Going the Extra Mile...

...Going the extra mile and it's NOT just for Christmas! 

I'm always reflective and a little restless at this time of year.  As I mused my way to London and back today I was considering how each Christmas brings something very different for me and for my small herd.

Last Christmas I had moved the horses to be living 1 mile from my front door which was great for me.  This Christmas I have moved them to be 12 miles from my front door - not so great for me!

I still see them every day, some days twice such as this week as Essy has a cold, bless him.  A right snotty nose.  But after 24 hours of Essential Oils (Garlic, Eucalyptus and Seaweed), the mucous seems to be abating so it wont be the feature of this posting.

The best thing about this Christmas is that despite now being 12 miles away from me, where they are is actually the best Christmas present I could have wished for, for all of us.  Here are just some of the reasons why...

It's hard to put into words the value of finding a livery manager who cares for your horses as if they were her own, and means it!  A lot throw the sentence around like confetti, but do not mean it.  Of course you don't' find out till you move in!  Some mean it when they say it, but once you've moved in you realise its an empty promise - as how they look after their horse is a marathon short of your own expectations.

This year we four have a yard manager who cares in so many ways for the well being of horses - hers or her customers. When it comes to my horses and how I like them to be cared for, nothing has been too much trouble and not once have I had to ask twice!

1. She's put down rubber matting across the yard to help them avoid walking barefoot on stones
2. She's happy with me putting buckets into the fields with essential oils in - peppermint and garlic
3. She notices any lump, bump, bang and knock and takes photos immediately to send to me for discussion
4. She pre-empts my every wish including on 'stable day's' giving them lucie brix to munch on as a change from hay
5. We've only had one 'in day' so far this winter!  She get's it - that horses need to be out roaming in fields not coped up in stables
6. She never complains about the long list of health supplements (care of Mr James Hart's wonderful solutions), to be added to feeds
7. She allows hay in the field on frosty days
8. She feeds ad lib hay and on the floor - no fan-dangle devises, hay nets, hay bars or other unnatural contraptions
9. She's open minded and eager to learn about barefoot, massage, working with herbs and oils and homeopathy
10. Shes smiley, positive and up beat all the time  - no moods, no sulks, no game playing
11. She doesn't go 'rule crazy
12. She doesn't rip off her customers and mark up wormers, or charge for her time holding a horse

But.... despite how awesome the above list feels, its topped by the depth of how much she cares.  Here's how....

1. When Essy's nose bleeds started up again 3 weeks ago (and far worse than ever before), she did her own Internet research and knew the importance of keeping Essy calm and quiet.

How many of us can say our yard managers have gone off and done their own research on your behalf or that of your horse?  With nothing 'in it for them'?  That's a first for me!

2. To push the example of 'going the extra mile' a little further, with Essy's bleeds continuing for a week, she got more concerned about what we would do if we needed to get him to hospital quickly.  I no longer have my own transport and neither does she.  Or, I should say - didn't! Yes, you guessed it - within one week she has been out and bought a yard horse box, for us all to use, pictured above.  Blimey!  That's going to be hard to beat...

3. Yet the best is still to come.... this morning I marvelled at our fortune.  Since Christmas day we've had these beautiful blue sky, cloud free, sunny days, cold but gorgeous.  Ive watched Essy and Solar loving their field, rolling each morning and at times just gazing around them at neighbouring horses, as stunned as I've been at such weather at this time of year.

Then this morning, the icing on the cake was watching Grace and her best buddy Toastie, sharing a slice of hay together in the field.  A small herd of three mares, Toastie and Grace have a particular bond.  To see Grace with other horses after 2.5 years of being next to horses but alone, is more than heart warming. More than special.  It is as breathtaking and yet as natural as the beauty nature throws us with frost, sun and blue skies.

So when all the unwrapping and cooking and drinking has been done, at this festive time, the only celebration I want to revel in is at having found Chelsea, having moved to West View and at how lucky we are to have an even better quality of life that I could only dared to imagine before now.

Happy New Year!

Love Solar Sue, Essy, Grace and me