ZappoSissy: Odie moves to a new barn

I get to do the blog today!

Hmmm. Mom moved me to a new barn and before I could even inspect my new stall and horse buddies, she gave me a bath. Well, I guess I was pretty smelly and dirty from rolling in the pasture and the creek since my photo shoot in July. Actually, I liked my bath because Mom used hot water, a fun scrubber, lots of shampoo and tons of conditioner. It took over an hour but was sooooo relaxing. Mom calls it spa time.

After my bath, all I wanted to do was go to my stall and rest. Remember, I had had a little stress with moving; riding in a trailer with BIG trucks passing me and arriving at an unknown place. Thank goodness, Mom was there or I would have been upset. Do I get to rest? NO. Mom has this idea that we need to take a walk around the barn to get solar drying. So, we walk. I am snorting and huffing the whole time. I kept neighing but those other horses would not answer. I used my extra, loud neigh, too.

This place is called Cross Creek Stables and the owner is a nice lady I am calling, Aunt Janet. She is a lot nicer than Aunt Kim because she does not yell at me! (Odie that was so not polite...Aunt Kim is good to you. She has helped train you.) The pastures here are HUGE with lots of space to run, really run and so much green grass. Mom said there are no trails like Dupont but we will have lots of areas to explore. Mom moved me because this barn is so close to her house. Oh, my...that could mean Mom will be here all the time. Hmmm. Got to think about this.

There are BIG, BIG, BIG horses in this barn. I mean BIIIIG! One is over 17hands. I am 13.2hands. What is a hand in horse measurement? About four inches. Read this link on how humans measure us.
http://www.cowboyway.com/HowTo/HorseHeight.htm
At least I am taller than the dog, Luke. Mom calls him a Corgi and says we look alike. Guess that means another series of pictures. Mars is my pasture buddy and is gentle. Mars had Lyme disease before he came to the barn and was covered with bites & kicks from other horses. He told me that he has fully recovered and is happier than he has ever been. I think we may be good buddies. Across the aisle are two horses that make Mars look small. One is 16.3 & the other is 17.1.

Finally, I can tell you about my stall, my very own stall that no one will share with me. Of course, I had to approach it with trepidation, snorting and tiny steps. (Please, Odie, you do not take tiny steps.) There was something all over the floor, HAY by the water machine and a window that looked over the pastures. Oh...there was a whirling machine strapped to the door that kept blowing wind on me. I just stood still and let the wind fluff my mane. (That would be a fan.) The stuff on the floor was deep, thick and soft. At first, I put one hoof down just to test and then another. Man, was that stuff comfortable. ( called shavings) I bet it will make a great mattress for sleeping. Then I spied the best part of my stall, the open door blocked only by a rubber rope. Now I could tell that those big guys were never going to be able to make an escape since they could not scrooch underneath but it was perfect for me. While Mom was nattering to another boarder, I saw my chance and quietly shimmed under the rope. I was ALMOST out, when the other lady yells. Ratz! Busted! No more open door for now.

Hay, enjoy the pictures Mom took on Day one. I feel sure that there will be many, many more. I helped label them. Let me know if you think I am cute!!!