Gaining weight and a name

Things are settling down here now, with a diagnosis for the mare and the acceptance of what the immediate future will be like on our place (guess I don't get to go on any trail rides with others for a while...but that's okay, I have lots to do).

I think that the mare is looking perkier today for sure. She is still draining from her lymph nodes, but I haven't seen her laying down and sleeping for the last couple days, and she seems to be a little more active and willing to move. She is still sweet and curious about me though, although I am staying away from her for now until she is not draining any icky contagious bacteria.

My schedule consists of doing stuff for my other horses earlier in the day, then just before I go home at night I rinse out mustang water buckets and get their hay (which I have to enter their pens to do). When I first discovered that she was sick, I loaded a bunch of hay onto a tarp and removed it from the barn so that I could feed my horses without getting contaminated. I've adjusted and accepted it. It is what it is, and I am flexible. I'm glad she's feeling better already. And she really is gaining weight already! Check out the picture I took of her today!


And here are two pictures where I was trying to show her lymph drainage, but my zoom wasn't very good and I am working on my mom's computer so couldn't figure out how to zoom and crop the pictures. For a closer look, you'll just have to click on the picture to open it full size.



My dad and I spent the day setting up a larger pasture for my horses. They've pretty much grazed their couple acres flat and need more grass so that I can wean them off hay and let their current pasture rest. We had to remove an old barbwire fence that my grandpa put in years and years ago when this was his place to scavenge enough T-posts to put up our new fence. We got all the posts set in and the insulators attached, and tomorrow we'll string wire and I'll walk the fenceline with the horses and them let them graze for a bit before putting them back in their overgrazed pasture (I want to take this move onto grass very slowly). Their new pasture is the top of a hill that encompasses the upper portion of a hay field and a pine stand where they can shelter from flies.

And I think we have a name for the boy.


We shall call him Griffin.


A Griffin is a mythical creature that is half lion and half eagle. It is thought to be a very powerful and courageous beast because it is the combination of the king of land beasts (the lion) and the king of birds (eagle). I think it is fitting for him. Plus the sound of the name just works. And it also happens to be my grandma's maiden name. My sister suggested it, and it sort of hooked me in right away. I haven't thought of anything better yet.

We are still searching for a name for the beautiful, sweet, dainty, feminine mare. I have come up with a few, but I'm not sold on any of them. I've found nothing that suits her from places in Utah or the habitat she grew up in. I've thought about spanish names, since her lineage is supposed to trace back to the conquistador's horses. Here are some names I've come up with: Sabrosa (means dainty), Solana (means place warmed by the sun), Querida (means sweetheart or darling), Gatita (kitten), and Chick-pea. I like Chick-pea simply because it is cute and suits her right now, but it's not very dignified. I don't really like how the other words sound. This is hard. Anyone else?