Settling In

Well, Sonny and I both made it to Florida safely and we are now comfortably settled at Whitehall Manor, a lovely farm just down the street from the Parelli Center.
I drove in from Jacksonville and arrived around lunch time. Whitehall Manor is an impressive farm with a large white mansion situated behind a pond at the end of a long drive. The property has many large trees shading the horse paddocks and a lots of Spanish Moss adds a sense of old southern charm. After being buzzed through the front gate, I drove over to the barn to meet Monica, who gave me the key to my new diggs for the next month and showed me around. The barn apartment I rented is a cute efficiency, with a small living room, a bedroom with a spacious closet and a tiny kitchen. It's best feature is a covered porch, a perfect place for morning coffee, that overlooks the field where Sonny is now grazing contentedly.
Sonny arrived in Ocala yesterday and was being held at the Brook Ledge terminal. The first thing I did after unloading my suitcases was to call Brook Ledge and ask if they could bring Sonny over to Whitehall Manor.
"Yep, I know just where that is. We're only about 10 minutes from there." the Brook Ledge terminal employee told me over the phone. "We'll send you big boy right over to you."
About 15 minutes later, the Brook Ledge trailer turned in through the gates to the farm and pulled up in front of the barn. As the driver climbed out of the truck, I asked him if Sonny had given him any trouble.
"He was a perfect gentleman." The driver told me. "He's a real nice horse."
I followed the driver around to the side of the horse trailer and waited while he lowered the ramp.
"We took him out of his stall and let him graze some yesterday," he told me as he unfastened the door. "He sure likes to eat."
"Thank you. I really appreciate that." I said as I led Sonny down the ramp. "This was the first time I sent Sonny anywhere and I was kind of nervous about it."
"Well you are very welcome. We like horses at Brook Ledge, especially good old boys like this one."
Sonny was his usual, unconcerned self as I led him through the barn to the paddock gate. After nosing around to see if I had any treats, he wandered off to check out the horses in the adjacent field. He didn't seem at all upset by the ride down to Florida or the change in scenery and when i gave him his grain, he gobbled it down, licking his feeding tub clean. What a relief it was to see how well he had weathered his trip.
Tomorrow is the open house at the Parelli Center and I am going to go over and take a look. I know I will feel more comfortable when the course starts on Monday if I am familiar with the lay of the land. Besides, it will be fun to see the demonstrations. More about that tomorrow.