Yes, we are back in Wisconsin and it is quite an adjustment. Everything feels awkward and foreign after three months at Ashmore, and so COLD! Gage has been wearing a blanket to augment his sleek Summer coat and I’ve had to break out the thermal layers. Bit of a shock at first, but we are adapting quickly as we settle into our ‘Up North’ life.

There is so much to still digest from Florida. It’s going to take time to adjust and feel at home here again. Gage and I are taking that time, using the first two weeks to re-acclimate. I’ve got plenty of unpacking to do and Gage will be busy eating to put on some of the weight he lost on the journey. He’s also showing signs of ulcers (quite common in horses when they travel) so he’s getting the appropriate medicines and getting plenty of pasture time before we get back into work. Luckily Gage loves to eat, so he should be back to 100% in no time. Here he is doing what he does best!

"Well, SOMEBODY has to eat all this hay!"

I, too am working on reviving. I’ve got a few kinks to iron out after such intense physical work before I’ll be ready to be back in the tack. I can’t emphasise enough the importance of re-grouping before jumping headlong into the next phase of our training. With a little patience and time we will both be back to full steam ahead and better than ever. Until then we are processing, re-focussing and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new saddles!

More to come, I promise!

Annalise and Gage

P.S.

I’m also working on getting extra video footage together from our training sessions. It’ll go up on my youtube channel soon. I’ll keep you posted once it’s ready and get the links up here on the blog.