Moving Day!

Calvin moved today out to his new boarding facility! I talked about my decision and why we had to move in my last post. I was a bit nervous because Calvin hasn't been in a slant load trailer ever, and his last trailer experience took at least an hour to load him. Despite his past, he was a very good boy this time. It's clear he trusts me more and even looked at me for help a few times like "why is this strange man tying me to a trailer? Are you sure this is okay?" He snorted at the trailer and was a bit nervous, but he walked right in with the help of some carrots. The hauler I hired used to do the hauling for my past horses too, so I knew he was a patient guy. He did not rush Calvin and didn't whip him to get inside like some haulers do. The only thing Calvin didn't like was being confined in the slant position and would paw at the trailer, but once we were on the road he calmed down and stopped.

He got a 6 horse trailer all to himself! He was in the 3rd window down (closed window), you can't see him because they close the windows for safety, but he got to keep the back windows open for airflow.

Once I got to his new home, we unloaded him pretty easily. The goal was to make this a positive experience for him, which I believe that it was! Once off the trailer, he was actually very calm and brave walking into his new surroundings! But oh my gosh was it hot out there, 97º! Luckily, his stalls have shade, but I'll have to ride early in the mornings. The owners were very friendly, they put fresh bedding down and filled his water tank right before he got there so it wouldn't be too hot. Quite the difference from my last place. They also have 3 labs so Heidi will have company when we come to visit Calvin, anyone who knows Heidi knows that labs are her favorite breed :)

The property goes all the way to the back house in the distance. They let the horses roam night & day and bring them into the stalls to eat 2x/day. From the stalls to the back house, Calvin will have an acre to roam with the other horses.

The facility owners decided it would be best for Calvin to stay in the large stalls for the evening and then turn them all loose tomorrow. He paced the stalls a bit and whinnied, I think he misses his friends and is nervous in the new place. However, I know he'll make friends with these horses as he's pretty easy going. I even told the owners that I don't mind if their horses chase him because he could use the exercise! Can't wait to head out on some new trails once he's more comfortable, and I'll be sure to keep everyone updated!

Calvin in his stall, this is normally just where he will eat until he's finished and then he'll go back outside and roam the acre.