June 5, 2026: Bee’s Better Week
I may regret writing this, but Bee appears to have had a better week.
Last week she was busy informing everyone within earshot that stall life was not her preferred arrangement. There was pacing. There was calling to her friends. There was enough back-and-forth communication between Bee and the mares outside that I was beginning to think she was organizing a protest.
By Saturday, though, she seemed considerably more settled.
That was fortunate because Saturday was a busy day at Equine Obsession. Horses were coming and going, lessons were underway, riders filled the arenas, and there was far more activity around the barn than Bee has experienced recently. As I saddled her up, I found myself wondering if all the extra commotion was going to trigger some of the anxiety we've been working through.
To my surprise, she handled it really well.
That doesn't mean the anxiety disappeared completely. Bee is still Bee. There were moments when I could feel her attention drift and her nerves start to bubble up. The difference was that I was able to redirect her and bring her back to a place where we could be productive. For horse people, that's often what progress looks like. Not perfection. Not a miracle cure. Just recognizing the problem sooner and shortening the amount of time your horse spends living in it.
By the end of our ride, I felt encouraged.
Monday brought another test for Bee.
Sarah climbed aboard to give her a proper workout and, if we're being honest, to make sure I hadn't accidentally undone all the progress she'd helped create. I'm happy to report that Bee passed with flying colors. Sarah had a fantastic ride and came away feeling very positive about where Bee is mentally right now.
Naturally, this has led me to wonder if Bee somehow knows she's been on the proverbial chopping block and has decided to ditch the anxiety.
I rather doubt it.
Still, the timing is suspicious.
I rode Bee on Tuesday under Sarah's instruction. As usual, Bee wanted to "go" more than "whoa," but that gave me an opportunity to practice pulling the excitement out of her and getting her settled. Let's just say I had multiple opportunities to practice.
The good news is she settled fairly quickly each time. We worked on trotting, neck reining, and straightening her out while using the neck rein. We also spent some time with Sarah straightening me out, which was probably just as necessary.
For those unfamiliar with neck reining, it's a technique commonly used in western riding where the rider guides the horse by laying the rein against the horse's neck rather than pulling directly on the rein. The goal is a horse that responds to subtle cues and can be ridden one-handed.
Overall, Bee was once again a very good girl. Granted, we were only in the round pen where she couldn't cause too much trouble, but I'm counting it as a win anyway. At this point I'll happily take every win I can get.
A recent addition to the barn that has earned Bee's approval is the arrival of the Porta-Coolers. For those unfamiliar, these giant cooling units work by pulling air through water-soaked pads and blowing a surprisingly cool breeze through the barn. Bee happens to be in the first stall by the back door where one of the units is strategically positioned to pull fresh air into the barn, while a second unit at the opposite end helps pull the hot air back out.
After Sarah's ride on Monday and again after my ride on Tuesday, Bee got a nice rinse-off and then parked herself directly in front of that Porta-Cooler. She stood there soaking up the cool breeze against her freshly wet skin looking like she'd just discovered air conditioning for the first time. If horses could smile, I'm pretty sure she would have been.
Two of my barn mates have even sent me photos this week of Bee stretching her head out of her stall to catch a little extra cool air on her nose. Apparently she's figured out exactly where the breeze comes from and has no intention of wasting it. For a horse that spent last week filing complaints about stall life, she seems to have found at least one amenity worthy of a five-star review.
Sunday was a family day, so I skipped the barn entirely. We celebrated Payton's birthday and spent time together as a family. It seems impossible that our youngest daughter is another year older already. It seems like yesterday she started walking and now she's a veterinarian who occasionally reminds me that I am not, in fact, qualified to diagnose every animal I encounter.
Wednesday was a full-service spa day.
Dr. Dobecka stopped by for an adjustment, Daniel trimmed Bee's feet, and we survived another round of deworming.
The adjustment she tolerated.
The hoof trim she tolerated.
The dewormer was met with the same enthusiasm most people reserve for tax audits.
If you've never dewormed a horse, imagine trying to convince a toddler that a tube full of suspicious-tasting paste is actually a delicious treat. The sales pitch rarely works.
Fortunately, everyone survived the experience, although Bee may still be consulting legal counsel.
This week's update is a little shorter than usual (or is it?) because we have visitors arriving from Ireland. Kristin and our grand-dog Kota are coming to town from Dublin, and we're excited to spend some time together. Between family visits and a weather forecast that seems determined to give North Texas a week-long bath, I probably won't be spending quite as much time at the barn this week.
We're also heading to Fredericksburg this weekend, a charming German town in the Texas Hill Country that we've been wanting to visit for quite some time. If all goes according to plan, we'll enjoy some good food, a little shopping, and maybe a winery or two. We'll also make a quick stop in New Braunfels to visit friends from Kansas City who recently purchased a home there.
Speaking of future horses, I did have an interesting conversation this week with a very sweet young woman from Illinois. As luck would have it, she has a horse that sounds like it could be a pretty good fit for me, and from everything I learned about her, she sounded like she might be a wonderful fit for Bee as well.
For a brief moment, it felt like one of those rare situations where everyone wins.
Unfortunately, Illinois is still Illinois.
Once we started talking through transportation, logistics, costs, timing, and all the practical details that come with moving horses halfway across the country, reality showed up and reminded us both that good matches still have to make sense on paper.
We left the conversation feeling like it probably wasn't meant to be, but it was encouraging nonetheless. It reminded me that there are good horse people out there looking for the same thing I am: the right horse for the right rider. For now, we're keeping our search a little closer to home and trusting that when the right opportunity comes along, it'll be easier to recognize than it is to manufacture.
So while Bee enjoys her spa treatments and hopefully continues her streak of good behavior, I'll be enjoying family, friends, and a little Texas adventure of my own.
For now, I'm cautiously optimistic.
Bee seems happier.
The rides have been better.
The stall protests have subsided.
And for the first time in a while, I find myself looking forward to the next ride instead of wondering which version of Bee is going to show up.
That's progress, even if neither of us is quite ready to declare victory.
We’ll leave you with cute pictures of Birdie.
