My boyfriend led him in-hand up the hill, while I drove over with his stuff. When I had cleared out my tack room, I was shocked at how many bits and pieces I had that I just wouldn't need for a few months. Intially, he was turned out with six other horses (two other liveries and four owned by the land owner) on sixteen acres, but as spring arrived, the two liveries left and the land owner took her Welshie down to the DIY yard for the summer, leaving Salsa with her broodmare and two colts.
The difference in him was incredible. He went barefoot for the first time in his life, and his hooves improved incredibly. Without being stabled, his weaving stopped completely. He was never difficult to catch, usually coming right up to the gate as soon as he heard me approach (I can recall one occasion in the last five months that he point-blank refused to come in )
Salsa (far right) with me and two of his field mates - January 2008
We quickly got into the swing of our new routine. If the land owner went during the day, she would feed him for me, but he was always quick to tell me that he hadn't been fed when she hadn't been! He became very relaxed, and I have to admit that every day I would literally stand for a few minutes while he was eating, or being groomed and savour the peace and quiet. I could literally feel the stress falling from me. We had been used to a large DIY yard with over 150 horses, so there had always been people around. Now, it was rare that I saw another human being there unless I took my boyfriend with me. I loved being able to look after him how I saw fit, without any interferance. I loved the quiet of the place. I loved being able to take a couple of hours out of my day and make them my own, with no expectations from anyone or responsibilities to anyone. It was bliss!
Unfortunately, disaster struck after a few weeks, and in mid-January, Sal developed lymphangitis in one hind leg. Luckily, although not in regular use, there are a few stables at the field, so the yard owner let me use an empty box for his fortnight of box rest. For two weeks, I was sending my boyfriend on a morning to feed, muck out and take Salsa for a ten minute walk while I was at work, and then on an evening, he would go with me again to help me muck out (trying to muck out in the dark with a torch is not fun or easy! ). Salsa was bored and fed up, despite having a companion who was on long-term box rest, and I have never seen a happier horse than on the day that he was turned out again! His stint of being stabled caused a little weight loss, but with careful feeding and haylage supplementing the poor quality of the grass, he soon started to build up again.
2nd March 2008
As May progressed, his weight came back on gradually, and despite the lack of muscle he started to look better than he ever had done in early Spring. Although it did take a while for his winter coat and clip to grow out!
May 2008
His feet and coat continued to improve, and as the weather warmed up, I started to feel better. After a while, I was itching to get back in the saddle. My plan had been to have him winter out in the hope that our financial situation would have improved enough by May to take him back to the DIY yard, but I realised how much happier he is on grass livery. Since our situation hadn't really improved, I decided to continue keeping him there indefinitely. There seemed no point in leaving if it would undo all the improvements in him, and aside from the physical improvements in him, he seems so much happier and relaxed in himself. So I let the land owner know that we would be sticking around if she was happy to have us.
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