bye bye Bali

My dear ear be-fuzzed buddy Bali leaves our farm today - returning to the rescue agency to hopefully be placed in a new home with a rider who loves him dearly. I am... so very sad.

I haven't written much about him lately just bc of the sad factor... and actually haven't been doing much at all with him aside from the occasional snuggles in the field or when I bring him in for breakfast on the weekends.

But we spent a lot of quality together this weekend, as I said my goodbyes and got him all cleaned up so that he might look loved and presentable at the rescue.

Obviously this included washing all the mud and grime off his gorgeous luxurious tail. It was only in the mid 40s, so too cold out for much else in the way of bathing... Oh well.

I also tackled his thick lovely mane again - as it had grown out substantially from the last time I trimmed it. 

It was a bit of a quick trim (I was trying to make it quality time for both of us - not torture the poor baby!), but I think the shorter length looks much more dapper... if you ignore all his bite marks from playing so hard haha. 

I also clipped a couple choice areas - beard, bridle path, and fetlocks. There was much carnage haha - esp given how inquisitive he is. Notice he pulled all my boots off the rack and tossed them all over the place lol.

Then it was time for something I hadn't done since we x-rayed him in December: I rode him around for a little while.

There's no real reason for why I stopped riding him... other than it just made me too sad. Learning once and for all that he would not be staying at my farm, and that there was nothing I could do to change that... well. Yea. Just sad. 

Tho of course I've been able to enjoy watching his lease rider continue working with him, as she leased him right up until his very last day at the farm. They even came to OF lessons a few times with much fun and success. In another lifetime with a different budget, I would totally buy this horse and continue leasing him to her.... Le sigh. 

As it was, tho, I kinda just bopped around a little bit, since he and lease rider had their last lesson together later in the day and I didn't want to make him tired. Not that it was particularly likely haha - he was FULL OF IT. Launched a HUGE buck into the left lead canter and I very nearly ate shit... Oops lol. C'mon Bali, that's not really the note I want to go out on!!

Mostly tho we just played. Popped over a couple cross rails, stood around in the center so Mr Always Itchy could get all up in Kaitlyn's space for head rubs (lol), and just enjoyed his company.

It kills me that I get so easily attached to these horses... But idk. He's a pretty lovable special horse. Here's hoping that there some other rider will be just as nuts about him as I am, and that he finds the perfect new home. 

In the meantime, I've got a couple other pictures and videos that I haven't previously shared that will probably crop up over the next few weeks... But for now, I'll finish this sad sack little post off with the collection of videos of our brief time together.

They're mostly in chronological order... except for this first one, our stadium round from the CT we did last fall. Definitely one of my most favorite jumping rounds on any horse EVER - so if you only watch one video, make it that one.

Oh Bali... He might have some issues... but he is one FUN horse to ride and hang out with!