On Tue, Jan 29, 2008 at 08:12:54AM -0500, Karen Thomas wrote: > Sina and Melnir took about 8 hours to get here from KY.
stjarni took four days to get here from ky, but three of them were spent at a show en route -- he was taken there by gudmar, then from there by some kind folks on their way back to maine. he arrived in good shape except for a six-inch rub on his gaskin -- the folks from maine had put him in the middle of the trailer so he (the biggest one in the trailer by far) would be over the center axle, and the bar enclosing him was too tight. he came off the trailer fine, though, we turned him out and within five minutes he'd made friends with hailo (our crazy ottb) and was peacefully grazing. i took him on a short lead-line walk, then a short trail ride, and he was fine. there wasn't really a distinct settling-in period, and now that i've had him a year and a half i don't expect too many sudden changes from adaptation. he'd been in the us for seven years at that point, though, so i don't think we had much that was new to him. except that he still goes wild when we get a real snowstorm -- he loves them, and i don't think he'd seen anything like new england during his first seven years in the american south. but i think stjarni's a truly exceptional horse in his ability to adapt to changes and move along peacefully with his life. i certainly take far longer to adapt myself after any move, and i wouldn't blame a horse who did either. --vicka
