Desert Storms

We have actually been getting some rain out here in the Mojave! Since Saturday the 18th, there has been rainfall, but of course some days more than most. On Monday night we had a really bad storm come through the Las Vegas area, and many of the roads in and around Sandy Valley / Shiloh were covered in water. Unfortunately the winds from the storm came through and blew down some of our stalls, and even one of our "Wanderers" shelters managed to be blown over our perimeter fence and land not far from a nearby airstrip. Needless to say, the horses were all a bit off after the crazy wind.

Most of the horses near Iceman have been moved temporarily into nearby pastures and larger areas, so we have left his gate open to the attached turnout over the last few days. Iceman has always been a bit hesitant to leave his breakfast/dinner on his own, but surprisingly he has been caught out and about for the better part of the day. He will go in and eat and drink for a bit, then make his way back out to stretch his legs and explore. Eric managed to work with him a bit on Wednesday and eventually he was doing great. After the wind and storms, it took a while before Iceman calmed down. He was more skittish and tense than normal. After a few minutes he relaxed and went through the normal routine without much difficulty. On Thursday afternoon, the wind was getting worse as the storms were rolling back in and it was nearly impossible to work with Iceman. The dust and sand was blowing right through his stall and causing some major distractions. All in all, Iceman is coming along great and getting more comfortable to leave the comfort of his stall and explore the uncharted territory on his own. Plus, the "Wanderers" are always close by and like to stop in and say hello. The following pictures were taken over the last few days. Hopefully the weather will cooperate more over the next week and we will have some great news to blog about. Until then....