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My lessons with Flossie, a roan Standardbred mare |
| This is an on-going diary or autobiography |
| FLOSSIE'S 197th LESSON Norm had planned to sleep in this morning since he had the morning off, the only one he’ll have for a long time now, but he only slept in for about a half hour longer than usual, so I wasn’t too late in getting to Des’ after all as I had first thought I would be. I had his entire place totally to myself! Billy had to work this morning, so after feeding his horses, he left, stating that he’d be coming back in the afternoon to work them. He was just about the only person I saw all morning. Sharon, a friend of Gary’s, was down after my ride, briefly, to feed their horses, but she was there only long enough for us to say hello to each other. Oh, when I was riding, there was a guy on the new road that’s just going in next to Des’ track. We said a few words to each other, so I guess he counts, too. That took place towards the middle of my ride. I didn’t walk Flossie around the track on foot before I mounted, as I had been doing in the recent past, so when she stopped near the road, I got off and led her back and forth along the fence. Once we got that out of the way, I got back on and I worked her at a good clip three times around at a brisk trot and then, later, at an equally brisk canter. I was able to work her in both directions that way. It was while we were in the middle of a nice working trot when we spied the guy I mentioned before, on the road. He had two medium-sized dogs with him, and was crouched down, holding them back, and talking quietly to them. Flossie knew they were there, but she kept trotting past, anyway, as if they were nothing unusual. However, the second time around the guy had moved to another location and was no longer in a crouched position. Flossie stopped dead and after doing everything I could to get her going, to no avail, I dismounted and walked her past the guy. Then I got on again and she never stopped again. Later, I took her to the corner where I like to circle her. Everything was going well until a dog popped out of nowhere and started running alongside the fence where the old barn is next to Des’ property, barking at us with every stride. It was one of the dogs I had seen with the guy whom I had seen earlier. I waved my crop in the air at him and yelled, “Get out of here! Go, get!” The dog turned and bolted, running up the street and out of sight as fast as its medium-lengthed legs would allow him, as if he had just seen a ticket to Viet Nam with his name on it. After a few more laps around the circle, the guy came up to the fence to apologize for his dog’s behavior. I told him how I yelled at the dog and scared if off and that it didn’t worry me. He assured me the dog wouldn’t have bitten me, or Flossie, and again I told him I wasn’t worried about it. It certainly didn’t worry Flossie. She never reacted to the dog at all. She was more concerned about the guy than she was about the over-rambunctious dog. Anyway, the dog didn’t bother me in the least. I took the experience as part of Flossie’s training and let it go at that. If she had been a young horse, just starting out, it might have been an entirely different story. I put some dressing on Flossie’s front feet only today because they’re getting dry. When I was done grooming and everyone had their fair share of the carrots I had brought down with me, Flossie meandered over to the pony and stuck the entire length of her neck into his pen. She started ‘vacuuming’ up the bits and pieces of hay and oats that were disseminated around the ground near its feed trough. Obviously Pat didn’t have the electric strip turned on. It’s too bad, because when the pony got in the way of Flossie’s ‘hose’, she promptly bit him on the butt. The track was in marvelous shape today. The area in the bend by the rail road track had just a trickle of mud in just one tiny spot. Everything else was dry, dry, dry. Too bad it’s going to rain tonight, and then tomorrow, which is Tuesday, then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, too. The sky is already starting to cloud up with that blurry, water color look that always means rain. Oh well, nothing gold, including sunny weather, and dry tracks, can stay. |
| FLOSSIE'S 196th LESSON As soon as I arrived at Des’ I could see why no one was working their horses. Usually between 7:30 and 8:00 o’clock either Billy is just finishing up or Gary is just starting, but because of the condition of the track, Des told them it was best if they went somewhere else to work their horses this morning. Pat was already getting ready to leave, loading his horse in his trailer as I got out of the car. I spoke with Des before I tacked Flossie up, but he didn’t seem too concerned about my riding. I told him I’d avoid the mud, so, that’s how I started out. I mounted and walked Flossie one lap around the track, trudging slowly through the mud in both spots, by the road and in the bend by the rail road track, where it’s always muddy, then I picked up a trot, and, later, a canter, allowing her to run only where it was dry. After about ten minutes of this, I turned her around and just as I was about to start working her to the left, lo and behold, who should come trotting up the track with his horse and gig? Pat! I watched his horse trot through the mud like it was nothing, so I decided to work Flossie through it at a trot and canter, myself, just as I did on Friday last week. Flossie was very happy to utilise the entire track, for she had been getting annoyed by having to come down off a nice working gait just to a walk each time we got to the mud. I also worked Flossie in the corner, circling at a trot and then at a canter. We started to the right and she went nice and slow at the canter for the first few laps around and then she started to get bronky. Too much fun, I guess, and still full of energy. I worked her to the left and got another nice canter out her, then brought her down to a slower gait and practiced tugging on the inside rein and using my inside leg on her at the same time to keep her on the rail. I made the tug brief and used my leg simultaneously, releasing the pressure on the rein and with my leg at the same time, so instead of gripping with my leg and then gripping even harder, I applied pressure for only a moment, let go, then applied it again as necessary. It was good practice for me since I tend to overdo the use of my leg in that direction. I got a nice response after a while so I ended the lesson then and there. Later, I asked Des about Pat coming back to use his track and he said the track at the other place up the road was just as bad, so he figured he may as well turn around and come back. Gary came down later, too, and worked his horses on the jogger. It was nice to see sunshine after all the cloudy weather we’ve had lately. It’s supposed to remain this way until Thursday. Because of the winter cold, I keep imagining Christmas wreaths and I keep wanting to see decorated trees through our neighbor’s windows, and red and green lights glowing on their porches at night. Cold weather will probably always mean Christmas to me no matter where I live. It was just under 50 degrees while I was riding. I had a T-shirt on with a long-sleeve shirt on over that and a winter coat on over that while I was in the saddle. Usually it gets too warm for the coat and I end up peeling it off, but not today! When I got home, it was just under 70 degrees and the neighbors behind us were in their swimming pool and I was outside hanging up the wash in my shorts. I’m not kidding. I hate to do it, but I'm going to have to leave you here. I could talk about Flossie all day long. |
| FLOSSIE'S 195th LESSON The forecast had changed overnight last night, calling for a light, moderate rain this morning, increasing to heavier rain as the day moved on, but I didn’t let the bleary skies deter me from seeing Flossie, anyway. I phoned Des and he said the guys have been working their horses and so I thought I’d take a chance. As soon as I saw Pat this morning, he couldn’t wait to let me know that he trimmed Flossie’s hooves for me the very day he had promised he would. They look so good now! The putty had stayed in place all this time, and the grooves seem to have quit moving upward. I didn’t have to do a thing with her feet today except clean them out. No dressing, no putty, nothing. As soon as I mounted, it started to rain, and Gary, with a horse pulling a gig, and I entered the track at the same time. The track was in such a muddy state, I didn’t even bother walking Flossie in hand before I mounted. I pulled her up behind Gary and I could tell right away she was feeling good. Champing at the bit, tossing her red head, she kept telling me in every horsey way possible that this was a fast track and a day made for racing. How could I disagree? We started out at such a rhythmic trot, I practiced sitting it instead of posting. The ground was so wet, it was soft, and made the ride comfortable. It was muddy by the road and in the bend near the rail road tracks where it always is, but we ploughed through it all at every gait in both directions, regardless. I figured if Gary’s horse could do it, so could we. My legs and my shirt were both covered in mud splatter and my stirrups and Flossie’s legs and belly were dressed in it. The rain was streaming down and we didn’t care. When Flossie shied, I egged her on and she didn’t fight me. It was as though she, too, didn’t want to be bothered by anything else, and just wanted to concentrate solely on the task at hand. It was cold, it was wet, and it was the most fun I’ve had on horseback in a long, long time. Flossie thought she was in competition with the horse harnessed to Gary’s gig, so I had to pull her back in order to keep her from running up on him. Des was standing by the fence and I yelled to him as we virtually flew past him, “Boy she’s feeling good!” Gary dropped his phone on the track right where it could get trampled, and both it and the case were instantly covered in mud. He turned around and shouted, pointing them out to me. I pulled Flossie down in mid-flight and dismounted, picked up the paraphernalia, stuck it securely in my shirt pocket and buttoned it up, then mounted, and picked up a fast pace again as if there had never been a pause. When Gary left the track, I rode around at every gait in the opposite direction. Flossie was so sure-footed, I didn’t have to worry about the mud, and I had total control even at the canter. I would have photographed the triumphant feeling I had if I could and framed it for the wall . . . it would have made a glorious scene! Someone finally mowed the lawn in the corner where I like to circle Flossie, so I had her canter for me. She went in both directions at a perfect pace. She still tends to fall in going to the left, but I was able to keep her out of the center. The rain stopped the moment I dismounted. It took me forever to get all the mud off Flossie and a lot of it I had to just leave on her. I didn’t see the point in spending a lot of time on it since it’s going to continue to rain today and tomorrow morning, anyway. I gave Des another bag of golden Sweet Corn balls. He said he’s been trying to find them at the grocery store so I told him he has to get them at the Asian Grocer in Beenleigh. I also gave him a can of cracker peanuts and a bottle of basil seed and honey drink. The peanuts and the drink are both new to him and I told him to let me know how he likes them. Pat has an electric strip around the pen where he keeps his pony so Flossie doesn’t hang around him much anymore. I’m so glad I took the chance to ride today in spite of the weather. It seemed it had been a million squillion bob-a-lillian years since I had ridden last, and the rain sure didn’t put a damper on my fun. I hope you enjoyed reading about my ride today, if not as much as I enjoyed doing it, then at least nearly as much. |
| FLOSSIE'S 194th LESSON Pat finished all the paddocks he was working on and was finally able to bring his horses down to Des’ and now Flossie has a new friend. Pat has a Shetland pony which he’s penned in an area next to the fence that runs along the railroad track and Flossie has adopted this tiny little animal for her own. She will not go anywhere; she hangs right outside his pen. When I arrived to ride her today, she ambled away from the pony and over to the gate to greet me. (The pen is only a few steps from the gate). It was nice not having to go out into the paddock to round her up for a change. Gary put some cracker dust down on the track where it’s the muddiest, just as you come to the first bend near the rail road track, leaving the yard going left, a bit down from where the pony is penned. Now, even though it’s still wet in that area, the traction is great, even at a canter. I can walk through it, too, without getting my boots muddy. Just as I led Flossie out of the yard, Billy left the track with his horses, so I had the entire place to myself! I walked Flossie in hand around that first muddy bend in the track, and over towards the road. It wasn’t muddy there at all, which was nice to see. I found a great place to mount that doesn’t rely on truck tires in the muddy ground, either. As the track comes around the second bend, going left, just as it reaches the road, the bank is naturally higher on the outside of the turn than it is on the main part of the track, so I stood on this higher area to mount, and wouldn’t you know, just as I got myself settled into the saddle, the bulldozers arrived to work on the road. What terrible luck. However, as it turned out, Flossie didn’t bat an eye. Once I was in the saddle, she never balked with me today at all. It’s as if she had remembered the wailing out she got last week and didn’t want any part of it today. She trotted right past the machines, even cantered past them, in both directions. She was feeling full of the devil today and wanted to sprout wings and fly around that track with a vengeance, so I let her go for the first fifteen minutes. She just held that bit and chugged along like a steam engine. Sometimes I like to pretend I’m a jockey on the racetrack, trying to keep my mare ahead of the rest. After she worked hard in both directions, I cooled her out for the next fifteen minutes. I walked her around the dam, took her to the circle in the corner and had her walk around it a few times in both directions, even though the bulldozer was right next to us and the men who were working on the road were yelling to each other, and banging on the machine, “Stop! That’s far enough!” Usually people have the ability to unnerve Flossie, but not today. We stopped to watch them for a while, as a matter-of-fact, right there next to the road! Someone had mowed Des’ paddock, but for some reason they skipped that corner, unfortunately, or I would have worked Flossie there at a trot and a canter since she was being so obedient. After she had cooled out, I worked her lightly in the arena, doing some pacing, trotting, and even some slow cantering. We did figure eights, circles, and just some work along the ‘wall’. I forgot to take a bottle of hot water for Flossie’s sweaty back, so I made sure she was totally dry before I took her saddle off. Then I rubbed on her with a towel where the saddle goes, and then threw another, larger towel over her after that. I kept the towel in place while I cooled her out in hand around the track. None of this was necessary, but I like to do it, anyway, just to be on the safe side. Pat told me Des wasn’t feeling well yesterday, but he seems to be doing okay today. I didn’t see him, so I can’t say. He had his curtains drawn on both his front windows, which was unusual. Pat also told me that he’s going to trim Flossie’s hooves for me either today or tomorrow. I asked him what he charges for that and he just shook his head and said not to worry. I asked him what he thought of the grooves on her front hooves and he said it wasn’t serious. I told him that I’ve been using wood putty and super glue on them to keep the grooves from getting any bigger. Speaking of the grooves, I had to touch-up one hoof with a bit more putty, but the other was okay so I left it the way it was. The hooves are growing again so I didn’t bother to use dressing on them today. Billy came down a second time to put a roof over the stall where he keeps one of his horses because rain is back in the forecast for the rest of the week. It’s starting to spit now this very moment even as we speak. |
| FLOSSIE'S 193rd LESSON It was so peaceful at Des’ when we pulled in this morning. The dirty ground was damp, the grass was white with dew, and there was still some mud on the track around the first bend going to the left from the yard, near the Rail Road tracks, and some near the road, too, but not as much. We could canter over the mud there, whereas near the Rail Road track, we could only either walk or trot. Just as I was ready to mount Flossie, Gary arrived to work his horses on the jogger. I wanted to be in the saddle before he started on the track, so I walked Flossie in hand as I always do, and mounted her by the road in the usual spot. Now that the track has been graded and dragged, it is no longer uneven by the road so I don’t have a natural ‘mounting block’ to rely on any more. I used to have Flossie stand in a deep tire track when I mounted her there. Oh well, I’d rather have the ground smooth, so I forced myself all the way up and into the saddle straight from the ground. That’s quite a way up, and quite a stretch! I had Flossie trotting around the first bend to the left, but when we got up to the area where Gary was hitching up his horses, she stopped dead and refused to go forward. I had to get after her with my crop, hitting the saddle and my boot to make a lot of noise and commotion. I had to use it on her bottom, though, when I circled her. She’d take a step or two then quit on me until, eventually, I had to swing the crop over her neck, back and forth, so it could make contact on one shoulder and then the other. This did the trick. By this time we were on the grass, heading towards the ‘arena’, and Gary had just made one lap around the track with his horses in tow. I worked Flossie in the ‘arena’ for a good twenty minutes. She was feeling good and as time went on she was having more and more difficulty containing her energy. I still managed to get a nice slow canter out of her, though, while in the ‘arena’, and also in the paddock when we were done working in the ‘arena’ and I asked her to head for the track. When we arrived there, I pulled her down to a trot. She went fine until we reached the spot where she had refused to go past earlier, but I was ready for her and encouraged her on with my legs and seat, and by telling her to “Keep going” with my voice. She never refused again after that. I took her off the track to go around the mud, and as we neared the track, we let Gary go by, then I pulled Flossie in behind him. He had his horses trotting, but Flossie went into the nicest canter any horse could ever do. It was slow, controlled, exquisite, and with lots of up and down movement. We went all around the track like that, following Gary and his horses, at a safe distance behind them. I was amazed at how slowly and expertly Flossie was able to pull off such a nice canter while the horses ahead of us were only trotting! She was so light on my hands and smooth as the water in a windless pond. I had her circle in the tall grass in the corner of the paddock where we used to work all the time before it got too long, but only at a walk because it’s so hard to see my footing. Flossie seemed to remember the area and didn’t mind walking there. It used to be her very favorite spot for circling. Des had all kinds of equipment lying around his property, so I had Flossie walk up to them one at a time and give them all a good sniff. That’s the best way to keep her from shying from them. I treated only one front hoof with putty and glue today, the other didn’t seem to need it. I didn’t bother with the dressing, either, since all her feet seem to be pretty trim. The weather is supposed to remain cold, but dry, sunny and bright, all week and into the weekend. Whether it does or not remains to be seen, but at least it’s nice to see sunny images for a change when I check the weather on the Internet. Now it’s time to get ready for supper, so I’m going to leave you here and say have a good one. As for me, I’ll be reliving that beautifully executed canter I just experienced on Flossie this morning, probably well into the night as I approach dreamland and beyond. |
| FLOSSIE'S 192nd LESSON The grader arrived at Des’ at the same time I did this morning. I was going to wait until he had finished working on the track before riding, but Des told me to go ahead and ride on the grass. He said it would take the man at least two hours to finish. I wouldn’t have minded the wait, but I also didn’t mind riding right away, either. I knew it would be a challenge with the machine working away along the edges of the paddock, but I was up for it and so was Flossie. After tacking her up, I walked Flossie in hand around the arena to get her used to the environment where I would be riding her. When I mounted, and took her through her paces, she was as good as gold. She didn’t mind the vehicle working on the muddy areas near the road, nor in the area near the Rail Road track, she just accepted all the commotion even when Pat and Gary walked through the paddock to watch the progress taking place on the track. She did balk occasionally, however, when the grader clanged and beeped while it changed locations, or if she thought I was asking her to get too close. I had her cantering on the track in both directions between the two muddy spots upon which the grader was concentrating the entire time I was in the saddle. She needed to let off steam because she was feeling good, for one thing, and she had a lot of energy, and riding in the arena takes a lot of focusing and deliberation, especially in the corners. It was too damp to canter in circles on the grass, but the track was just right. I had her at a nice speed, regardless of the direction we were traveling. She was very obedient, until we got too close to the area where the machine was working, then she wanted to put on the brakes. When the grader was finished with the muddy area near the road, I dismounted and walked Flossie along the track where it had been since the ground was passable by then. She didn’t want to go, but I persuaded her to follow me, anyway. Then I mounted and rode her along that area while the machine continued to work on the other muddy spot near the Rail Road track. I stayed in the saddle longer than I normally do, but I had her standing for longer periods of time, too. For one thing, one of Des’ friends from Jimboomba wandered by as I was riding in the paddock and we stopped to have a chat. Bambi even sauntered over for a pat and the man was happy to oblige. He asked me what kind of riding I do, Western or dressage, and I told him at the moment I’m just working on getting Flossie used to all the commotion in her environment. It’s been a long time since I’ve focused on what kind of riding I’m doing at any given time. I only had to touch-up Flossie’s left front hoof with putty since the other was okay. Usually, it’s the right hoof that needs the attention. I also put some dressing on her front hooves only since they seem to wear more than her hind feet. I accidentally went over the putty I had just applied. I had meant to avoid it. Oh well, it’s happened before and it didn’t seem to make any difference. Pat finished putting the new fences up for his horses. He just needs to get the gates done now. His horses will be arriving on Wednesday or Thursday this week. I have a feeling I’ll be working around trotters all winter, what with three boarders now. Although they start early, they work later in the morning during the winter months because of the cold and the dark. We’ll all be on top of each other once Pat starts working his trotters, too. I don’t see how it can be avoided. I gave Des a small bag of Regal’s Golden Sweet Corn. It’s a ball-shaped snack, like cheese balls, but tastes just like corn-on-the-cob. I purchased the bag at an Asian grocery store. I hope he likes them. I also gave him a bottle of lemon, lime and soda because I know it’s his favorite. Rain is coming Wednesday and Thursday, but for the sake of the track, I hope it stays dry for a while. Once the horses start tramping over the wet ground, it’ll be turned into mush again in no time. I think that’s why Des didn’t want me to wait for the grader to finish before I rode, and highly suggested I should ride on the grass while he worked, instead. I hope he didn’t mind my walking Flossie over the track near the road. I didn’t make any dents anywhere as I may have if I had been trotting or cantering her there. |
| FLOSSIE'S 191ST LESSON Norm starts work later on Fridays than he does on Mondays so I didn’t get to Des’ until 8:30 this morning. It usually only takes fifteen minutes to climb into the saddle after I first arrive at Des’, but today it was 9:40 by the time I got into the saddle and it was already pretty warm by then. Flossie heated up pretty fast, too, but, actually, she was already warm from running around the paddock with Bambi and Gary’s gelding, Tippy, before I even laid a hand on her. They were all worked up over billy’s truck that Gary was trying to dislodge from the mud which had accumulated on the track after all the rain we had for the past few days. Earlier, before I had arrived, Billy was dragging the track when he suddenly sunk near the rail road line and couldn’t move forward. Gary got him out, but then he, himself, got stuck in the mud near the road. The horses didn’t know which way to turn! Tails high and fanning out behind them like multi-fingered flags they pranced, knees lifted high, eyes round and wide as LPs, nostrils flaring. Back and forth they scampered, making the most out of an unexpected distraction. I think if it had only been Bambi and Flossie in the paddock together, they wouldn’t have carried on so much, but with the gelding’s influence, they dashed around like a wild herd in the face of real danger. There’s nothing more exciting to see and I enjoyed their performance while it lasted. Finally, after all the commotion, I walked up to Flossie and settled her down before putting a halter on and tacking her up. I walked her around the track, in hand, before I mounted, taking her into the trees to avoid the muddy spots. There were no major machines to contend with, but the walk did her a lot of good. I mounted in the usual spot near the road and worked her on the damp track in both directions, stopping to walk on the grass around the muddy areas when necessary. We had a good workout, and since she was so sweaty by that time, I let her dry off before circling her in the paddock. The sun had dried up all the dew by then, so the ground made for some nice footing. I had to apply more wood putty to both of Flossie’s front hooves, but they’re growing in nicely so I didn’t put any dressing on them. I told Des I’d only apply it every other week and see how it goes since she doesn’t seem to need it every single week. He thought that was a good idea, too. Des has a new boarder. His name is Pat. (Or Patty, as Des calls him. I asked him if his name was Patty and he said, no, that it was Pat, so maybe he only lets Des call him that). He was digging post holes for some fencing he’s putting up to make more paddocks for his four animals. Three are Standardbreds and the fourth is a Shetland whom he had trained to pull a buggy. He seemed quite proud about that, too. Des had told me last week that he was having more horses coming, so I wasn’t surprised to see Pat. For a man who was going to get out of the horse business two years ago, it looks like Des is in horses deeper now than ever before! Billy sold two of his horses because he couldn’t afford to feed them, but he turned around and bought anotherie! Go figure. It’s a youngster, I’m not sure if he’s two or three, but he’s a chestnut and has mule ears. I should have taken a photo of him today. If I remember, I’ll take one next week. This newbie lives in a paddock that boarders the fenceline where the Rail Road track is, directly next to the area where bulldozers and other power machines will be working shortly. He’ll have to get used to it. As it is, every time a truck goes by, he runs to the far fenceline and behaves as though he’d like to jump out of his pen. |
| FLOSSIE'S 190th LESSON We were able to squeeze my ride in before we did anything else today. Norm dropped me off at Des’, then headed on out to work. In the meantime, after packing, Norm’s son, Pete, drove his wife, Yah, and the baby to the rental car dealership where we picked them up on our way home after Norm stopped off at Des’ for me. I had to leave all my tack on Des’ property, though, because it wouldn’t fit in the car because all the suitcases and Hayden’s stroller were taking up all the room. Pete was visiting from Sydney for the week and it’s sad to see his family go. A huge yellow power machine was standing by the Rail Road tracks on the other side of the fenceline when I first started Flossie out. I walked her past, in hand, as I’ve been doing every week, to let her get used to the machine being there. Flossie walked right on by without even stopping or hesitating once. She went well at every gait in both directions on the track and she even circled in the paddock for me afterwards. When I first asked for a canter, she took off like a zebra being chased by a lion. When I asked for a canter the second time, however, I worked on collection and got her on the bit for a quarter of the way around before I brought her down. She gave me a nice up and down motion which I found delightful thanks to the work-out I do before I ride. It was a nice exercise and I was pleased she responded so well. Her environment may be noisy, but she’s learning she can trust me. I hope this trust continues when the machines start working on the road again because we’ll be surrounded by construction from every direction by then. Flossie’s hooves are looking good, I’m pleased to report. I touched-up her right front hoof with more wood putty and glue since it doesn’t seem to hold as well as the left hoof does. I was able to leave that one alone. I also put more dressing on her hooves as well. I was pleased with their overall appearance and so was Des. Billy was working his horses when I first arrived at Des’, and then when I was finishing up with my ride, Gary came down to work a couple of his. He worked four other horses earlier in the day, but since he has six horses, he had to return later to work the last two. I had never seen him work two horses on the gig before, but they went very well for him. |
| FLOSSIE'S 189th LESSON I had the best ride ever today! I mean it was absolutely astounding! I walked Flossie around the track on foot after tacking her up, as I’ve been doing lately. She balked in all the same places, but not as long or as fearfully as in the past. When I mounted, she refused to go by the men that suddenly appeared in the paddock where the old barn is. In fact, I had her trotting at the time and she took me sideways across the track when she spotted the men. I circled her on the spot, just once around, then asked her to pick up where we left off and she obeyed flawlessly. It helped that the men were no longer in sight. In the past, though, she would have refused to go on immediately, and would have preferred to wait around just in case the men came back again. It used to take a lot of convincing on my part to get her to move on again after such an interruption. She did every gait well and obediently in both directions on the track. I had her circle in the paddock and she even cantered to the left, which is normally her worst direction at the canter in a small circle. Today it was slow, rhythmical, and easy to sit, and she never once broke into a fake canter. She normally enjoys circling but today was the first time she acted like it in a long, long time. I think it’s because there weren’t any machines running today to distract her. It was a perfect day for riding, too, weather-wise. We could have gone all day at top speed and never worry about over-heating. It seems we were both in a business frame of mind, and were eager to work towards a common goal. At the very end, I had her canter down the paddock in a straight line. I kept her nice and slow and she went like a real trooper. I didn’t want to dismount. I really didn’t. I rode her down the driveway to cool out, and sat in the saddle while talking to Des in his front yard. I would have given anything to have been able to stay in that saddle! I had to put more putty in the groove on Flossie’s right front hoof. The other was fine. I also put some dressing on every hoof as I did last week. I’m hoping this will start to show that it’s doing some good soon. I had an overabundance of carrots since two different people gave me free carrots at the market yesterday. One gave me a bunch of broken carrots that he couldn’t sell and the other person was just being friendly. Norm also had some carrots for me which he had left over from one of his latest healthy cooking classes. So all those carrots, plus the normal amount I always buy every week, enabled me to treat every horse on Des’ property, including Billy’s and Gary’s, with double the amount they usually get. Just as I had finished riding, Gary came down to work Bambam. He’s doing so well! That little colt looks nice, too. In fact, Bambi and Flossie both look nice as well. So far, the change of season hasn’t affected their appearance. Oh, there was a pelican in Des’ dam this morning. I took a photo of it. If it comes out, I’ll have to show it to you. |
| FLOSSIE'S 188th LESSON Because today was a public holiday, there was a lot of commotion going on at Des’ this morning. Since he didn’t have to work, Gary was down, for one thing, trimming horses, putting dressing on their hooves. Des had a welder working on one of his gigs. He was making a lot of strange whirring and buzzing noises that were quite unusual. There were people and horses moving around all over the place and I loved every second of it. Too bad I had to leave it all behind to ride Flossie. In spite of all the noise around us, I knew I wouldn’t have a problem with Flossie. The big power machines were not around, not even near the old barn next to the track. I still walked her in hand, though, before I mounted. She kept looking for machines and listening for their clanging, chugging noises. She kept stopping and checking things out, eyes wide, her head lifted high and her neck extended. Since I had mostly all day, I gave her all the time in the world to gather up her courage, which takes less time with me on the ground beside her than it does when I’m in the saddle. I think it might be because walking her in hand is always a part of her experience with me. At the end of each and every ride, I always walk her around the track to cool out, even if she doesn’t need it. I mounted near the road, after Flossie stretched her neck at the fence and made snorting noises from her nostrils at the grass that lines the track. She wouldn’t pass the orange rubber fence that was in the paddock where the barn is located, while going to the right, so I turned her around to the left. The fence had never been there before, so I wasn’t surprised it had taken her off guard. When I asked for a canter, she flew around the track as though she were being chased by lions. We did one full lap, then I brought her down to a trot and kept her going for another lap. By the time we went to the right, she was warmed up and I was able to bend her body around the curve in the track so when she tried to jump and shy away from the rubber fence, she couldn’t fight the position I had her in. My outside leg and rein were like a closed gate and she had no choice but to continue in a bent position, moving forward. Then we worked some laps, diagonals, and circles in the arena before calling it a day. It’s been a long time since she’s worked in the arena as well as she did for me today. Once in the area that I refer to as the “shed row”, I led her down towards the yard in the front of Des’ house. That’s where the welder was working and I had to holler that I was coming by so he could stop working and wait for us to pass, which he did. Then I mounted and had her stand for the longest time. We watched a horse, in the paddock across the way, chase a cow behind a hill, and return again on the other side. There were lots of things to watch after that; a man who kept going back and forth to his truck, and a big dog that was running around it. Finally, I took her down the driveway. While standing at the apron, looking for the neighbor’s goats, Liz pulled in. Flossie gave a start and jumped, so I took her off to the side so Liz could get by. I like odd situations that happen unexpectedly around us because it’s good for her training. When it was time to walk her around the track in hand, after untacking her and washing the sweat off her back with the warm water I had brought with me from home, a power shovel started up, rattling and banging alongside the barn as it proceeded to cut down the trees on the other side of the fence. I wasn’t expecting to see any power machines since today was Labor Day, but I was mistaken. The area that was being worked is a huge forest and it’s going to take a long, long time to get all those trees down. Once the lot is vacant, it’s going to take years before the housing development that’s going in is finished. Flossie’s still on her toes around the area that went up recently, right next to the lot that’s being worked now. There’s still a lot of commotion and noise to contend with from giant trucks and huge machines even to this day, and people have been living in those houses now for at least a year or so. Flossie didn’t want to walk with me once that power machine started ripping the trees out of the ground. It took time and a lot of persistence on my part before I could persuade her that it was safe to go with me. I’m hoping all the training she’s getting out of her noisy environment will make a less fearful and more relaxed horse out of her in the long run. When it was time for carrots, neither Flossie nor Bambi wanted to approach me in their normal spots beside the fence since they were so close to the powerful tree-bully machine. I refused to go to them, however, so I stood my ground and kept calling them over to me. Bambi would take a step or two, then turn and chase Flossie away. I kept calling anyway. Flossie eventually got past Bambi’s lifted hind leg and came straight away to get her hand-out with Bambi soon following close behind. It was good to see Flossie show such courage! Not only in defiance of the machine, but of Bambi, too! The huge wads of wood putty I glued on Flossie’s hooves stayed in place all week, even after my ride today, so I applied the hoof dressing I bought recently and let them go at that. We’ll see how they look next week. Billy came down to work his horses before I went home today. I took some photos of all five of them as they trotted around behind a contraption that was attached to his truck. They looked really neat in the dust that flew up all around them. I hope the photos came out. |
| FLOSSIE'S 187th LESSON I walked Flossie around the track on foot this morning before mounting her by the road as I did last week. I didn’t think it was necessary at first, but it turns out it was a good idea after all because there were power machines working on the road near the old barn that’s located beside the track. Flossie kept stopping with her head up high and her eyes wide open every time the machines either banged, clanged, roared, or came close by. I knew if I had been riding her, she’d be balking with me. After mounting her, however, I was able to ride her all the way around the track at every gait in both directions without a hitch. I was able to utilize the paddock this morning, in spite of the dew, since it wasn’t as heavy as last week. We did some circling, figure eights, and trotting around the ‘arena’. I miss being able to circle in the corner. I can really get her to work well there, but Des hasn’t hired anyone to mow the paddock yet and I don’t want to work there until he does. I hope he gets the job done before the machines come back to work on the road again. All these wasted weeks already when I could have been using that area without having to deal with the machines. I dread the day they come back. I’m finally getting Flossie used to the idea that they aren’t around anymore. I gave Des a small packet of Rocky Road candy this morning. He was so surprised, and pleased. He said it’s been ages since he’s had the lollies and assured me he’ll certainly enjoy the treat! I had heaps and heaps of carrots for everyone today because two separate stall holders gave me free carrots at the market yesterday. One gave me four huge ones, and another gave me a full bag of broken ones. Didn’t the horses pig out today! Flossie’s hooves looked terrible today. I guess because of the dry weather, the cracks appear to be wider than ever. I put a lot of glue and wood putty in the grooves and I applied some hoof dressing as well. Des said he’d have Gary trim her hooves. I wonder. He’s said that to me before and Gary’s never done them yet. |
| MOSSY FLOSSIE I wasn’t going to take my tack to Des’ with me this morning, because of all the rain we’ve had lately, I wasn’t expecting to ride, but I thought I’d take a chance, anyway. As soon as I arrived, however, in just one glance, I could see the track was such a muddy swamp, and the grass was so soaked, I knew I wouldn’t be riding today. So, I took a carrot, Flossie’s halter and lead rope, and stomped through the tall wet grass to the middle of the big paddock where Flossie was hanging out with her pals. I picked a spot, near her, with relatively short grass, dropped the halter and rope to the ground, and sat down on them. She wandered over to me immediately, which is what I was hoping she’d do. I didn’t get up until she was close enough to give her the carrot. I spent the morning grooming Bambi and Flossie from head to toe. I pulled Flossie’s mane, which needed to be done for quite some time now, and I took all the tangles and knots out of Bambi’s mane. She loves to be groomed and I could tell she enjoyed the attention. I used the bot knife and took the eggs off Flossie’s forelegs. I also used the new brushes on Bambi that I had bought at the market not too long ago. They came in a set and I only paid $3 for the whole lot of them. They are better than the ones I’ve been using, so I might just do a switch after I wash them and use the new ones on Flossie from now on. The super glue I used last week held the wood putty in the grooves on Flossie’s hooves perfectly. I added a bit more to both hooves, anyway, just at the top of each crack to discourage any more splitting. All-in-all, though, they looked good and I was pleased with the results. I did discover that hand sanitizer takes excess glue off human fingers. I reckon as long as Flossie doesn’t run into any hand sanitizer while in her paddock, the glue will remain in place until her hooves grow back! I gave everyone carrots much to their delight. The two geldings who are in the big paddock with Bambi and Flossie now didn’t seem interested, so I didn’t bother giving any to them. Des told me the black gelding in the paddock with Flossie and Bambi is a new horse Gary just purchased. He had broken the fence and got out of the paddock last week and ran into the road. Luckily, it was the new road, which is still blocked off from the main drag, so there wasn’t any traffic for him to contend with. He followed Des’ driveway and wandered back onto the property that way. I don’t know who caught him, but at least he didn’t run away. The weather is supposed to remain dry now for a while, so by Monday, which is four days away, I’m expecting to be able to ride on the grass again. As for the track, even Des has given up on that for the time being. His horses have been using another track, in Jimboomba, owned by one of his racing friends. He said he wants to get his own track back into shape again, though, once the mud dries up. Norm bought a lobster for Des and brought it down to him when he came to pick me up. I hope he likes lobster. We really don’t know him that well. Some people, including myself, can’t eat lobster. I sure hope he’s not one of those people! |
| FLOSSIE'S 186th LESSON I felt sorry for the horses when I first arrived at Des’ because Billy had started a fire and the smoke was nauseating. It got in my lungs, my throat, and my eyes. It took an hour before it was tolerable. The ground was covered in a dew so thick you could have skated on it if it had been slippery enough, so I had to work Flossie on the track, I had no other choice. I had taken my cones with me, just in case, but as it turned out, I couldn’t use them anyway. Only Flossie and Bambi were in the big paddock. I didn’t get to find out where Gary’s horse was, or Dave’s Glenco Girl. After saddling Flossie, I took her in hand and led her around the track on foot. She’s never been ridden past the orange webbing that’s posing as a fence around the track nearest the road, so I thought I’d save myself some trouble and just lead her up to it. I was glad I did because she showed signs of unease. I kept walking her back and forth, stopping and letting her sniff the ground, for a while, just to get her accustomed to the area and to see that it wasn’t dangerous. I mounted her by having her stand in a tire track, which put her at a lower level and made it easier for me to mount. I worked her going to the right at every gait and didn’t have any problems whatsoever. The track was dry everywhere except in the bend near the Rail Road track. However, it was not too bad to trot through. I had slipped when I walked her through the mud earlier, but it appears horses hooves are designed for better traction than the human foot. At least not when they’re in a pair of riding boots. When I turned her around to go in the opposite direction, she stopped. So instead of fighting her, I dismounted and walked her over to the track nearest the road again and mounted her there as I had before. Then we went to the left at every gait without any problems. She was very steady and very light at first, but the more we went around, the stronger she became. She was enjoying the workout and I was glad I had taken the time to walk her around the track before working her. She was as relaxed and obedient as she always used to be. When I cooled her out at a walk, she wanted to stop near the Rail Road tracks, but I wouldn’t allow it. She didn’t resist. She doesn’t tend to pace much with me anymore. When she does pick up the gait, it’s only for a few strides. I practiced sitting the trot while maneuvring through the mud. It wasn’t as hard as it sometimes is, and I was pleased with my success. I walked her down the driveway and we stood at the apron watching the traffic go by before turning around and dismounting. It was a relaxing ride and very enjoyable. She was somewhat sweaty when we finished, but she wasn’t overly hot. It would have been difficult to have worked her that hard today, anyway, because it was a cool, sunny day, not hot nor cold. It was perfect for riding, actually. Absolutely perfect. And I haven’t seen one of those days in a long time! Most of the wood putty stayed in Flossie’s hooves. I still added a bit more to both hooves, anyway, though, where it seemed to be thin. There’s a crack running up the side of her left front foot, so I treated it with putty too. It’s been developing for a while and I’ve been keeping my eye on it. I tried to putty it initially, but it wouldn’t stay, so I started putting hoof dressing on it. Today I could see it needed more than that so I used the putty. I had lost my sunnies last week at Des’ place (sunglasses, to you Yanks! Ha ha). He said he didn’t see them but if Billy had run across them, he probably kept them. Oh well. I have plenty more where they came from. I’m dreading the day the power machines come back to work again, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying the reprieve and so is Flossie. |
| FLOSSIE'S 185th LESSON I could see how bad the mud on the track was at Des’ from the road this morning when I arrived to ride Flossie. It had a big, deep puddle right in the middle of it which rendered that spot totally useless. I opted to work Flossie mainly in the paddock, after discussing it with Des first. I put the cones in a big circle next to the ‘arena’ and had Flossie working around them at every gait. She kept losing the canter, though, because we haven’t been working on circles for a couple of months, so as long as she stayed on the circle and kept going, I didn’t push it. After fifteen minutes I took her to another spot and picked up the circle again, only this time, without the cones. This circle involved an incline which kept us both on our toes. We had to adjust to the slope in order to keep our rhythm flowing smoothly. We circled for another fifteen minutes, alternating directions, then I asked her to canter down the center of the paddock. This was a mistake on my part. After a half hour of disciplined work, asking for a canter without any boundaries was like letting a cat out of a bag that it had been trapped in for a week. She leapt into the air and extended her legs like a Lipizzaner in a show ring. She kicked up her hind legs, did a few crow hops, and everything else she could think of that wasn’t a canter. When she did pick up a canter, it was like a runaway freight train down a steep hill. I couldn’t let her go on like that so I stopped her and took her to the track where I could canter her with control between the muddy spots. (When we came to the spot near the road, we turned around. The mud was just too deep and there was no way to get around it). Later, I returned to the paddock, did a few circles, and then had Flossie canter nicely up the center of the paddock like the lady she is. It was frightening the way she had been carrying on, but I spent the opportunity working on my seat, keeping my spurs off her sides, not pulling back on the reins, sizing up the best way to sit the mis-matched gaits and how I could possibly turn what she was doing into the nice, controlled canter, that I so desperately wanted, so at least I got something out of it. Now I know what a temper this mare can exhibit and when it’s not a good time to ask for discipline when the discipline is beyond executing. I still had a grand ride. The power machines weren’t around, for one thing, and I was able to keep Flossie going forward even when she balked a couple of times while on the track. After my ride, I mixed super glue with the wood putty and applied it to the cracks in Flossie’s hooves. The putty I had put in last week was gone. I’m sure the super glue will keep it in place this time, in spite of the rain that’s forecasted from tomorrow until after Easter. I used gloves and stuck two fingers together, which made me glad I had the gloves on. Mixing the glue with the putty wasn’t a problem, and applying it to the hooves was easy. I just put the putty down on a block of wood, added the super glue, rubbed them together with my fingers, and then stuck the mixture into the grooves on Flossie’s front hooves. I’m learning just how much of the putty I need. Before I was either using too much or not enough. It was nice to have some sunshine around for a change. I truly picked the best day out of the week for a ride. It wasn't hot, cold, or windy. Just right. |
| FLOSSIE'S 184th LESSON I started Flossie out in the middle of the paddock with the idea of having her weave in and out of the cones I had set up when I first arrived. She walked up to them, but she refused to work, so I let her decide what to do. She started walking around in the paddock, so I took her to the ‘arena’ and asked her to trot around the perimeter. I could tell through her body language exactly what was bothering her by the way she acted while going in certain directions and working in particular areas of the arena. I had her doing circles, figure eights, and half schools before I took her to the track. I knew she was going to be reluctant to work in the spot nearest the railroad track just by the way she had clued me in while working in the ‘arena’, so I was ready for her. I had her going around the track in both directions at every gait without any problems at all. We cooled out in the shade, then I took her to the cones and I asked her to weave from both ends which she did to my satisfaction. I had to end the lesson earlier than usual because Norm was coming an hour ahead of time. Because of his Tuesday schedule, I’m just not able to have the full four hours I usually have when I’m at Des’. The putty stayed nice and tight in the groove on Flossie’s right front hoof, which is the one that needed it the most. The other had come out, so I stuffed another wad into it. I could see her hooves didn’t need any dressing today, but I’m going to carry the stuff with me from now on, regardless. When I was in the paddock, setting up the cones, Zippy decided I must have been a bogey man because he suddenly bolted. He stirred up Flossie, Bambi, and Glenco Girl, so they all raced around the bend in the track from the road up to where Gary has his geldings stabled, then promptly stopped and looked at me. Silly horses. The track was in great shape. I truly had a wonderful time. The machines weren’t running near the road, so it was as quiet as it used to be. I’m getting spoiled with those machines gone. Before long, though, I know they’ll be back with a vengeance. I am not looking forward to that. |
| FLOSSIE'S 183rd LESSON I had a wonderful ride on Flossie this morning, but it didn’t start out that way. She gave me a very hard time when I first mounted. I gathered some long tree branches that were lying around the yard and used them for ‘cavaletties’ in the middle of the paddock for her to trot over, and I put my cones down in a row in the middle of the paddock, several feet apart, for her to weave between. She didn’t want any part of anything. She even bucked and reared once. I mean really reared, she didn’t just lever a little ways off the ground, so I ‘broke my crop on her’ for that and managed to get her into a trot. I circled her and circled her until I got her close enough to the branches. Then I pointed her at them and encouraged her to trot over them. She finally realized I was asking for something, and once that clicked, she started to think. However, she still went away from the exercise in a temper. I took her to the ‘arena’ and although she was throwing her head in every direction, I got her to keep moving forward in straight lines and in circles. I finally had to yell ‘Quit it’ to get her to stop throwing her head. She stopped immediately. I truly believe horses use body language to cuss and I think she was using her head-throwing to swear at me. Later, I took her around the track only because there were no power machines working on the road today. She stopped near the dam when she came to the part of the track closest to the road. She was looking for machines. Once she realized there weren’t any around, it didn’t take a lot to convince her to keep moving forward, though. The biggest worry were the men who were working near the fence along the railroad line on the opposite side of the track. She didn’t want to go past them at all, so I had her passing them by taking her through the paddock, eventually getting closer and closer to the track where she finally went past. It seems every ride these days calls for my having to match wits with her. I always have to have something up my sleeve so we end up doing what I want us to be doing and not whatever she wants. I brought her back to the ‘cavaletties’ and weaving in and out of the cones again before I took her down the driveway to cool her out. She did them better and better with each pass and wouldn’t you know she weaves as well as Silver did around the poles at Capricorn Coast Trail Rides! She seems to not only understand the exercise, but to enjoy doing it as well. Thus, we ended on a positive note. After I had groomed her from head to tail, and all the carrots had been distributed, I took a walk off Des’ property looking for trails to ride. I went past the construction site that’s in front of Des’ driveway, but there is no safe way to ride a horse there as things are now. There’s a deep ditch just next to the fence, where the new road is going to be built. There’s no way to navigate around it on horseback. I can only imagine the commotion it’s going to cause once the machines come back and start working on the road there again. Des lives on Waterford/Tamborine Road, which is busy, noisy, and very much in use, so I took the first left, Cambogan Road, which is quieter, and decided to knock on a door or two to see if I could find someone home who could tell me where the trails are located. However, when I came to these ‘doors’, I couldn’t even get close. All the homes on that street are set well off from the road with long, long driveways, and they all have huge gates with “Beware of the Dog” signs on them. I could either see or hear the dogs, so I knew the warnings weren’t there just for the fun of it. The houses are extremely gorgeous, huge, and surrounded by acres and acres of land. I saw a few horses and even a couple of cows, but I didn’t see anyone I could talk to. Lynn may well live in one of these houses. I’d like to take a walk down the road that runs in front of the barn that’s located in the empty lot beside Des’ track, but since the road is blocked due to construction, I can’t find a way around it. That’s the road Lynn had come down that day I met her when she was on foot. How disappointing! I truly wish I had taken her phone number that day we spoke about riding trails together once her horse’s jaw is healed. I told Des everything I had done this morning with Flossie in the paddock, and what I did to find a way to get Flossie down trail. I told him we’re trapped on his property for the time being and he said, “Oh, you’ll find a way!” All I can do at this point is hope to hear from Lynn again sometime soon. Maybe she has a trailer that we can use to trailer Flossie to the trails. There are some nice strips of grassy areas along the roadsides on Cambogan Road that would be nice to ride Flossie down, even if we never found the trails, but here again, because of all the construction going on now in front of Des’ place, there’s no way to get her over to them. |
| FLOSSIE'S 182nd LESSON The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Des’ place is that the machines that are building the road next to his big paddock were not in operation. Unbelievable! What a break! The track, itself, was dry with absolutely no muddy spots. It was a dream-come-true. You might have expected Flossie to be herself because of that, right? Well, for the most part she was. Just in the beginning she kept stopping in the same places she had been stopping in the past few weeks and refusing to go. I had to holler at her to keep her moving. Mainly only in the beginning of my ride, and luckily, that’s all it took. So every time we came to the spots where she had been stopping in the last few weeks, I just yelled her ears off and used my aids to encourage her forward. I was able to work her in a way I hadn’t been able to for weeks and it was good to have her back again. I haven’t been circling, however, in quite some time because the grass is too tall and I’m not sure of the footing. Also, the machines have been running in that corner for the past few weeks and since I was having troubles keeping Flossie going around on the track, I didn’t want to push the circling. I was going to circle her in the ‘arena’ today, but I ran out of time and it was so hot by then, anyway, I felt Flossie had had enough. Des thinks Flossie’s getting tired of working on the same-old, same-old track every week, round and round over and over again but I honestly don’t think that’s the case. She tends to enjoy our work together. I truly believe she’s just sick and tired of all the commotion she has to put up with every week. It’s stressful for her. Des said the machines hadn’t been running all week and he thinks the ground’s too wet for them to work, but I don’t think that’s the case. The paddock is dry, the track is dry, I don’t see why the ground on the other side of the fence would be wet. Anyway, I can see where the next problem is going to arise once the road’s been built. Behind the old barn, next to Des’ property, some tractors and trucks were running today. I have a feeling that’s going to be the next spot under construction before long. Great. Flossie already gives that area a double look every time we go by. Especially for the first one or two laps, anyway, expecting someone to come out of the barn or to suddenly surprise her while coming around a corner. How much of this can a horse take? Health-wise, I didn’t hear one single cough or sneeze from any of the horses and I didn’t see one single snotty nose. I hope that means the virus has gone through the herd and has run its course already. I forgot to ask Des about it since it didn’t seem to be an issue. Both of Flossie’s front feet have a fissure running up the middle of the hoof. A crack ran up from the hoof to the coronet band weeks ago and has gotten broader and now you can see the under hoof that’s directly beneath the outer part that sloughs off periodically. Des says it’s normal. Flossie isn’t lame so I know it’s not hurting her, but it looks bad to me. I’ll have to get a photo of her feet next week so you can see what I’m talking about. It seemed like I had run out of carrots awfully soon today for some reason. Zippy’s been put back into his own little paddock again so he wasn’t around to get any. I have to feed Flossie, Bambi, and Glenco girl in separate areas of the yard so they don’t keep pestering each other. That’s no problem, though, because they all know the rules and are pretty good about obeying them as long as everyone’s munching at the same time. Des locked up the little room I always used to store my gear in while I’m there and for changing my clothes so I asked him if I could use the big barn now. Of course that’s not a problem, but he put a padlock on the other door so he can keep his equipment inside. He said someone has been taking things so now he’s locked them up where no one can get them. There’s nothing worse than going out to get something and then finding it’s gone. I don’t blame him, but I miss that room. |
| FLOSSIE'S 181st LESSON Flossie started out okay for me this morning, but when we got near the road, she stopped. I took her to the relatively flat area in the paddock next to the track, directly behind Des’ house, and near the yard, and “cowboyed” her back and forth, not caring what gait she picked up, just to get her excitement level up. I figured if I could get her in high gear, she’d be more likely to keep the momentum up. I did this a few times, then took her to the track and made her keep going. We did three laps at every gait this way to the right. When I turned her around, however, and walked her along the track to the left, she stopped when we came to the road. There were power machines everywhere, not to mention men on foot. She would not go by with me in the saddle, so I dismounted and walked her in hand until we had passed all the commotion. Then I mounted her and asked for a trot. She went around three laps at every gait, never stopping, even when we got to the road where all the commotion was going on. I was so pleased I was able to get her to move forward. As long as I have at least that much cooperation, it’s enough for me to work with. However, when I was cooling her out at a walk, she suddenly came to a complete stand-still just after the yard for absolutely no reason. I had had enough of this, so I gathered up all my anger, frustration, disappointment, and impatience, put it all into my voice, and rolled it up into a ball like snow, and threw it at her. She didn’t see it coming and never knew what hit her. I did not take my anger out on her with my hands, feet, seat, legs, or any other part of my body . . . I just growled and hollered and made myself sound as mean as I could. That did the trick. She took off and didn’t stop until I asked her to. I had her so worried that whenever she showed any signs of hesitation after that, all I had to do was say “Get going,” and she’d hop off into a trot and go like blue blazes. There was so much impulsion behind the gait, that I was able to practice sitting it. I usually throw her off when I do that. Not today. I sat for nearly an entire lap around the track. She is so uncomfortable! I truly felt like a trainer today. Cowboying asks for cooperation in ways I don’t normally ask and it took a lot of adjusting on my part to stay with her. It also took determination and a lot of guts to do some of the things I had to do but it was so necessary I just did it without second thoughts. I’m amazed at the ideas I come up with when I’m at my wits end. What works one day doesn’t always work the next, so I always have to have one more idea up my sleeve. After my ride, Flossie was so subdued and submissive that I was her bosom buddy. She hung on my every wish and thought I was the ruler of the paddock. I even had her walking all the way to the end of the driveway when it was time to cool her out. (If you remember, she's been finding the area too scary lately due to the power machines that are always working there now). Gary put his gelding, Zippy, out into the big paddock with Flossie, Bambi, and Glenco Girl. They all had the sense to leave us alone when we came scurrying by this morning. Zippy has just gotten over a virus. Des said another horse was coughing recently. He didn’t say which one but there’s a chance the bug will go through the herd before it’s licked. Des told me one of his gelding’s is leaving this weekend. He also told me he’s having a Blue Nurse come down to dress his wound where he had had surgery weeks ago, just like last time. He said he can take care of it himself, but his doctor thinks otherwise. I rode under a cloudy sky so it was neither hot nor sunny this morning. It was perfect, actually. Now there’s a storm blowing in, though. It’s supposed to hit sometime later today, but it looks as though we may see it sooner than later. We’re in for a wet week, so I’m glad I had the opportunity to ride this morning. Especially since it was such a rewarding one! |
| FLOSSIE'S 180th LESSON It was another nightmare ride on Flossie this morning. As soon as I mounted, all she wanted to do was back up. She would not go forward for anything in the world. I had to take her down to the track near the road and mount her there. As I was standing on the track beside her, while the bulldozers and power shovels were buzzing and shirring away on the other side of the fence, I could feel the earth vibrating under me. It was a very unnerving sensation. Not only that, but there's a pile of dirt next to the track now where the new road is being built and the stones and rocks slide down onto the track as the power vehicles work above it. It seems every week there's more commotion going on and new things happening all around. The muddy spot on the other side of the track near the Rail Road tracks has been dragged so it's now dry again. However, the vehicle that was used to drag the mud away has created deep gouges in the ground around the area. Flossie did not want to go near that spot, so, again, I had to get off and let her sniff all over the upturned soil. Eventually, I got her working to the left enough to get a few laps in around the track at a trot and a canter. However, as soon as I asked her to come down from the canter, she wouldn't budge. I don't know why I hadn't thought about this sooner, but Flossie is a very verbal mare. She knows what the word walk means, so I asked her to walk. It was like a miracle. All that kicking, swatting, pleading, squeezing, turning, spinning, backing, I had been doing earlier and all I needed to do was say one word. Unbelievable. Using the word walk, I managed to get her walking on the track to the right. We did a little bit of trotting and cantering in that direction, also, but for some reason she is no longer happy going in that direction. My time with her was up before I knew it. I didn't even have the opportunity to do circles. It's just as well, though, because it was extremely hot by then and I wouldn't have wanted to have worked her much longer anyway. My dad had phoned while I was riding but I don't carry the phone with me so I had no idea until I was done for the day. I can't make long distance calls on my mobile so I couldn't phone him back. Now I'll have to wait until late tonight, when it's his morning, or my morning tomorrow when it's mid-afternoon where he is. I hate this time difference. If it wasn't a worry, I would have phoned him as soon as I got home, but by then, it was midnight in America. Norm's been running around for hours and he's still going. He starts the day conducting a water aerobics class in Eagleby, then he does some personal training for a few clients. Now he's working with a new client. When he gets home he'll have to start getting ready for the Woodlands where he holds his weekly boot camp. However, if the storm we're in for keeps moving in as it's supposed to, that class may get canceled for tonight. As we speak the sky is growing darker. I doubt my clothes and saddle pad will have a chance to dry before the rain hits. As soon as I see the first drop, I'm out of here! |
| FLOSSIE'S 179th LESSON What a trying lesson I had with Flossie this morning! There was nothing she didn’t want to bulk at! Two areas were muddy, as I had expected them to be, and she refused to go through either one of them, and that’s just the beginning. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with passing the power shovel and the bulldozers that were happily digging away on the road next to the track. We’ve been going past them now for weeks and today, suddenly, for no apparent reason, she simply refused to go by them. Because of the ankle-deep mud that was located next to where the power machines were in full swing, I wasn’t able to use my ace card, which is walking her along the track past them. So, I tried all the other tricks I have up my sleeve and nothing worked. I tried to encourage her with my spurs and my crop, but they were useless. I used every aid as powerfully as I’m personally capable of, all to no avail. I tried circling and spinning her, still without results. Since none of the old faithful tricks did any good, I had to resort to new tactics which I’ve never had to use before, and, thankfully, they worked. First of all, once I got her moving forward, I took her entirely off the track and asked her to circle for me in the corner near the road where we always do our circling. She did that okay. A few times she bulked, but with some encouraging, I had my Flossie back. I was able to work her off the circle, back onto the track, past the power machines, and all was well. For the time being. Instead of cooperating after that as she has always done in the past, she’d only go forward for so long and then she’d be bulking at something else: The trees near the track where the Rail Road track is, the mud on the track, the paper blowing across the track, the barn next to the track, everything was something to drain her nerves. I was either dismounting to walk her past the mud, (which means I had to traverse through the tall wet weeds that line the track in that area, in order to avoid walking directly through the mud, squish-squashing with each step), or I was dismounting to pick up the paper to let her sniff it, or whatever. It was tiring. Finally, I decided to back her up. I refused to allow her to move forward. I put her butt in the direction I wanted to go, and asked her to back in that direction. She didn’t like it, but I was relentless. Finally, when I’d turn her around again, she was very happy to move forward. She went like a cat that had just been doused in water (I don’t know if you’ve ever given a cat a bath, but when you finally get their claws soaked, and their entire body submersed, their personalities change completely; they suddenly become submissive in posture and in attitude. It’s like they are totally different creatures). That’s how Flossie behaved, as if I had just thrown her and sat on her head for an hour. I also tried zigzagging her down the track, moving diagonally from one side to the other, while going forward at the same time. This also worked, so I eventually interspersed that tactic with the backing tactic. I’m hoping she learned a lot today because I plan to use those techniques again next week if I have to. That wasn’t the end of the bulking, however. I had to turn her around and back her up again and again whenever the situation called for it. Even at the end of the driveway, when I was cooling her out, I had to turn her around and back her up before turning her around again and getting her to go all the way to the street because today there were power machines working there, too, tearing the road down, putting up barriers against the passing traffic, that sort of thing, which was something different for that particular area. If you remember, this is where the water pump was working last week which had unnerved her. At least the backing worked. I was very worn out by the time I had finished my ride today. Flossie was hot, but not too bad. I managed to get her to go around the track in both directions at every gait between the mud puddles, so she did get some exercise in, just not the way I had planned. Her mouth was moist, so she was on the bit, surprise, surprise? NOT! When Norm came to get me, I was so tired I wanted to go home and lay down. However, we had some running around to do, so that was the end of that idea. I’ll tell you one thing, I’m going to sleep well tonight no question about it! |
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