Rolling Dog Farm Blog

Starting last spring, our horse trainer, Nichole Zupan, trained our blind two-year Nikki for riding.  By the end of summer they were out pasture riding.  When winter arrived, however, the training stopped because we don’t have a riding arena and the snow is too deep to do any training outside. 

Recently, though, Nichole was able to arrange for Nikki to be boarded at a facility with a riding arena.  This will allow Nichole to resume training our frisky filly.  Nichole will take care of Nikki there for four days a week, and Nikki will spend the rest of the week back at the ranch.  So this evening I trailered Nikki over to her new boarding school for the first time, where Headmistress Nichole was waiting to greet her.   

I also brought eight stall mats for her run, bales of hay, her grain, and a horse blanket.  Nichole and I unloaded the stall mats and arranged them in place, then Nichole dumped a tractor load of wood shavings on them as bedding for Nikki.  We had two mats left, so we arranged them under the feeder.  I filled the feeder with Nikki’s evening hay and grain.  And then I took this photo of Nichole with Nikki. 

I was, of course, a nervous wreck about leaving Nikki at someone else’s place.  This was the first time Nikki had ever spent the night away from home, and she had never been away from Lena, our blind mare who raised her after she arrived here as a four-month old foal.

Well, there was no need to worry.  As Nichole and I looked on, Nikki buried her head in the feeder and helped herself to supper.  I turned to Nichole and said, "Yep, she sure is nervous, too."  As I drove off, Nikki was still munching her grain.

(Click on photo for larger image.)