Rummy, who is piling on weight.

Rummy, who is piling on weight.

Today is the first bitterly cold day of the year. We are all very happy that it is a Monday and thus not a day that every horse works. However, at the high of the day, a glorious minus fifteen, a couple of horses still have to be worked, somehow, some way. There are days when a heated indoor arena would be just the thing. As it is, we are all trying to find indoor things to do.

Anne Marie is packing and will no doubt be packing from now until they leave. As I said…it is a troublesome issue. Imagine trying to foresee, and remember to pack, and remember where you packed, every single little thing you might need for your four star horse and his companion travellers for four months. It’s a daunting prospect. Anne Marie is an expert, but even so it’s a stressful task.

And here is Benny one month on, and looking very much at home.

And here is Benny one month on, and looking very much at home.

Rummy and Benny, our OTTB babies, are tucked up cosy and warm in the barn on this wickedly cold morning. Benny was not absolutely sure about having a blanket put on when he first arrived, but since the temperatures have taken a dive, he has decided it’s not such a bad thing after all. We had to take a lot of time and patience to introduce him to the idea, he was very suspicious. The blanket was carefully folded so that it could be very carefully unfolded, first the front then the back and lots of treats for being a good boy. Rummy who raced for two years is a much more worldly gentleman and is all about the blankets and the treats and the quiet non eventful life. He is basking in it.

Rummy was by far the more upset of the two by his uprooting to a new barn. For the first few days we had to keep him tied to his hay during turnouts as he found it so exciting we were worried he would hurt himself whizzing around in his stall. Now is he an old hand….he is a very fast learner.

The application form for the Retired Racehorse Project Makeover came online today. It is going to be held from October 27-30 2016. We have not been doing anything much with our boys as we awaited the application form and the rules for 2016 We have lunged them both three times, twice without tack and once with and we are excited to start riding them now that we have the rules in front of us.

The above photos were taken today. It was freezing outside so we had to take them in the barn. They are a month or thereabouts from the previously published photos.