Where would Pinecone prefer living?

Offer acceptance papers signed and sent in yesterday morning, home inspection set for Friday morning. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly! I’m excited but at the same time I’m not letting myself get overly excited because there is always that chance that something goes wrong and we don’t end up getting the house.

I’m getting very nervous about sending Piney up north for a few months mostly because of the trailering issue. I need to just keep reminding myself he will be just fine and things will be great. He will be living a very different life than he’s been living now. The hubby’s family’s horses have a barn to run into if they want and all they can eat hay, and all the water they can drink. I keep thinking that he’s not going to be happy with that, but then I reminded myself of the ranch where I got him. It was similar except he spent the year turned out on 4,000 acres. That lifestyle was FAR from his life on the track. The thoroughbred training and breeding farm where he grew up and spent the first 7 years of his life was quite luxurious. I often wonder if he could choose any of his previous homes which one would he choose.






Gates to the farm where Piney was born and raised



Aerial shot of the Farm Piney grew up on in Arizona (the horse shoe lake is for rehabbing the horses and the fence was shipped in specially from Kentucky



I’m sure he’d pick his home in Arizona, minus the racing part. From talking to his breeder, he lived quite the life. He was loved very much and had top notch care. She told me that he had been one of her favorites and they are happy that he found himself a good person to take care of him because he deserved it.

Some of the horses out on the retirement ranch where I got piney.
(These horses were fresh off the track, or personal horses of the
owner) 

But Living out in Western North Dakota was a pretty good life for him too. He didn’t have to work, and he basically lived life the way horses should. Wide open spaces with a nice big herd. He received his shots, and got his feet trimmed when they needed to be done too. But basically he was free to be a horse. That time out on the range really gives the horses time to be horses. Many of them had spent all their time in a stall and never really learned to be a horse. I’m a firm believer that OTTBs need at LEAST a year out on pasture before they are put back into work. Piney got two and he’s fantastic. Horses that go out to the retirement ranch where I got him are required to stay one year before they can be adopted out . If they never find a home they can stay forever because there is plenty of room.

The barn I’m at now gives Piney amazing care though. He gets to be outside all day, and then has a nice clean stall to sleep in. He gets treats and human interaction every single day. He seems to prefer being in his stall than anywhere else. So I guess I just don’t know where he would pick if he had the chance. Each place has its advantages but there are also disadvantages to each living situation.

There is a lot of work to be done before the new place is ready for horses. Mostly the fencing needs to be tightened back up and the barn needs to be gutted and re set up for horses AND I need to build a shelter for the beasts to keep them out of the wind. So the fact that Piney is going up north for a few months is great because I’ll have time to do all that stuff. I’m gonna miss a lot of stuff about boarding though. Mostly, that I never had to schedule hay, vet or farrier visits. I’m really gonna miss all my friends at the barn too. Even though I haven’t really seen anyone all winter. But it’s sure going to be nice to look out my window and see my big red horse.