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My lessons with Flossie, a roan Standardbred mare |
| This is an on-going diary or autobiography |
| FLOSSIE'S 81st LESSON I didn't get to play with the littlies at Des' this morning since Norm came an hour early for me. I was still distributing carrots to everybody when he arrived. This task took longer than usual, too, because Des now has four more horses on his property again. No doubt these are the four Gary had racing a few weeks ago. Perhaps one of the four belongs to Des. Although Des was home today, I didn't get to talk to him. Flossie and I made a great team today! She was willing to do anything and everything I put to her. I had to take it easy again, however, since the humidity and the heat were absolutely unbearable. It was near 90 degrees and over 50% humidity. So this is what I did: I started out at a walk around the paddock, chasing little Blaze off with a swipe of my crop. Then I worked Flossie on the track in every gate. I worked on being relaxed. When my seat is relaxed, Flossie gives me the smoothest ride! She's like a thermometer upon which I can gage my seat. I could tell I was relaxed today because she started off in a lazy trot; a nice trot, slow and steady. Then she drifted into a canter pretty as you please. It was like butter. Even on the hard track it was smooth as glass. We worked in both directions, once around at a walk and then once around at a faster pace; trot; canter. By then a half hour was already up so I took her to the shade and had her rest. Then it was back out into the sun in the middle of the paddock where we worked on circles and figure eights at both the trot and the walk. Then we went back to the shade. Then it was out again to work on straight lines at the trot and the canter. I am so pleased she is able to work on straight lines now at the canter; she is slow enough to focus on what I want. Then it was back into the shade again for another break. After that, I took her out into the sun one last time to have her walk over the short but fat log I had worked her over before. We don't go over it every week, so it's not a mundane exercise. She went over it in both directions as easy as pie. That closed the lesson. I took her to the shade one last time to dismount. When I trot Flossie on the grass, she's as easy to post/sit as any other horse. She's still very hard to sit or post on the hard track, however. It's always a challenge. Even though she gave me a nice trot on the track today several times, I had to work hard to ride it. Blaze whinnies to Flossie every time I mount her for the first time. Usually he comes over to check us out, which he did today. However, sometimes he comes over a second time and when he does, he's a real pest. Today was no different. I had to get Flossie to chase him away. He stopped to kick up his heels at us once, playing around the way colts do, but I got after him just the same. I don't want him thinking we're playing with him. Before long he got the message and went back to his mother. Speaking of the little runt, Blaze is getting to be a real beauty. (That is, for a Standardbred). Bam-Bam, on the other hand, however, is getting ganglier and uglier by the week. His legs have grown since last week, but they're knobby and unattractive. I was planning to get photos of the herd today, but it turns out I didn't have the spare time on my hands that I usually have. Oh well; perhaps next week. |
| FLOSSIE'S 80th LESSON Des wasn't home today when I went down to ride Flossie and I'm wondering if he's in the hospital having surgery on his legs. When I first arrived at Des' place, Flossie was lying down in the small paddock where I used to work her. I took her out of the paddock and led her down the shedrow. She was so interested in her surroundings and I had to take my time with her so she could touch everything in sight. She walked into the shed and had a look around before I convinced her she had seen everything. I took her through the gate and into the yard past all the paddocks on our right. It was 90 degrees so I took it easy on Flossie today. I may have taken it easier than I had to, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Today was a study in relaxation: I started out relaxed and didn't allow anything to change it. I worked on an independent seat; using the lower half of my body separate from my upper body. I warmed Flossie up in the paddock, then worked her in both directions on the track at every gait, which were all nicely collected with a good bend at the poll. In fact, Flossie basically collected herself as long as I remained relaxed and kept a straight line from my elbow to the bit. After the workout on the track, we took a break in the shade. I was afraid she wouldn't want to work for me after the initial rest, because she's protested before in the past, but she was cooperative and did everything I asked. We did all sorts of things in the paddock, from cavalettis to figure eights; from cantering and trotting in a straight line to circles. Each time we completed an exercise I had her take a break in the shade. She seemed to enjoy the suspense involved with wondering what we were going to do next. Before I mounted, I had draped my tarp over a horizontal pole that's three feet off the ground and is located along the track near the yard so it would wave in the wind. The first time I rode Flossie past it, she didn't want any part of it, but after that, she walked up to it and even tried to pull it off with her teeth. At the end of her lesson, while cooling her out, I pulled the tarp off the pole and draped it across my lap so half of it dangled down my right leg and the other down my left. I moved it around so Flossie knew it was there, but she didn't blink an eye. The next trick will be to carry it at a trot and eventually at the canter. I was able to touch both colts today. Blaze prefers it when I stretch my hand out, but don't make the initial advance. He'd rather walk up to my hand and rub his neck and face on my arm. He still bobs his head when I try to touch him first, but he doesn't spook; he'll pull back, but he doesn't retreat. Bam Bam, on the other hand, doesn't mind it if I make the first move. He'll stand still, but he won't let me get too close. What different horsenalities these two have! I tried untangling the knots in Blaze's mother's mane, but she told me she's a wild and free mare now and doesn't have the patience for such things. I figure if I do a little work on it every time I'm there, eventually I'll have the whole thing untangled. Flossie's tail is as silky as I had left it last week! When I got home I received a phone call from the president of Norm's Logan Toastmaster's club, Ron Gallen. He said he knows a man, Ian, who is looking for someone to ride his horse. He has a huge gelding, named Bob, who is being vetted for a sore leg at the moment. He said as soon as the horse is ready to go, he'll give me a call. He also has two daughters who might be interested in taking riding lessons from me, but he's going to wait until school starts up again and they're back on a regular routine. According to Ron, Ian's very interested in me. I'll let you know what happens. |
| FLOSSIE'S 79th LESSON I had an excellent ride on Flossie this morning! I got there at 7:00 o'clock and didn't get home until 11:00. Flossie was smooth but she wanted to do everything fast at first. We worked on going slow, though, and she was cooperative so I got a nice slow canter out of her in both directions. Every time I ride, I learn something new that's worth writing down for future reference. One of the biggest concerns I have is relaxing. I have finally found a technique that works! And it's so simple! All I do is not allow myself to be tense. I know it sounds easy, but I've been working on it for a long, long time and have finally got to the point where I can relax any muscle I need to whenever I want to. It's unbelievable. I found that my body tension can be the culprit when Flossie isn't behaving as she should; too much tension in the legs, for example, throws my seat off at a canter. That's why I would run into difficulties from time to time in the past. Since I've learned how to relax my legs, as well as my thighs and buttocks, my body remains in the correct position. Consequently, Flossie stays in the correct position! Today she taught me where she likes me to hold the reins when she canters. I took her off the track and worked her in the paddock for quite a bit after the first half hour. She thought she had worked enough at that point, so I had to convince her she wasn't done yet. I had her doing serpentines, circles, and figure eights at both the walk and the trot. I also set up some cavalettis. I use these long white heavy plastic things Des has lying around under a tree on his property. I had Flossie go over them at a walk and then at a trot in both directions. The first time I asked her to go over them, she wanted to go around, but something clicked with her and I think she was remembering the log I have her go over every week because once that click came, she seemed to suddenly understand what I wanted. She didn't pick her feet up the first time we walked over them and she sort of crashed through a couple of them, but she soon got the hang of it and picked her feet up after that. I can remember when Flossie was reluctant to go in a straight line across the paddock for me. Now she does it well at both the walk and the trot. Her canter is starting to come good now and it won't be long before I'll be asking for a canter too. On the way to Des' we stopped at the gasoline station down the road and filled up my new 30" exercise ball. My intention was to use it to play with the horses, but they weren't very impressed. It was rather windy today and the ball sort of went off with the wind which meant that sometimes it chased the horses and that's not what I wanted it to do. Blaze came up to it, but after the first encounter he didn't care about it any more. He watched me play with it, but that's about it. When it rolled under Flossie's belly, she had to find a way to hop around it. It was interesting to see how she handled herself because if we ever come across something on the track that gets between her legs, I know, now, how she might respond. I used the baby oil I bought the other day mixed with white vinegar and some of my hair conditioner on Flossie's tail and I was amazed at how little I needed! I made up a batch with one quarter cup of each ingredient. I thought I wouldn't have enough, but it turns out I have plenty left over which looks like it'll last me for quite some time. I also used the new tail comb I bought. It's made of metal and has a handle which makes the chore that much easier. I used the new fleece I bought for Flossie's girth for the first time today. I had to adjust the saddle since the extra material took up more length. It fit her well and I believe it's doing the job. When I got home I threw it in the wash with my riding clothes and it came out as pristine as the day I brought it home from the tack shop. |
| FLOSSIE'S 78th LESSON Sunday night I phoned Des to see if it would be okay for me to leave my tack at his place for a couple of nights so Norm and I could head straight off to Kingaroy after my ride instead of having to drive all the way back home first. Of course he said it would be okay. He sounded so good over the phone and I asked him how he's been. He said he's feeling like his old self again, but he's still having trouble walking. Norm dropped me off more than an hour earlier than usual at Des' on Monday morning because we knew it was going to be the hottest day of the summer so far this season and I wanted to beat the heat. Flossie was so cooperative and I rode well, too, which is always a plus. We started out doing circles in the paddock. When we entered the track, as we passed the herd, Bam Bam started cantering up to us, followed by Blaze. It was obvious they wanted in on the fun, but I chased them off. Flossie never balked at anything; not even at the bulldozers, which were working right up against the fence, and she walked right out for me when I mounted, and she went over the log in both directions when I asked her to. I'm going to have to find something more challenging for her to do now. I was able to scratch both Bam Bam and Blaze on the nose, for starters. Later, Blaze decided he was going to get close to me. He walked straight up to me until he got only about a foot away and then decided it was too risky, so I put a tree between us. He came up to the tree and allowed me to scratch him on the side of his neck and head with the tree between us. He kept bobbing his head up and down and back and forth as if he was nervous about the encounter, but was still willing to allow me to touch him. He wanted to bite my arm as I scratched him, but I kept telling him 'no' every time he tried. Much later I was able to scratch him on his hind end, too, and down his haunches and his legs while he was nursing. Every week I try to introduce something new to the horses. This week I blew some soap bubbles for them, but they didn't seem to be much of a hit. Maybe I'll try them again in the future when it's not so windy. While I was putting my tack in Des' shed, he came out to his car on his way to see the doctor about his legs. We had a nice chat. I told him I call Bambi's colt Bam Bam and the other colt Blaze. We talked about the ball I rolled down the incline last week and he got a charge out of the way Blaze kicked at it. I also told Des Gary wants me to lead his colt around once he's been weaned and trained to the halter. I said I hope he has him gelded by then. He told me he had Sooty, his cat, spayed, and that he took her kittens to 'the home'. I don't know what that is, but I'm guessing it's the animal protection shelter. He said he had thought they were all females, but found out they were males. He said if he had known that, he would have kept one to be a companion for Sooty. Oh well, at least she can't have any more kittens. |
| FLOSSIE'S 77th LESSON I started Flossie off doing circles this morning. I had to chase Blaze off a few times, first, though. The last time I kept after him until his mother finally intervened. Once I took Flossie out of the paddock, I had her circling every so many steps off the track in both directions. We did that all the way around. She was so confused because I changed her routine so drastically. She needs that, though; it keeps her collected believe-it-or-not. I had her going so slow today it was incredible, with lots of up and down movement. Her bit was wet when I took it from her after dismounting. Oh, and she went over the log in both directions without any problems. I wanted to get her working over cavalettis, but it was too hot for that today. I did put the tarp down in a different spot and had her circling around it in both directions. She hardly reacted to it; the first time she perked up her ears, but that was about it. I like to put it in different places every week so she never knows where it's going to turn up. After she had her little bath and all her carrots were gone, I took a soccer ball out to the paddock and rolled it past her while she was grazing. She wanted to bite it. So I rolled it down a slight incline near Blaze. He was so interested! He ran after it and circled it and circled it again and again. The second time I rolled it down the hill, he ran after it and then started circling it and snorting the way horses do when they're afraid of something. Then he started kicking at it with his hind leg. He never actually hit it, though. After a while he thought it was lunch and started to eat it, so I declared that the end of the exercise. I was able to touch Bam Bam on the nose a couple of times today. Oh, I actually touched Blaze on the nose a couple of times too. While I was waiting around in the paddock, the horses stopped grazing. They walked up to a gum tree and stood in the shade. The two colts promptly went down for a snooze. I sat down on the ground in front of the three mares. It was one of the most blissful and fulfilling half hours I have ever spent with the horses. At one point Blaze rolled over and over until, finally, he rolled right into his mother's legs. It was pretty comical. He just stayed there until she finally moved away. It was such a picturesque morning with plenty of cumulus clouds, cool zephyrs, and humid-free sunshine. I lay on my back for a while with my hat over my face to keep the bright sky out of my eyes. When I opened them again, there was Blaze's face looking down on me. He is such a curious little thing and is so alert, nothing gets past him. I wish I hadn't been so darn tense. Flossie is a dream to ride; why do I have to spoil it? |
| FLOSSIE'S 76th LESSON Even though Des wasn?t home this morning, (he was probably spending the holiday at his daughter?s), I spent nearly four hours on his property. I took it easy on Flossie because it was 90 degrees and extremely humid. I had her doing a little of everything, very slowly with lots of breaks. I didn?t allow her to get out of breath and when I dismounted, she wasn?t overly sweaty. She didn?t give me any problems today and seemed to enjoy the light work-out. The herd wanted to follow her again, but when I turned her quickly to face them, and allowed her to run toward them a bit, they got the message. Blaze?s mother wanted to stop and kick out at us, but thought better of it when I shouted and waved my arms. Unlike last week when I had to do this, Flossie seemed to understand what I was after; she responded to everything I asked of her and didn?t get all bent out of shape when I started to raise my voice. Flossie enjoyed the little bath I gave her after our ride and the grooming that followed. She closed her eyes and relaxed as if she were getting a massage from an expensive masseuse. She would have stood there for me all day, but I had other plans. After everyone had their fair share of the carrots I had brought along with me, I decided to have a little fun with the gang. Especially with Blaze because he?s so inquisitive and courageous. First off, I took my lead rope and dragged it along on the ground behind me. I walked past the herd while they were leaving the yard and heading out to the paddock. Blaze, just as I had expected, walked right over to see what I was doing. He picked the end of the rope up with his teeth and started tugging it. When the older mares came along, he followed them for a while, but kept turning back to watch me. He came up to the rope time and time again. When he tired of that, I went back and brought out the blue tarp I had picked up weeks ago. I dragged this behind me all around the herd and, sure enough, once again, little Blaze came right up to it. He was so brave he even picked up a corner in his mouth. When the wind would blow the tarp, he?d jump and turn and run, but he?d always come back again until he finally lost interest. Several times I tried to get Bam-Bam to at least touch it, but he would only walk up just so close then plant his feet and watch from a safe distance. I like that little colt, though, for some reason. There?s just something about his ways that intrigue me. I know he?s going to let me walk right up to him someday. Last week Bam-Bam didn?t look very healthy to me, but seven days have made a big difference because today he looked and acted as healthy as . . . well, a horse. He?s not as filled out as Blaze is, but he?s just as tall. When they run together, Blaze gives it all he has, but Bam-Bam just sort of goes along for the ride. They have two very distinct horsenalities and I love to watch them interact with each other. When I give the mares a carrot, the boys come up to see what their mothers are doing. Eventually, I wouldn?t be surprised if they start taking carrots from me too. They?ve already started eating the grass and the wild green things that grow in the paddock. Sarah has divorced Craig and has taken Billie and Zane to live with her parent's in New South Wales. I?m hoping a horse lover will move in next; someone who has a couple of horses and is looking for someone to ride with. Now wouldn?t that be a dream-come-true? Maybe someone with a horse trailer who can pull Flossie to a trail where we could do some riding outside of the track! Yeah, I know; dream on! |
| FLOSSIE'S 75th LESSON Blaze and his mother were very interested in Flossie and me this morning. The mare walked up to me as if she were the one I was coming to ride. She probably thought she�d get a free hand-out, but I�ve made it a policy a long time ago no one gets any carrots until after Flossie�s ride. (Except Flossie; she gets one, but only one). When I mounted, everyone hung around; Bambi, her colt, Bam-Bam, and Blaze and his mother. I tried to work Flossie in a circle in the middle of the paddock, but Blaze, especially, and his mother, were too keen on the roan�s every move. Flossie, to her credit, paid attention to me in spite of her �fan club�, but I didn�t work her as I was planning to. We remained on the circle long enough for me to get an idea of where Flossie was mentally, then I took her off to the track. Blaze, of course, had to follow. As we were approaching the track, I heard a strange noise and when I looked back over Flossie� rump, there was Blaze on his hind legs. Was he going to try and mount Flossie? I�ll never know because I turned Flossie around to face him. He backed away and went scurrying off to his mother who was positioned right behind him. The horses left us alone after that, so I had Flossie working on the track and she was excellent. To end the lesson, I had her running in straight lines across the paddock. We criss-crossed every which way even at a slow canter. (This is something we had never done before). When we went back to the track, I had her circling off the dirt area and around the trees that stand alongside the track on in the inside. I had planned to take her over the log again, but completely forgot about it. She really needs work in all gaits off the track, so that�s what I concentrated on today. Otherwise, when I ask her to work off the track, she gets flustered and acts like a chicken with its head cut off. No fooling. It�s like she just loses her mind and can�t figure anything out. Later, after Flossie had had her face cooled off and her back watered and her belly full of carrots, I shoved an extra handful of carrots into my pants and proceeded to walk out to the paddock to give the remaining vegetables to Bambi and the other mare. (I should give that mare a name so I don�t have to keep calling her �the other mare� all the time). Flossie followed, probably smelling the carrots on me. So I wove in and out of the truck and car that were parked on the edge of the yard, with Flossie right on my heels. It was pretty funny. Eventually, however, I got away from her and took the carrots out to her pals. When the carrots were done, I sat down in the grass in the paddock just to watch the horses graze around me. At one point each one came up to me, individually, inquisitively sniffing my ears. I love the feel and the soft sound of Flossie�s warm breath in my ear. Even Blaze came up at one point and sniffed the toes of my boots. He was going to walk right up to me, but since I was sitting on the ground, I didn�t want to come face-to-face with the little monster, so I moved my legs which I knew would turn him away. Before my ride Norm and I had a talk with Des. He says he�s going to have to have surgery on his legs to open the veins that are collapsing on him. He wants to wait until after the holidays, though, because he�s going to be in a wheel chair for a while. I don�t know how he�s going to get around in a wheel chair on his property; he has too many steps, for one thing. The temperature was about seventy degrees and the weather was cool today with a strong breeze that sprung up suddenly from out of nowhere. The property next to Des� is being bulldozed and the heavy equipment is moving in closer and closer to his paddock. The horses are very much aware of these monstrous work vehicles, including Flossie. She doesn�t mind them, though, until I�m on her back. I�ve found many different ways to keep her mind off them, however, and it helps that she is willing to focus on me instead of what�s going on around her. I worked on my seat today at every turn. I always do, but I discovered some things in particular that helped. I seem to ride differently every time I mount, so it�s like re-learning to ride every time I climb aboard. Go figure. Just between you and me, I think Bam-Bam's sick. He's not growing, in fact, he's getting thinner. He holds his rump like a newborn. His legs are skinny and his neck is extremely short. Bambi doesn't allow him to nurse and I truly believe he's going to be dead before the year is up. Maybe tonight. He sleeps all the time and when he's on his feet he just stands there pawing the ground or shifting his weight from one hind leg to the other. He shows no interest in anything around him. I'm truly worried about him. |
| FLOSSIE'S 74th LESSON Flossie didn�t need any impulsion from me today so I ended up taking my spurs off in mid-ride. She started right out for me, and never balked once. She was feeling good and it was all I could do to keep her slow! Near the end of her lesson she didn�t want to pick up a canter so I had to keep bringing her down again and again and starting her over. She eventually picked it up for me and went wonderfully! She worked collected and was on the bit throughout her lesson and when I pulled her bridle off, her mouth was foaming. Her bit was foaming too. I can always tell when she�s working properly and thinking about what she�s doing because she mouths the bit in the way Pat Parelli says a good working horse will. I dragged three long white plastic things out of a pile on Des� property and used them for cavalettis. Flossie walked over them like she�s been doing it all her life. Next time I plan to have her trot over them. I had her walk over that huge, but short log again and didn�t even have to coax her! She tried only once to evade, but straightened out for me without a hassle and proceeded to go over the log without hesitation. After our ride and all the carrots had been distributed, I walked into the paddock with the mothers and babies. I was able to touch Blaze about three or four times. At one stage he walked right up to me, then veered off at the last minute. Bambam, which is my new name for Bambi�s baby, is just as inquisitive. I think I�ll have them both walking up to me before too long. Gary�s two horses that live alone in their own respective paddocks were not there today. I missed them, for I used to spend time with both of them, just talking to them and rubbing on them. They loved the attention. As we were pulling out of Des� driveway, Des came out of his house and told us he spent the day in his doctor�s office. The doctor told him to go straight to the hospital because he found an irregular pulse during his exam. He also has bad legs that need attention. Des was worried about just taking off like that without finding someone to take care of his horses and his cats. Norm offered to lend a hand wherever needed. Des said it wouldn�t be necessary, but we insisted. I doubt he would ever ask us for help, but I�m not ashamed to say I would do whatever I could for that man. He is a precious human being and in some strange way I love him like a father. I pray that the Lord will watch over him. He said he�s going to try to stay out of the hospital until tomorrow which will give him time to find someone to look after his place while he�s unable to. I hope things work out for him the way he wants them to. This news is very sad for me and when I got home, I had to take some quiet time to myself and let out the emotions I feel. I couldn�t do it earlier because we met Leo Duffy at the Lebanese restaurant for lunch. He and Norm had some Toastmaster�s business to discuss, which left me to stew over Des� condition silently. I wish there was something I could do for the man. It sickens me that he�s in such poor health. Norm has pointed out that Des has the appearance Elvis Presley had before he died; his body is bloated and his complexion is pale. Please say a prayer for Des. I don�t want to see anything bad happen to him. |
| FLOSSIE'S 73rd LESSON Flossie was a stick of dynamite this morning. Norm dropped me off an hour earlier than normal so I could ride before the heat hit full force. Flossie was lying down when we approached, but she got right to her feet as soon as I got out of the car with her ears pointing forward and her body at attention. She didn�t balk with me today. I never even once had to use the spurs on her, and I only used the crop initially just for good measure when we started out. She wanted to do everything at top speed. I worked her hard for forty-five minutes than gave her a nice long walk around the track followed by a break in the shade for five or ten minutes. When I started her off again, she did not like it. She thought we were done and in no uncertain terms she let me know it. I asked her to pace around the track and she kept throwing her shoulder out, then her haunches, wandered from one side of the track to the other, tossing her head, and when I gave her a spanking, she swished her tail. So I brought her down to a walk, counted ten steps, then sent her back into a faster gait for ten steps. Then I brought her back down to the walk again for ten steps, then asked for another gait for ten steps, etc. We did this until I had her full attention. It didn�t take long, really. Then we did a nice canter and I called it a day. To cool out, I had her going over that big, but short log I started working her over last week. I had to dismount and have her walk over it, first, then I asked her to ride over it. She went okay in one direction, but then I had to get off and lead her over the log again in the opposite direction before I could get her to ride over it. At first she just wanted to side step around it, like last week, but I insisted she keep going straight. I used my seat to drive her up to it. She stopped, so I let her assess the situation. She put her nose down so I let her check it out and when she brought her head back up, she was chewing on the bit so I knew I had her. When I drove her forward, she just picked her feet up as pretty as you please and walked over it as if she had been doing it all along. I ended the lesson on that triumphant note. The baby colts were playing together for a bit this morning when Bambi and Blaze�s mother brought them up to the yard while I was handing out carrots. Blaze was running around and Bambi�s colt is starting to get just as independent as his playmate. I was able to scratch Blaze on his bottom while he stood with his back to the fence while his mom was getting attention. How alert these animals are! When I was standing Flossie in the shade earlier, Blaze stood facing us from a ways off, whinnying to her with his wee teeny, tiny voice. It was so neat. Later, in the yard, when I had everybody�s attention, Blaze stood next to Flossie mouthing the way babies do. Flossie just used her face; ears, gestures, etc, to let the baby know it�s only a baby. I love watching them interact with each other! Bambi wouldn�t allow her son to nurse while I was there, but Blaze�s mother lets him nurse all he wants. Right after snack time, the colt drops to the ground for a nap. I like to walk around the paddock with the animals and when the babies are up and about they�re so curious. They watch my every move. Bambi�s boy wants to come up to me so bad, but his natural instincts kick in every time. He takes a step towards me, then watches what I do. When I�m not looking, he�ll take another step closer. I wouldn�t be surprised if he comes all the way up to me before too long. While I was waiting around after my ride, I took some time to visit with Gary�s two geldings who live in separate paddocks. The bay likes to smack his lips. When he does this, he makes a growling noise in his throat and when his lips smack, they sound like a kid beating on one of those toy drums that has a black rubber head. I would have never guessed it was a horse if I hadn�t seen him do it. The other horse of Gary�s, which is a very light chestnut, was looking for attention so I spent a good deal of time just rubbing on his sides, back, head, rump, and shoulders as he dozed with the breeze in his mane. |
| FLOSSIE'S 72nd LESSON I felt like a real trainer on Flossie this morning. After I groomed her and tacked her up, I took my spurs and rubbed them against her sides. Then I had her side pass in both directions while I rubbed the spurs on her. I was very business-like and expected her to respond immediately. This raised her excitement level, so, I was able to accomplish everything I wanted to. When I led her out of the yard on foot, she followed willingly. After mounting and giving her a few seconds to stand still, when I asked her to move forward and she even looked like she was going to resist, I used my spur and turned her to the right. When I felt she needed more persuasion, I moved her with the spur to the left. She responded perfectly both times. When I asked her to go forward, I used both legs and the crop. One slap and she was on her way! I expected her to be prompt and didn't settle for anything less. She didn't let me down. She only resisted one more time as we approached the track so I did the same thing; used my legs and a quick slap with the crop. She never balked again. Not even when we got to her favorite balking spot on the track between the dam and the road. She looked at a white sheet of cardboard and I could tell by reading her ears that she was considering balking, but changed her mind. That happened twice and both times she decided going forward was more favorable than stopping. After those two particular episodes, I never had to use the spurs again. I may as well have taken them off. However, having said that, I'm glad I didn't because the spurs ensured I rode with a good seat. My legs were impeccable except for once, during a canter when I lost it. I immediately assessed the situation, corrected the problem after bringing Flossie down to a walk and throwing my legs away from her sides. I started her up again and continued in a nice canter that she held for quite a ways before I asked her to stop. I've been working on keeping my thighs turned in and my heels down for months now and because I had the spurs on, I didn't have a choice today: Consequently, my seat was fabulous. I was even able to post Flossie's trot as if she were just any other horse! My body went naturally with the rhythm and I didn't even realize I was posting until I made the connection after about three strides. My legs have been the culprit all this time. I know for certain since that's the only thing I did differently today, thanks to the spurs. Getting Flossie's excitement level up helped a great deal too; she gave me some really fine working gaits and I felt as if I were truly working a young horse successfully. Even Des said she was going straighter down the track for me than she sometimes does. She took the bit nicely and never went off it. Her canter was superb. I had to slow her down a few times when she started to get faster, but that was no big deal because I found a way to use my body to slow her down without having to pull on her mouth. First of all, I give several tugs, however many it takes, and immediately release the rein after each one, the way I had been taught many years ago. I also keep my chin tucked against my chest (don't ask me how this works, perhaps doing that makes my entire body go in the proper position) my elbows against my sides, my back straight, and my shoulders back. I think this chin position helps to relax my mid section. Of course the turned-in thighs helps and well, I mean, come on, look at me: I'm posting Flossie's trot for crying out loud when I ask for a downward transition! I wanted to work her in circles but it was too hot and I didn't want to overwork her in the sun. So we did other things at a slow pace such as walk over that big bad blue tarp she was freaking out at last week. I don't think I mentioned that to you. It was lying on the other side of the fence and I dismounted to see if I could reach it. Some guy was driving by and got out of his car and handed it to me. Des said it didn't belong to him, so I used it in my lesson today. I spread it out on the grass and had Flossie walk over it. At first she didn't want to even approach it, so I walked her past it back and forth until she reached out with her nose and showed an interest in getting closer. I let her sniff it and touch it with her foot then I asked her to walk over it. No problem. So I walked her over a small log. She did that well, too, so I tried a big log. Now this big log was very short and she insisted there was no sense in going over it since it was so much easier to go around it. I dismounted and had her walk over it on foot. She did that okay. This log gives me something more to work on next week! I had spread the tarp on the grass before I even went over to collect Flossie for her lesson. The other horses were so interested in it that they immediately went right over to give it an inspection. Blaze even put a foot on it. Watching them made me chuckle, but it also made me realize how sensible this breed is. When I untacked Flossie to take her for a walk around the track after her lesson, I didn't have to coax her out of the yard. She followed like the well-trained mare she is. I was proud of her. That's a big deal! I am impressed with how using the spurs against her sides while I was on the ground to get her to side pass made a new horse out of this mare! Unbelievable. Afterwards, while I was hovering around the paddock waiting for my ride home, I got a chance to touch Bambi's colt for the first time when Bambi strode up to say hello. I reached over her neck and tapped the little guy on the nose. I would have done more, but the other mare was coming up from behind which caused Bambi to move forward and I had to pull my arm back and then the moment was lost. Des said he had the colt branded the other day; so he's been manhandled. Des is planning to have him broken to the track sooner than he had Bambi's last foal. (The filly that used to share the paddock when I first arrived on the scene). Blaze loves to follow Flossie around, but she's learned that means trouble from the little guy's mother. So Flossie chases him away with a gesture from her rear end. If that doesn't work, she turns around and chases him off. If that doesn't work, she actually points him in his mother's direction until he gets the hint and runs off to nurse. Sooty, Des' black cat, had kittens. Now he's having her spayed. I had thought the cat was a tom. I guess that just shows how much I know. Well, I've talked your ear off so I'm going to hang up here before I overstay my welcome. Aussie ya next time. Ooroo! |
| FLOSSIE'S 71ST LESSON It was a bitter-sweet lesson this morning with Flossie. She not only didn?t want to walk off when I first mounted, but she balked several times throughout her lesson. I had to really wail on her with the crop to get her going each time. I?ve been thinking about getting myself a pair of spurs, and after today, I?ve decided for sure. Get this; when I did get her going, she gave me the slowest, smoothest, steadiest gaits; both at the pace, and at the canter, and in both directions. We did some sweet circles too. In fact her mouth was wet when I pulled the bit off her. She likes to go around in circles when she?s on the bit; she co-operates fully. If I?m off, or allow her to go off, she gets flustered and uncooperative. Luckily I was riding much better this week. I thought she was afraid to pass a blue tarp that was in the grass on the other side of the paddock near the road, but when a man stopped his car to pick it up for me, (he saw me trying, but I couldn't reach it), I shook it at Flossie and threw it over her neck and she didn't even bat an eye. On the ground, however, was another story; so I kept trying to get her to walk up to it. I took her up to it on foot at one point, mounted, and asked her to walk by; she refused until I spanked the daylights out of her. Gary has a mare with a colt a few weeks older than Bambi?s turned out in the paddock with Flossie, Bambi, and Bambi?s colt. I took lots of photos. Gary has a horse in Magic Harry's old stall, not the same horse that was in there last week, who has an infection on his neck. He had been inoculated andit's now ulcered. I want to cry. Gary doesn't even care. (According to Des). |
| FLOSSIE�S 70TH LESSON For some reason I didn�t ride as well this morning as I have been riding lately. I felt as though I was throwing Flossie off at every turn. By some miracle, she did well in spite of me, anyway, though, somehow, someway. It was so hot that after forty-five minutes, I had to take Flossie into the shade so she could catch her breath. She was breathing hard, so I waited for her to slow down, then had her walk around the track before I dismounted. Once untacked, I walked her around the track in hand again as I always do. Magic Harry wasn�t on the premises today; there was another horse in his paddock, instead, which wasn�t the only stranger; Gary had another horse in another paddock as well. Glenco Gal was in the big paddock with Flossie, Bambi, and Bambi�s baby boy. Only Glenco Gal and Flossie took part in the carrots I had brought with me, but Gary�s other two horses didn�t want any part of them. Since Bambi was occupied with her youngster, and I didn�t want to disturb them by offering carrots; (what a fight there would have been between the three grown horses!), I ended up bringing the rest of the carrots home with me. If I remember, I can take them to the exercise track and feed them to the palomino the next time Norm and I go for our routine walk. Or I could offer them to the horses on Eagleby Road some day this week. I poured a big bottle of water on Flossie�s back when I finished riding today. She loved it. I used my hands to scrape it off. I took tons of photos of Bambi�s baby boy! I already mounted them into my Yahoo album, so as soon as I take a look at them and edit them if I have to, I�ll send you a copy. He is a handsome little tyke; he�s got strong, sturdy legs and a very powerful looking body for a colt. He has that Standardbred head, unfortunately. It�s not too pronounced, but I have a feeling it will increase with age. It�s too bad he doesn�t have Bambi�s pretty face. |
| FLOSSIE'S 69th LESSON Riding Flossie today was an adventure. She led out of the yard okay, and when I mounted on the track, she walked out for me when I asked her to. Everything was fine until we came to the area where the dam and the road come close to the track. There were two plovers that planted themselves directly in the middle of our path. They stood facing us, like a show-down, yelling their little feathered heads off at us They obviously didn�t want us to pass. Unfortunately, Flossie fell for their two-footed facade and stopped dead in her tracks and would not budge for heel, crop, or verbal command. I had to dismount and lead her past the birds on foot. Once mounted again, she did fine. I had no other problems with her in that area for the remainder of the ride, however, her mind was on the birds from that moment onward. I had to kiss �elegant� good-bye. We only achieved that look at the end of the lesson the last time we went around the track. There were some highlights to this lesson, however, that I think are worth mentioning; besides the fact that Flossie wanted to spend the entire lesson cantering, she gave me ths slowest, smoothest, steadiest, and longest canter in both directions ever! Another highlight was the fact that she gave me the trot often enough that I could spend some time practicing my posting, which I was able to do once without holding onto the front of the saddle. The best highlight of the ride, however, was my ability to put Flossie�s feet where I wanted them; sometimes she wanders over to the side of the track and won�t budge until she feels like it, but today I was able to move her around wherever I wanted her. In fact, I was able to get her to move diagonally across the track and forward at the same time. I felt like a dressage rider. She did it so smoothly and effortlessly, as if she�s been doing it for years. I worked on keeping my shoulders back, my thighs turned in, my elbows at my side, and, most importantly, my hips and lumbar back relaxed and flexible. Now that�s a real challenge! When I first arrived at Des�, Glenco Gal, who was occupying the paddock next to the yard, started going crazy and got her front legs stuck between the wooden fence and the wire that runs the length of each side. Des had to come out and cut the wire so he could set her free. While this commotion was being attended to, Flossie wandered up to the yard to be ridden: She didn�t wait for me to come and get her as she usually does! Des had to move Glenco Gal to the paddock across the way. I was sorry about the fence especially since it was our car that spooked the animal and caused it to panic. Why she did that is unusual; she�s never done it before. Flossie�s become much friendlier with me when I�m in the paddock with her and Bambi. She used to pin her ears and show me her rear, but that hasn�t happened for a while now. I�m not even sure when that behavior stopped, but I�ve been noticing this change for a while. Bambi looks as if she�s just waiting for a rainstorm to have her foal; I noticed she was waxing today. We�re supposed to have a thunderstorm on Thursday, and even though, according to Des, she�s not due until later this month, I told Norm I wouldn�t be surprised if she foals this Thursday. |
| FLOSSIE'S 68th LESSON I led Flossie out of the yard on foot again, but this time she followed without a hitch. She didn�t show any signs of resistance so I think I�ll try riding her out of the yard again starting next week. Our ride together was a dream. An absolute dream. I was so balanced that when she spooked suddenly, I moved with her as if I were a part of her back. I�ve been working on keeping my thighs turned in and my elbows against my sides. It�s unbelievable how much proper equitation helps. All her gaits were steady, smooth, and slow for most of the ride. Near the end she started to go faster and faster for some reason. We worked on all her gaits as well as circling. She circles better to the left than to the right, so we worked on circling to the right a lot of the time. Flossie�s new bridle fits everywhere except the throat latch; it�s too short. While I was riding her today I marvelled at how readily she takes the bit, arches her neck, flexes, and goes in a nice, happy collected way. I thought she must look elegant to an observer. I felt like those photos you see in fancy horse magazines of dressage riders working suppled, well-trained horses. I was able to talk to Des today. I told him about the gall Flossie�s developing under the buckle on her halter so he asked me to take it off her. Then he said something I was not expecting; he said, in his words, �Flossie looks great under saddle. I was watching you ride her today and she goes in a very elegant manner. She would win ribbons at the show ground. It�s too bad I sold my float.� I almost fell over when I heard those words. I thanked him for telling me that. I told him how I always wonder what she looks like to an observer because all I can see is what�s in front of me. I told him it�s the new bit I have on her that arches her neck so nicely and that even if she can�t be shown I was thankful to know that�s how she looks. It made me feel good to hear Des say that because I�m the one responsible for the way she goes under saddle. No one else rides her except me. It�s so good to get feedback, and what a compliment too! I had forgotten to mention how much Flossie has grown since March, but I did mention the muscles she�s developed since I�ve been riding her every week. Des had to admit Flossie is a nice-looking mare with an even nicer disposition and I couldn�t argue that. By-the-way, Flossie is now, officially, six years old. Happy Birthday, FLOSSIE! |
| My ride on Flossie was a dream this morning. A real pleasure! When I first arrived, Gary's stable hand was already there getting Magic Harry ready for some exercise on the track. He hooked him up to that old red car that's always parked alongside the track in one spot or another and had him trotting via a rope he had connected to the car door. In the meantime, after I groomed and tacked Flossie in the yard, I led her on foot to the paddock before mounting. She didn't want to leave the yard so I knew she would have resisted if I had tried to ride her out. Right after mounting, instead of asking her to walk, I just had her stand for me. I waited until I knew she was good and tired of waiting around. When I nudged her gently with my calves, she was more than happy to move out for me. She was so willing to please! Her gaits were slow, even, collected. I don't have to work on slowing her down with this bit; she just picks it up and goes on her own at a perfect speed. It's so easy! She gave me the smoothest gaits. I worked on my seat and all 'the accessories' that go along with it and did pretty well most of the time. Flossie balked at the same spot by the road where she gives me trouble periodically, but I just handled it the way I always do and we were back in business again in no time. By the time I started riding, Magic Harry was done with his exercise and the little bay mare, I found out her name is Glenco Gal, was taking her turn. For a while we followed her but the car broke down so it was left on the side of the track as usual while Glenco Gal had her time cut in half. Flossie spooked at the handler when he walked back on foot to the car to see if he could move it off the track. She jumped but immediately came down and continued working for me. She was so focused on me even when the horses were being worked by the side of the red car that I was so proud of her! When it came to the canter, I was having difficulty getting her to pick it up at first, but I discovered it was my fault. As soon as I made the correction, she picked the canter up immediately. When we were done, she was given a handful of hay by the fellow who was working Gary's horses (I wish I had gotten his name). I had to keep her away from it, though, until she got her walk around the track so I could cool her out. She was good about waiting; I was surprised. Of course it was there for her when she got back along with all the carrots I showered her with. I pulled her mane again; that makes three times this year now. I didn't want to leave her. I truly feel she is my very own horse. |
| FLOSSIE'S 66th LESSON Flossie didn�t want to leave the yard again when I went to ride her this morning. I�m wondering if she�s getting bored with her weekly routine. I thought perhaps I should vary our habits so I always have her guessing by tacking her up in the paddock for a change, or by starting her off somewhere outside of the yard. Maybe if I have some kind of challenge for her as soon as I mount, it would give her something else to think about, or if I should go down to Des� sometimes just to groom her and give her carrots without doing any riding, just for a change of pace. When I actually ride her, Flossie is a dream. She�s cooperative and gives me her all. I was working on my equitation today; keeping my elbows at my sides, not reaching for the reins, keeping my head still, and my back straight and tall, and my shoulders back. I also worked on my hand position on the reins; thumbs up, little fingers tucked inside my palms, and I worked on relaxing my body from the waist down. The results were phenomenal! Flossie went with a perfect arch in her neck; she went on the bit and collected, keeping a slow, steady pace, no matter the gait. She was awesome. Of course neither of us are perfect. I�m still working on her circles and her transitions. She felt like trotting today; she wanted to trot nearly all the time. That is usually not a problem, but I�ll be honest with you; I have a hard time riding her trot. Whether I�m trying to sit it, or to post it, her legs shoot me up into the air and I swear I cannot stay with her. I hold on to the saddle in order to keep my hands low on her mouth and in order to keep myself from banging every time my body comes down to meet the saddle. She thinks it�s great; her mouth doesn�t get jerked around, and her sensitive back is spared a beating. However, I�m not learning anything! I need to be put on a lunge line so I can work on my balance. Anyway, I�m hoping for a brainstorm in regard to Flossie�s balking in the yard and my lack of trotting ability. Oh, I discovered a soft, movable lump on Flossie between her chin and her throat. It�s exactly where the buckle on her halter meets her flesh. I don�t know if that has anything to do with it, but it�s something I never noticed before. Perhaps it�s just a mosquito bite?! I�ll keep an eye on it. |
| FLOSSIE'S 65th LESSON I had the best ride ever this morning on Flossie! We were one; in harmony; slow, steady, rhythmical. My seat was part of her back; my legs, her sides; my hands were directly connected to her mouth. I�m telling you, it was incredible. I felt as though we were in the show ring winning all the ribbons. We cantered all the way around the track! Every gait was slow and in balance. My seat was impeccable, as were my hands and my legs. I�ve never ridden so well in my life. Everything was perfect. Our ride started out much less than perfect, however. In fact, it was so bad I didn�t think Flossie had a ride in her today. I thought she must be sore even though I checked her from top to bottom before saddling her up. When I mounted, she refused to move a muscle. Simply refused. I thought she must be in terrible pain or something; it�s not like her to be disobedient in the yard. No matter what I did, I could not convince her to take a step. So I dismounted and checked her again to see if she was sore. Convinced she was as sound as I am, I mounted again. Still, she refused. I got off again and led her over to the track, facing the direction I wanted her to go. Then I mounted. This time she took a few steps backward. Good. I let her go; at least she was moving. When she stopped going backwards, I took the crop and spanked her harder than I have ever had to spank her before and yelled, �Come on, get up there!� Cautiously, and albeit reluctantly, she finally did as she was told. When we got past Des� house, she spooked at a magpie and then suddenly it clicked. She was afraid of being swooped by the maggie! That�s what the refusal was all about! Once I got her past the bird, she was fine, although she was a bit worried every time we passed the tree where the bird lives. I also found out what was causing her to shoot forward on Friday when I was walking her in hand to cool her out. There�s another bird she watches out for near the road. And, another one in another area where she tends to go sideways, as if trying to avoid something. Now I know what that behavior has been all about. The birds are scaring my horse! Anyway, as I mentioned, once I got her attention, Flossie was a star; a real star! She was so willing to please and since I rode so well, I helped make it easy for her. We worked together. As I told Normie, the two of us were one! We moved as one being. Every rider�s dream! Oh, and it was windy today too. Flossie didn�t even seem to notice. I measured her with a tape measure and according to my calculations, Flossie is sixty-six inches from hoof to withers, or, in horse language, 16 �� hands tall! |
| FLOSSIE'S 64th LESSON I had an easy-going ride on Flossie this morning. Her pace felt a bit off for some reason and I couldn�t figure it out. She�s not lame; her legs are cool and she stood on all four without favoring one and she walked, trotted, and cantered fine. I thought maybe I wasn�t sitting well in the saddle and maybe that�s what was throwing her off. We didn�t work on anything in particular; we just enjoyed our time together. Des has two other horses on his property now and I�m wondering if they aren�t Gary�s horses come back to �haunt� him. Des said Gary has had his horses on his property off and on for years. One of them kept getting in our way when I was riding along near Des� house and I had to shout at him to move him away. It wasn�t until I was walking Flossie on foot around the track to cool her out, though, when the gelding really started to cause problems. Flossie did not want him with us, but he insisted. He tagged along behind us most of the time, but at one point for some reason Flossie thought she had had enough and started running forward suddenly as we came around the track near the road. Of course that set the gelding off and he ran down the track and off into the paddock. He came back again, though, so Flossie did it again. I don�t know what she was trying to accomplish because she didn�t accomplish anything. Later, I ended up taking Flossie�s carrots to her while she grazed alone in the small paddock. Since the other two horses herded her out of the yard, in order to get away from them, she put herself in isolation. I measured her and discovered she�s grown since March. She was fifteen hands but she�s now seventeen hands. She used to weigh a thousand pounds, but she now weighs 1100. (I�m guessing here because I don�t know what 500 kgs equates to). She looks really good; you can�t see one rib on her and she�s muscled up in all the right places with a nice layer of fat, and not too much of it, either. While I was waiting for Normie, I sat down in the shade under a big tree in the middle of the little paddock. Flossie wandered over to me and put her nose in my ear and sniffed and sniffed. I was hoping she�d do it forever, but of course that would have been impossible. Eventually she got bored being on her own and suddenly just took off, slipping under the wire and trotting out towards her pals, ending with a canter as she neared the dam. I could see full well she�s not lame, which made me wonder again why she felt off when I was riding her. Of course I didn�t neglect Magic Harry who�s still in his own little paddock. I gave him his handful of carrots and he chomped away at them gratefully. The other horse that�s on the property is living in another paddock which has a nice shed so he can come in and out of the weather as he pleases. He�s a beautiful horse with a shiny copper coat, alert eyes and ears, and a handsome, intelligent face. I gave him some carrots today, too. In fact, the only one who didn�t get any carrots was �trouble-maker� and that�s only because when Flossie and Bambi were getting theirs, he didn�t show any interest whatsoever. |
| FLOSSIE'S 63rd LESSON What a perfect day to ride on a perfect horse! Flossie was feeling good today, but you know I�ve discovered what gets her so excited some days. There�s a paddock nearby which runs adjacent to Des� property, where the two horses were grazing last week, that�s constantly undergoing construction. Many times when I�m riding, there are big work trucks, cars with flashing lights on their tops, engines going, vehicles moving, etc in that area. There were a few days in the past when I thought it was the wind that was stirring Flossie up, but now when I think back, I remember the commotion that was going on in that paddock. As trees get cut down and we can see better through the tall field grass, it�s easier to see what�s causing all the commotion. Flossie is only too aware of it. Today was no different. Now that I know what the situation is, though, I know what I�m dealing with. Because she was so excited, Flossie didn�t want to do anything slowly. Every gait had to be done at top speed, so you can imagine I had my work cut out for me. I had her pace around the track three times before I could bring her down to a nice speed. Then, and only then, did I attempt to get a canter out of her. Although she gave me a quicker canter than usual, it was a nice one, nevertheless. Oh, and did I mention I love my new bit? I�m working on different ways to communicate what I want through the bit depending upon where I hold the reins, etc. It�s like a telephone line which Flossie and I share a private connection. Once I warmed up, I rode extremely well, which made the bit even more powerful in my hands. I say powerful, but I don�t have to be powerful with this bit; it�s amazing. Flossie�s getting fat, but Des said he doesn�t feed her anything; not even hay. All she gets is the grass she grazes on in the paddock. Even Bambi gets fat on this grass, but not Magic Harry. He�s gotten so skinny since he�s been in their paddock, that Gary has him in a yard all to himself now. I found that out from Des while we chatted mid-ride this morning. He was shaking out a sheet over the rail of his veranda when Flossie and I were coming along at a walk. He didn�t see us, but Flossie saw him! I was cooling her out after three good runs around the track, so I had her on a loose rein when she freaked out. I didn�t see Des there, either, until he said something. Once I had the mare facing him, I assured him it was okay to shake the sheet out. He was reluctant, but went ahead and did it. As long as the mare can see what�s what, she�s okay; she�s that level-headed, but when you start shaking things around her unexpectedly and without warning, well, it�s enough to make anyone freak out! I rode Flossie longer than usual, since she�s gotten stronger both physically and mentally in the past few months. She didn�t get bored with me after an hour as she will sometimes, so I worked on her canter. I didn�t do circles this time because I sacrificed work on the canter last week, so I sacrificed the circles this time. I�m learning how to ride everything she throws at me; both with my seat and with my hands. She�s starting to respond to me in ways that she never did before. I felt my time was cut short with Flossie this morning. I had just given out the carrots to Flossie and Bambi, and, not to neglect Harry, I walked a handful of carrots over to him as well. During my ride the gelding would neigh over the yard and now and then Bambi would answer him. It was really neat. But as soon as the critters had their last carrot, Normie arrived and I didn�t get to spend time in the paddock with the girls as I had planned to do. They were still in the yard, hanging around the fence when I pulled away. It broke my heart to watch Flossie standing there watching me leave. Anyway, I told Normie I want to ride again some other day later this week and so we�ve made plans for Friday. Weather-wise, it�s supposed to be nice every day this week, so I hope that doesn�t change. By-the-way, although my voice isn�t back to normal yet, it was much easier to talk today and I could even manage some volume, so my cold wasn�t an issue with Flossie. |
| FLOSSIE'S 62nd LESSON Flossie and I had so much fun riding today I didn�t even mind that she was mediocre. I did some beautiful riding, however, in spite of it. We had a great time together. We both love her new bit. She was mouthing it today while we were doing circles, so I knew she was thinking hard about what she was doing. I looked down to see if her mouth was wet and was delighted to see that it was; on both sides. During our ride Flossie suddenly became interested in the paddock that runs parallel to hers. I had to look to see what she was so enthralled with and was delighted to see a couple of horses in weeds up to their eyeballs trying to see what we were doing through the tall grass. When I was done riding, I didn�t want to get out of the saddle. In fact, I stayed in it far longer than usual, but even on foot, I enjoyed her company, as well as the company of Bambi and Magic Harry. I love being in the paddock with them. When I�m done riding and everybody�s been carroted, they usually wander off into the paddock together. Sometimes I go with them and sit down in the closest shade available to me. If I lug my camera along, sometimes I take photos too. Every now and then one of them will wander over to me and sniff my shoulders or my ears before moseying along again. I had my camera with me today so I took some photos of Bambi. Since she�s going to have a foal in November, she�s extremely wide. In fact, she�s so wide, her appearance defies description. You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words! If I remember, I�ll attach a couple photos of her so you can see for yourself. |
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