My little yearling jumped a 1m20 fence when he arrived. And then a gate. I’m lucky that rightly or wrongly I could choose to bin off a proper quarantine and put my other horse right next to him. Buying a new youngster can make anyone think WTF have I done, let alone when you add the stress and expense of shipping them across the world, so I think what you are feeling is totally normal.
 
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BBP said:
Try not to panic, Poor little lad, he’s probably terrified, he doesn’t have the life experience that Bog has to cope with these things. My little yearling jumped a 1m20 fence when he arrived. And then a gate. I’m lucky that rightly or wrongly I could choose to bin off a proper quarantine and put my other horse right next to him. Buying a new youngster can make anyone think WTF have I don’t, let alone when you add the stress and expense of shipping them across the world, so I think what you are feeling is totally normal.
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This!! I think it bodes well actually that young Ronaldo sounds more furious than panicky tbh and I am glad that he hasn't obviously hurt himself. Poor wee man, he will learn how he needs to behave. He is smart looking so I hope things settle a bit for you now. :)
 
Michen said:
Post proper groom. He looks like he’s lost a lot of topline and condition under the saddle. Looks very hollowy. Which is weird given he’s only not been ridden for 10 days, but I guess it’s where the weight/muscle loss is going to show first?

I mean for a horse that was shipped lean and very fit he’s done well. And he’s shiny and bright. But yeh, needs some building up. I’ll give him until next weekend off then start doing some stuff, get out on the trails and some in hand poles.

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He looks fantastic. I think endurance people sometimes have a calculation for measuring travel to work equivalent. Whatever that equation is, Boggle will have done some work in the last week, and not really the kind of work that buiilds or maintains topline. The barn looks amazing...I suppose it is so clean because there is no mud ?!! From a wet and windy Welsh hillside this seems utterly extraordinary to me lol.
 
Where are you in Missouri CC? Weirdly, as well as having a stud in Colorado, I then moved it lock stock and barrel to Missouri so am familiar with both new environments - this is strange.

MO is (or was when I was there) not as easy to navigate horse-wise as Colorado, as it seems you are finding.
 
CanteringCarrot said:
Ugh. Ronaldo.

So...we offload him at the barn and he's acting somewhat feral and struck out with his front leg while being asked to stand, so there's going to be addressing that. I do not tolerate that. At all.

We then put him in a dry lot with a shelter. He's looking around, checking out the place, not too worked up. I potter around doing clearing the trailer, getting hay situated, etc. And he's fine.

I leave the barn and 20 min later the barn owner called me and told me he went through one of the metal fence panels. Like bent it in half. She said he appears to be fine and we'll check for swelling and whatnot tomorrow. He's now just acting like nothing happened.

He knows fences, he knows paddocks, he knows stalls. Idk if it's because of the stress of it all or because he can't quite see other horses so well from his quarantine area. I don't think he's so comfortable being independent since he's a young and used to his herd of bros.

And he's big. I think he's going to be big, and I want a small horse ? but we'll see.

So now I have regrets, probably look like the boarder who knows nothing and just wanted to have a baby horse, and my worst fear came true of leaving a horse at a new place and him destroying the place. Why did I spend so much stress and money Importing this animal. I think I've spotted 2 new gray hairs on my head.

We'll see if he's in one piece tomorrow ??‍♀️
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I wouldn't worry about any of this, tbh. The striking is only an issue if it carries on once he's had a chance to settle down, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's just a reaction to the whole experience as he'll be quite overwhelmed. It may well be that it never happens again. And the going through the fence panel, again, is not hugely surprising given that he's left his herd, been on an aeroplane, been in quarantine, done a long journey by truck, and has now rocked up in a new place where he can (presumably) hear/ smell other horses, but can't see them. Just try to remind yourself that he's really young and has had zero life experience until now. I'd be surprised if he handled everything perfectly!
 
CanteringCarrot said:
Ugh. Ronaldo.

So...we offload him at the barn and he's acting somewhat feral and struck out with his front leg while being asked to stand, so there's going to be addressing that. I do not tolerate that. At all.

We then put him in a dry lot with a shelter. He's looking around, checking out the place, not too worked up. I potter around doing clearing the trailer, getting hay situated, etc. And he's fine.

I leave the barn and 20 min later the barn owner called me and told me he went through one of the metal fence panels. Like bent it in half. She said he appears to be fine and we'll check for swelling and whatnot tomorrow. He's now just acting like nothing happened.

He knows fences, he knows paddocks, he knows stalls. Idk if it's because of the stress of it all or because he can't quite see other horses so well from his quarantine area. I don't think he's so comfortable being independent since he's a young and used to his herd of bros.

And he's big. I think he's going to be big, and I want a small horse ? but we'll see.

So now I have regrets, probably look like the boarder who knows nothing and just wanted to have a baby horse, and my worst fear came true of leaving a horse at a new place and him destroying the place. Why did I spend so much stress and money Importing this animal. I think I've spotted 2 new gray hairs on my head.

We'll see if he's in one piece tomorrow ??‍♀️
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Think back on how much unhappiness and stress this move has caused you CC and you were able to understand why it was all happening!! When he has had a couple of days to rest you can start to do lots of things with him so that he starts to look to you for everything and draws his strength from you. It could be the beginning of a wonderful relationship. Just remember to talk to him as well!!
 
Just checking up Boggle and Ronaldo before checking my actual, *work* emails....that barn Michen, it looks stunning. It's a whole other world! Once you've settled in I'm going to pepper you with questions about the logistics of horse keeping in CO. Extreme wildlife, extreme weather....and how does anyone keep that barn so clean....
 
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