We Are Here!

I am recovering from what has been the most exhausting few days ever!  We moved the horses first thing Friday morning.  I have only just found my camera in one of the boxes, but I'll try to take some photos of their new yard tomorrow.
I was absolutely dreading the journey.  Some of you may know we have terrible problems travelling Zak.  We packed their rugs and feed bins and loaded the horses, Zak in first, then Barnaby, with me travelling in the back to hold onto Zak and talk to him on the journey.  The first few minutes were awful.  For no apparent reason, Zak decided he couldn't possibly remain upright, and leant against the partition between him and Barnaby with his legs straight out against the opposite partition.  I pulled him upright again and just kept talking calmly to him (no easy feat when you feel sick yourself!) and eventually he calmed down and decided he could travel after all.  We bonded in the back of that lorry, I can tell you.  He was actually resting his chin on my arm after a while and blowing in my ear, which was so sweet.  Barnaby had no problems whatsoever.  I have to say though, that if I hadn't travelled in with Zak he would have fallen over and done goodness-knows-what to himself within the first five minutes.
Basically I prayed all the way there.
And we arrived in fine style, with Zak not even sweating, which was fantastic.
We took them into their new stables and Barnaby practically fell asleep.  We unloaded their rugs and tack, stowing them in various places and then were able to turn them out... onto grass.  Neither of them could quite believe it and didn't know whether to buck and leap about, canter up and down, greet their neighbours or just eat.  Okay, it wasn't long before they decided to just eat, and I'm not surprised as they've both been desperate for grass for ages.  Barnaby has been leaning against the dry stone walls at the old house, hoping his weight would knock a section down so he could get into the field next door.
I know we haven't had rain for a while anyway, but there is no mud in these fields, and plenty of grass.  I also thought it was our job to poo pick every day, but we have it done for us Monday-Friday.  We do it at the weekend as part of our mucking out.  How blissful is that?! 
It was the strangest feeling ever to drive away and leave the boys there.  I haven't been away from Barnaby for three years.  It was odd when we got back to the farm, too, as we've never been there without them.  I kept looking out of the kitchen window to see what they were up to, but there was no one there.  So odd.  I worried about whether he was warm enough, settled in, able to lay down on the small shavings bed (actually it was a lot bigger than I'd realised once I'd seen him in it) would he drag people around the yard, would the staff remember to keep them together, etc etc.
And so we finished the last of the packing...
(More soon!)
Jane x