Earthquake Zone!

Well now, HOW did it get to mid-October already?????

On 4th September Christchurch had a 7.1 earthquake which turned our world upside-down almost literally! It affected much of the city, and many people lost their homes, yet there was NO loss of life - just incredible! Poor Maggie must have wondered what this place was doing!! She and the other horses appeared to cope extremely well by not charging through fences in fright, though the skid marks across the paddocks told their story! I'm very grateful that is all the damage done! Our home has only suffered minor damage - our nerves have suffered much much more with the constant aftershocks (over 1600 at writing), and my poor liver is also suffering though it is nice to get a solid nights sleep! lol ;-)

Between all this the daily routine of feeding, mucking out, and riding has continued, and Maggie has shown more trust each week that goes by. I can walk up to her either in the yards or in her paddock and she pricks her ears and approaches me, then turns her butt for a rub and scratch. Some people don't like horses doing this, but I don't mind at all, and don't give them an excuse to kick anyway! She is proving to be a real little sweetheart, very trusting and full of character, so we are progressing to grooming down her legs, brushing mane and tail, and she also stands for a face rub as well.

We have also had a couple of leading lessons which have gone really well, though she does have a small hissy and pull back at the pressure of a direction change which isn't HER idea!!! When she realises the pressure doesn't change until she moves towards it, her ears come forward again and she walks nicely. Just a matter of time and she is a quick learner! Her nice walk towards me is rewarded with some time eating grass, before being led away again to rest elsewhere, then back again - food is a great motivator!!!!

She is aware of strangers arriving, but very curious too now rather than wary, which I'm really impressed about. We've had a couple of visitors come by and she has been quite accepting of their presence in her space, great result!!!!

Maggies foal is growing every day, and I can almost see her poor belly stretching ... we are looking forward to seeing the baby but a little nervous as well. I'm just hoping all goes well for her. She is currently bagging up with quite a healthy looking udder on her (!!!), and her hindquarters are changing shape too, so it can't be too much longer... She is loving having me rub her back and if I stand still she now knows how to move her body so that I rub the right spot - didn't take her long to work that out!!! :-)