Money's 13th Birthday
It may seem silly to celebrate your animals' birthday but we always have done so in our family. We don't go overboard but we do make sure they get extra special treats and loads of attention. I know for a fact many people celebrate their pets' birthday but if you're not an animal lover or have a pet of your own, it probably seems silly.
Thinking of the fact that Money turns 13 today is a bit odd. I've had her through so many of her birthdays and while she was just a young horse when I got her, she's about to move "past her prime" so to speak as many opinions say horses peak around 12 years old. However, no one has told Money that. She's still acting like a youngster in lots of situations, though she has matured in others. I don't think I'll ever be able to see her as anything other than a baby. Who still drools without fail whenever she's given an apple.
Sitting down to write this post, or even before as I was planning it out in my head, made me feel reflective. I recall the first birthday I had with her when she turned 5. It was a very special day as it was our second ever dressage competition and the first one at "home" (the stable where she was at the time). The week previous we had attended our first competition ever and got the famous red ribbon.
I was a bit nervous, competing against a lot of my friends though many of them were on the school's ponies and not their own. We rode in, did our LC2 programme, and it was such a pleasure and in the end after a very long class, I think around 30 or so, we got first place! What's even more crazy, a year later on her 6th birthday we did the exact same thing. Same place, same class, same red ribbon again.
Though Money loves training and being praised for doing right, which is an integral part of our training, she loves relaxing as well. It's been years since a competition fell on her birthday, both because those two mentioned above were weekend days but also because we cut back seriously on competing when she got measured too tall to compete in pony classes and I got too old. However, I thought I'd just give her a chill day with lots of treats and love.
I greeted her with two apples, which can be seen enjoying above, and poured around fourth a bag of treats into her tough. Then we headed back out the the big grassy fields and I let her graze for over half an hour, which was really a treat as I usually only allow her around ten minutes. I was listening to Ingrid Nilsen and Cat Valdes' podcast Ladies Who Lunch, which I'm really enjoying catching up on, while she was munching away as if her life depended on it. She loved every second of it and could hardly wait when we walked out there. As can be seen below, she didn't make it more than a couple of steps inside before she delved into the tall grass.
Back in the stables afterwards, lunch had been served and she walked right in and ate it. I also set up a cherry flavoured LiKit, which she immediately started gnawing at when she finished her lunch. The holder originally came with a lid as well but we threw that out a while ago, so she has super easy access. The horses are supposed to lick them but Money prefers to eat them and scrape off big chunks with her teeth. I took her outside before she could eat all of it but she'll have that finished tonight after half an hour or so.
I let her loose and she galloped happily up the hill and found another place to graze. It was a very simple day but with lots of love. She's been such a big part of my life for so long and I still love her more than I can explain. We've grown up together, always working as a team both on the ground and when I'm on her back.
Thinking of the fact that Money turns 13 today is a bit odd. I've had her through so many of her birthdays and while she was just a young horse when I got her, she's about to move "past her prime" so to speak as many opinions say horses peak around 12 years old. However, no one has told Money that. She's still acting like a youngster in lots of situations, though she has matured in others. I don't think I'll ever be able to see her as anything other than a baby. Who still drools without fail whenever she's given an apple.
Sitting down to write this post, or even before as I was planning it out in my head, made me feel reflective. I recall the first birthday I had with her when she turned 5. It was a very special day as it was our second ever dressage competition and the first one at "home" (the stable where she was at the time). The week previous we had attended our first competition ever and got the famous red ribbon.
I was a bit nervous, competing against a lot of my friends though many of them were on the school's ponies and not their own. We rode in, did our LC2 programme, and it was such a pleasure and in the end after a very long class, I think around 30 or so, we got first place! What's even more crazy, a year later on her 6th birthday we did the exact same thing. Same place, same class, same red ribbon again.
Though Money loves training and being praised for doing right, which is an integral part of our training, she loves relaxing as well. It's been years since a competition fell on her birthday, both because those two mentioned above were weekend days but also because we cut back seriously on competing when she got measured too tall to compete in pony classes and I got too old. However, I thought I'd just give her a chill day with lots of treats and love.
I greeted her with two apples, which can be seen enjoying above, and poured around fourth a bag of treats into her tough. Then we headed back out the the big grassy fields and I let her graze for over half an hour, which was really a treat as I usually only allow her around ten minutes. I was listening to Ingrid Nilsen and Cat Valdes' podcast Ladies Who Lunch, which I'm really enjoying catching up on, while she was munching away as if her life depended on it. She loved every second of it and could hardly wait when we walked out there. As can be seen below, she didn't make it more than a couple of steps inside before she delved into the tall grass.
Back in the stables afterwards, lunch had been served and she walked right in and ate it. I also set up a cherry flavoured LiKit, which she immediately started gnawing at when she finished her lunch. The holder originally came with a lid as well but we threw that out a while ago, so she has super easy access. The horses are supposed to lick them but Money prefers to eat them and scrape off big chunks with her teeth. I took her outside before she could eat all of it but she'll have that finished tonight after half an hour or so.
I let her loose and she galloped happily up the hill and found another place to graze. It was a very simple day but with lots of love. She's been such a big part of my life for so long and I still love her more than I can explain. We've grown up together, always working as a team both on the ground and when I'm on her back.
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