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My lessons with Flossie, a roan Standardbred mare |
| This is an on-going diary or autobiography |
| FLOSSIE'S 101st LESSON Flossie was enjoying the canter so much today I didn't have the heart to slow her down. Previously, she worked well at both the trot and the pace. She balked going towards the road, but I worked her around it and before she knew what was happening, I had her going down the very stretch which she had previously refused to go down without any more refusals on her part. We also did some circling in the paddock and I think we could have continued long after I decided we had had enough, for she really enjoys the exercise. After my ride I had a nice long chat with Des. He's going to drive down to visit his daughter tomorrow and plans to stay for two days. She wants him to stay and not go back home again, but he has the horses and his cat to take care of. She has a little ensuite already furnished and waiting for the day he decides to take her up on her offer. He is planning to move in with her permanently around Christmastime. He's not sure if he's going to sell his house or rent it. If he sells, he'll lose his pension. I always thought he was divorced, but I learned today that even after eight years of separation, he and his wife are still married. He said she's a workaholic and that's what broke up the marriage. They're on good terms with each other, though; she phones him everyday and he says they get along better now since they no longer live under the same roof. She owns an antique shop and is supplying him with a bed that he'll be picking up tomorrow on his way to his daughter's house which he's going to use at her home until he moves his own bed over there. (Which is a brand new one). Up until now he's been sleeping on a mattress on the floor which makes it hard for him to do. Des mentioned he's not sure what Billy will do with his horses once he moves out. He said Gary will probably sell Blaze and his mother. Des, of course, will be selling Bambi, BamBam, and Flossie. I asked him for permission to exchange phone numbers with the person who buys Flossie just to see if I can't keep the mare in my life somehow once he's gone. Just between you and me, because of Des' recent health issues, I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to leave before December. His heart is just not in the place as it was the first time he talked about moving away. I've decided to continue numbering my lessons with Flossie since our days are numbered, now, anyway, if you know what I mean. I knew this day was coming; Des had forewarned me last year about this time. Albeit the news doesn't come as a total surprise, it still comes with a sting. While I was riding early today, Norm enjoyed a meeting with his weight reduction club. Now he's on the way out the door to attend another meeting with his Stone's Corner Toastmaster's club. Two clubs in one day! One for each hand! Well, I know it's not that funny, but at least I'm still able to joke. I'm going to end this account with a fitting poem by Robert Frost; Nothing Gold Can Stay followed by one of my own: Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. MY VERSION: A moment wrought with gold cannot be bought to hold. It starts life as a foal with spirit in her soul. When foal turns into mare time must interfere and take the mare away. Nothing gold can stay. |
| FLOSSIE'S 100th LESSON I rode Flossie an hour earlier than usual and it made a difference to her psyche. Of course everything appeared enchanted what with the heavy dew sparkling in the treetops and all over the paddock not to mention it gave the weeds that grow on the side of the hill that's located between the track and the road a bright white covering. Flossie just had to balk when she saw it. From both directions. But only on the first go-around; after that, albeit she let me know via body language she still had her eye on the spooky weeds, she went right past and the gait we were doing at the time didn't make a bit of difference to her stride. I had her doing circles in the paddock before I took her to the track. It was a nice warm-up, so by the time we were ready to run the track, I didn't have to think about where to start her up; she was ready from the start! We did some nice work at every gait. Her walk was a bit faster than it's been lately and I was glad to see that. Other than the balking, she was a dream. When I took the bridle off, I noticed her bit was slathered all over which is always a good sign! After our ride and our ubiquitous walk around the track to cool off whether she needs it or not, and after all the horses got their share of the carrots I brought along, I had a chance to talk to Des. He was walking to his car when I stopped him to say hello. He's walking so much better now! He said the doctor told him his leg is as good as new and the other leg that he was considering for surgery in another three months or so is coming good now. The doctor told him to keep an eye on it. His next appointment is in November and if the leg is still doing well, he probably won't have to have surgery after all. Des has lost some weight, too, since the last time I saw him. However, he confessed he started drinking again and according to him, he was even slimmer before that. He says he's not going to get back into the alcohol the way he used to, but that remains to be seen. The doctor told him to keep walking; that's the best thing he can do for himself, so he's been doing that. He'll even go to the mall and walk around just to keep moving. I hope he continues to walk even when the weather goes back to its hot and muggy self again once winter ends. BamBam is now eating carrots and seems to like them as much as Blaze does. He came up to me when the rest of the herd did when I was handing them out. So now I have five extra horses to feed every week! I told Des that his colt is eating carrots now and he said he'll have to start buying them for him. After Des left, I took a walk down the track and saw Blaze grazing in the tall weeds on the other side of the fence. I was hoping it was only an optical illusion, but as I got nearer I could see the colt had busted through the fence, tearing down the barrier wires as well as the barbed wire that runs along Des' property. He was standing up to his chin in ungrazed territory, enjoying his freedom, as well as the newfound groceries, and refusing to come back into the paddock no matter how much I tried to coax him. How am I ever going to get him out of there, I wondered. Des wasn't home. The colt's not halter-broke yet so I new a halter would be useless to me. If I tried to go in and get around him I knew it would have only encouraged him to move away from me, taking him further away from the paddock, and deeper into unknown territory, so I didn't want to do that. I finally decided the only way to get him to listen would be to drag his mother over. I thought maybe if he saw her he'd want to come back or she'd be able to call him back into the paddock somehow. As it turned out, Flossie was in the yard. She heard me talking to the colt and decided to come over to see what was going on. Great. This was one of my biggest fears; if all the horses came over to investigate, they'd all want to join the colt. Then I'd have five horses to deal with. So, as Flossie got closer, I tried to block her way. It didn't work; she got past me anyway. I thought for sure I would soon have two escapees on my hands. I needn't have worried, however. Flossie trotted up the track and stopped directly across from Blaze. She didn't leave the track; she just stopped dead and faced the colt. By Blaze's reaction, Flossie's presence made a giant impact on the horse. In fact it made the impact I had been trying so hard to make only moments before to no avail. The colt tried to come back into the paddock, but the top wire, which was still intact, stopped him. I went over and lifted it up for him. He ducked underneath and in very slow motion picked his feet up one at a time over the barbed wire fence that was still on the ground and came back into the paddock without a scratch. The he joined Flossie and the two of them went running off towards the dam. Now don't tell me I wasn't relieved! I tied some of the loose wires up and propped some posts against them, knowing it would give very easily if a horse moved against it, but it was the best I could do under the circumstance. When Des came back, I took him over to the fence and told him what happened. I was just glad I was there to see it and that Flossie had come by when she did. Des tried to tighten up the fence but said it'll have to wait until tomorrow before he can fix it properly. Later, when I was sitting on the ground in the paddock enjoying the nearness of the animals that I love so much, BamBam sauntered over and sniffed my head, ears, neck, for the longest time. Both colts allow me to rub them nearly all over now. I feel as though I've been accepted as just one of the herd. It's a great privilege to be an honorary horse once a week! This has gone on and on so I better drop you off here. Thanks for coming along for the ride. I appreciate your company and it did me some good to tell my story about Flossie's notable 100th (count 'em!) lesson. Aussie ya next time. I hope all your horse stories, too, have happy endings. Ooroo, |
| FLOSSIE'S 99th LESSON Flossie did so well on the track today, and we were both having so much fun, I decided to stay on the track and ditch our regular routine in the paddock and gave circling a miss for a change. I had her doing every gait in both directions at every speed. That's what we worked on; going fast and slowing down. I learned how to become a rag doll while cantering in order to get her to slow down. Then just before she'd come down to a trot, I'd ask her to accelerate again so I could work on keeping her at the speed I was comfortable with. She was so obedient! I put the cones in a line down the center of the track and had her weaving in and out around them while trotting. Then I had her circling off the track around a tree at a trot, picking up a canter once arriving on the track again. We had never done this routine before, so it was something different for both of us. This is what I was aiming for; a break in our normal routine. She was so prompt it was a real joy! To cool her out, I rode her at a walk down the driveway. We went over three quarters of the way before I had her stop and turn back. This was another first for her. I was hoping the change of scenery would get her more excited than it did, but at least she had a new experience to add to her records. I applied some hoof grease on Flossie's feet for the first time. I hope it makes a difference. With the ground being so dry, the track is a dust bowl. I'm hoping the grease acts as a hand lotion and puts some moisture back into her hooves. BamBam actually looked for carrots from me today for the first time in a long time. He only took little nibbles and because he was so slow in taking them he was lucky he got that much. It's hard to keep four horses at bay when they're all nibbling away on their treats as fast as they can so they won't miss out on more, so when there's a slow poke . . . well, you know the saying; you snooze, you loose. One of the neatest things that happened today occurred after Flossie's extensive grooming which happens every week just before she goes back out to the paddock with her mates. When she realized I was through with her, she slowly walked away and got only so far as the shade of a nearby tree and just stood there dozing, lazily gazing out at the paddock before her. It looked so inviting I thought I'd go and join her; I sat on the ground at her feet and together we lazily surveyed the paddock around us for about ten minutes before she decided she had seen enough and slowly meandered away. It was a special moment I won't soon forget. Can you believe it? The next time I ride Flossie it'll be her 100th lesson! When I came home I washed out Flossie's saddle pad in the bathtub with detergent. I had to rinse it out and wring it out by hand which was hard to do. I know I didn't get all the soap out. Maybe it'll rain on it tonight. That would help. Anyway, it was very warm for this time of the year today. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to riding in the cool autumn air. At least the temperature was rider-friendly, so I won't complain. As the season progresses, the weather will gradually get colder, so at least that's something to look forward to. I'll leave you today with this no-brainer: Any cowboy can carry a tune. The trouble comes when he tries to unload it. |
| FLOSSIE'S 98th LESSON In spite of the forecast, which was calling for showers this morning, I decided to ride anyway and I'm glad I did. The pesky rain didn't come until much later in the day and when it did come it was so isolated most backyards didn't see a drop. The ones that did, though, saw big ones! One drop was enough to wet the entire front of my jacket! Flossie was so good today I have nothing to say about our lesson together. Every gait was smooth, relaxed, and fun. We circled both on the track and in the paddock. Neither of us had any trouble. There was no spooking or balking or disobedience that I can remember. The only new thing I did was have Flossie circle around the cones I set up in a cloverleaf pattern again. I'd have her circle around one, then move on to the next. We worked in both directions. She's getting very good at working off the track now. I can remember when she used to get confused and actually disliked being asked to work on the grass. Without the track to follow, she was lost. Not any more. She'll do every gait for me in any direction I ask for now. Every now and then I like to think back on the way she used to be so I can compare how far she's come since then. During the last five minutes of our time together, while I was still seated in the saddle, I undid the girth. Then I slipped out of the saddle and let it fall to the ground. I proceeded to walk Flossie around the track to cool her out, bareback, sitting on just the saddle pad. I had never ridden her bareback before, but I knew she'd be okay with it. She gave me a nice ride since her withers are not too high and her back is comfortable. I had originally planned to get off her before mounting again without her saddle, but I couldn't find anything suitable to use as a mounting block. I doubt I could just jump up the way I used to. When I get my bareback pad, though, I'm going to have to try because I don't see any other way to mount. Later, when I went out to the paddock to spend some time with the mares and their colts, I found a piece of rope lying around in the weeds. I picked it up and started to rub the colts with it, eventually putting it around their necks. I didn't tighten it. Besides the fact that they would have never allowed for that, the purpose of the rope was just to get them used to having it touch them. They were pretty good about it. I'd like to do more and more of that sort of thing in the future. I want to play with them while they're still around. One day very soon, could be as early as next week, really, they will be weaned from their mothers and I won't have them at my fingertips any more. |
| FLOSSIE'S 97th LESSON The weather was as perfect as the mare this morning. I had Flossie cantering the entire track in both directions. In the paddock, we worked on cantering in a circle around the cones. She did a lot of trotting during the lesson which gave me a lot of practice. However, having said that, I must admit I've been posting her trot now for quite some time without difficulty. She actually trotted more than she paced, which is a first. It seems the more relaxed she is, the more apt she is to pick up a trot. Of course, it goes without saying, the more relaxed I am, the more relaxed she is. After our ride, and once she was cooled out and had her carrots, I joined BamBam in the paddock where he was lying in the shade. I sat down beside him, not quite close enough to touch him, but close enough to have an impact on him. He remained dozing on the grass for quite some time before he got up and walked away. Like Blaze, when I did the same thing with him last week, once I reclined on my back, the curiosity got the best of him and he just had to get up and investigate me. Blaze ate an entire carrot this morning! I usually only offer him parts of carrots at a time, but this time I gave him one of his own and he ate the entire thing. I guess I better start buying more carrots every week now to accomodate his growing taste for the crunchy orange vegetable. I pulled Flossie's mane after and gave her a good grooming after our ride. This is the third time I've pulled her mane. Her tail stayed pretty good from last week's conditioning. All I had to do was put a comb to it and it came out tangle-free! I guess bot fly season is over since I'm not finding bot eggs on her knees any more. It's been three weeks since I had to cut any off. Here's something I feel is quite extraordinary: While I was on foot cooling Flossie out, and while we were walking along the track nearest the road, a huge million-wheeled big rig starting revving up its engines as it started heading up the road behind us. Flossie and I were both aware of its approach, but, suddenly, just as it came up beside us, Flossie stopped dead in her tracks, stretched her neck way out so she could swing it around and give me a good look with both her eyes, and if horses could talk, I know she would have said something like, "Wow! What do you make of that?" I told her, "It's only a truck; it's okay." Then she looked back at the track again and took a calm step forward as if she were satisfied with my explanation and, again, if horses could talk, I knew she had answered me with, "Yeah, that's what I thought." We still have some marvelous weather going on outside at the moment. No breeze; cool air; a descending sun that is blushing into a soft peachy color along the horizon-line just beyond our backyard. A single-file line of cumulus is parading across the sky directly above the distant treetops, as if they were a crowd of kids in a long queue to buy tickets to see a show. They've been there now for quite some time, so it must be some show! |
| FLOSSIE'S 96th LESSON Flossie worked at a nice speed for me today; not too fast nor too slow. Well, that is until we had been cantering for a while when she suddenly started to pick up speed until she was going at a gallop. She was just feeling so good and since I was riding well, I went along for the fun. And it was fun, too! She came right back down to a canter when I asked her to. We worked on circling at a canter around the cones. I also had her circling off the track every so many steps, first on one side of the track, and then on the other side. She really enjoyed that exercise. She loves to circle, for one thing. Her little lips go a mile a minute and she always finishes with a wet mouth. When it was time to hand out the carrots, little Blaze was right there with the big girls. When I give him a bite, I take advantage of his amicable deameanor to rub on his neck and down his sides. Sometimes he's not as friendly about it as BamBam is. Speaking of BamBam, I broke off a piece of carrot and offered it to him for the first time. He actually took it and ate it, but he didn't come back for more. I managed to give BamBam a good rub on both sides of his neck, down his back, and even his hind quarters which was a first. I'm able to walk alongside him now and match his step without his wanting to turn off to get away. He's getting used to my being around him and is accepting me even when I'm a plague! Later, Blaze was taking a snooze. He was lying on his side with his head on the ground. He was actually trying to graze while he was lying there! It was so funny watching him pull out the grass with the side of his mouth. I went to sit alongside him, not quite close enough to touch. He allowed that, but when I stretched out next to him, his curiosity got the best of him and he had to get up and come over to check me out. He just sniffed me all over and then walked away. It was a beautiful day! Sunny, with cheery cumulus lazily basking away in the sky making shadows on the ground below for me to enjoy. Both Flossie and I were sweaty when we were done working. I was surprised because it didn't feel hot at all, nor humid. Anyway, we both cooled down fast in spite of her winter coat and my two layers of hats! (I wear a baseball cap under my helmet to shade my eyes from the sun . . . besides, the cap makes my helmet fit better). I can't believe I had forgotten to mention the most exciting thing that happened during my ride on Flossie! While we were galloping down the part of the track that runs closest to the road, a car passed by at the same time, going in the same direction we were. For quite some time we were running neck-and-neck. It was thrilling! And if truth were to be told, I was elated that it was me in the saddle and not the driver behind the steering wheel watching someone else on a horse riding beside me. It was a moment to treasure! |
| FLOSSIE'S 95th LESSON The wind has just picked up and I have the window open so I can hear the branches of our palm trees crashing together with their leaves spinning and wheezing like a pit full of hissing snakes. There was no wind this morning, however, and Flossie was so obedient today! She just wanted to go, go, go, and since she was behaving so well and was so cooperative, I let her. We had the most fun flying around the track at what felt like a hundred miles an hour! She spooked a couple of times at some unexpected noises that came from the road. The first time there was the sound of air hissing as if it had just suddenly burst from a tire. It was so loud and so close, Flossie jumped, shying from the road, but I kept her going and she didn't even try to balk. The second time the loud noise sounded like a gunshot. It also came from the road and both noises happened just as we were on the part of the track that goes closest to the road. At least we were only walking both times. The second time Flossie didn't spook as much as the first time, and again she didn't try to balk; she just kept going forward when I asked. Later, when I asked for a faster pace or a canter in the same spot near the road where she had spooked earlier, there were no problems. She picked up her gaits like a pro and didn't look for trouble. It was as if nothing had ever happened. After my ride I put some of that concoction I had made for Flossie months ago out of baby oil and hair conditioner, and combed out her mane and tail until they were both as smooth and tangle-free as silk. I'm so amazed at how little of the stuff I need to do the entire job. Bambi and Blaze's mother should be so lucky. They both need attention so bad their manes are in witches knots. I tried to undo Bambi's while I was in the paddock after my ride, but I wasn't able to make much progress. It really needs work. I was able to rub on both colts today. Blaze comes right up to me with his mother now, when I'm handing out carrots. I let him bite off the very tip because he can't chew the broader end of the vegetable yet. So now he gets the narrow end and his mother gets the rest. BamBam has never shown an interest in carrot-time so I've yet to see if he'll eat them. I didn't see Des today, but I knew he was out and about because after my ride I noticed his truck wasn't parked in the shed where it had been when we first pulled in. I didn't hear him coughing today, either, which means he's probably gotten over the flu. |
| FLOSSIE'S 94th LESSON The high was only near eighty degrees this arvie. Next Monday the high is supposed to be only seventy degrees. Perfect weather for just about anything outdoors. In fact, the first thing I thought when I woke up this morning was "Wow! What a perfect day to go horseback riding!" Lucky for me, that's exactly what I did! Not so lucky for Flossie, though, as it seems, anyway, because she kept squealing at me whenever I'd put my hands on her. It didn't matter where, either; down her side, along her neck. When I went to put the bridle on her she turned her head away as if to say "No thank you"! I thought I was in for a hell of a ride, but as it turned out, she was as responsive, willing, and trustworthy as always. Go figure. At first I thought maybe she's coming into season, but then I remembered she was in season last week. Well, maybe that's it. However, having said that, she's never behaved this way before when she was in season. As I said before, go figure! Maybe she was just feeling good, although she didn't act like it was that sort of a squeal. She only had one speed on the track today and that was break neck; was she racing an invisible opponent? She was so fast I didn't think it would be safe to canter her, but as it turned out, when I had her pick one up, she was her regular great self. Fast, but great. I learned that she certainly does know the word canter because I tested her today. I asked for the gait verbally, without giving any physical cues and she picked it right up. Every time. When we finished on the track, I put the cones down in a clover leaf pattern and worked her around them. She seemed to like that. When I dismounted and untacked her and washed her back off with water, and after her walk in hand around the track to cool out, I gave her some carrots and then I groomed her. I was looking for sore spots on her back, especially, and where the girth goes, but she was fine. In fact she enjoyed the grooming! She leaned into the curry comb and would have stood that way forever if I had kept it up that long. I fiddled with the bot knife and spent a lot of time cutting the eggs off her legs. She didn't mind that at all. In fact she seems to like being fiddled with sometimes. Billy has five horses on Des' proptery now. They are all separated and kept yelling to each other off and on throughout the morning. I had some time before Norm came for me, so I spent some of that time rubbing on these horses, each in turn. They ate up the attention and I could tell they don't get it for just plain nothing on a regular basis. They seem starved for it. I'm wondering if having all those other horses on the property now is affecting Flossie's psyche. Could this be why she's behaving as if everything is irritating her? She definitely doesn't care for the bay mare in the paddock adjacent to the yard. She pins her ears and squeals at her when she walks by. When I was grooming her when I first brought her into the yard the bay mare was standing against the near fence the whole time, so I thought maybe Flossie was just irritated with her and she wasn't really bothered by me at all. But then I remembered she had squealed at me in the paddock when I first went to bring her in. The mare was nowhere around at that point. What a mystery! I toyed around with the colts as usual. Blaze tore a bite of carrot off the stick I offered him. Once he found out how wonderful the vegetable is, he wouldn't leave his mother alone. He kept waiting for her to drop some on the ground and when she did, he was onto it as fast as he could pick it up. Des is home from the hospital. He said he had the operation on Thursday and was supposed to stay in until today, but he insisted on going home, so they let him out on Saturday. He said he regrets that now because he's got the flu. He said it's very hard to recuperate from surgery while battling an illness; especially a cough. He said it hurts when he coughs more than at any other time. He's scheduled to have the other leg done now in three months. Des said he watched me with BamBam last week when the colt was lying on the grass and I was touching him on the face and forehead. He said he's never seen anything like that before. The colt still won't let him get near him! The little bit of rain we got the other day has put a green tinge on Flossie's paddock. It's amazing how it didn't take a lot to do it. Imagine how much better it would be if we got the proper amount of rain we need so badly! The dam is disappearing like a ball in one of Norm's magic tricks. |
| FLOSSIE'S 93rd LESSON It rained over night just enough to wet the dust on the track for me this morning. I was afraid it might be slick, but I found there was plenty of traction and Flossie never slipped once. We avoided the muddiest spots by staying to the side of the track where it was the driest. Flossie was feeling good!!! She listened, however, and only gave me the speed I requested!!! There was a towel hanging on the fence near the barn close to the road that was there last week and I had to ride her past it, back and forth, until she decided to walk up to it on her own. I left the towel there because I didn't have any problems with it after that. When we went past it today, Flossie acted exactly as if she had never seen it before! I had to walk her past it again and again, getting closer each time, until she finally felt brave enough to check it out. I pulled it off the fence today because I didn't want to deal with it what with the wet ground and all. I don't know if it was the towel, or just the fact that she was feeling so energetic today, but Flossie wanted to spook at everything even while we were going at a fast pace, even a canter. This is very unlike her, because if she's going to do it at all, she usually only spooks when we're walking around the track for the first time. She made me work hard today and I must say I was up to it! I rode her so well and I was so pleased when I got off that I couldn't wait to tell Norm! My seat was great! I felt as though I were one with Flossie; as if I were growing out of her back. It was the experience I look for every time I mount a horse; the one I ride for! After our work-out on the track, I took Flossie up to the cones I had set up earlier and we did some circling in both directions. She's getting better at that. We walked around them, first, then picked up the pace. I'm posting her trot as easy as pie and am now working on sitting it. I mean this is intensive care stuff! With the new body I have thanks to my exercises, I'm not finding it nearly as difficult as I did before. Later, I went out to the paddock to be with the colts. I was able to put a rope around BamBam's neck while I stood beside him. I started out by putting an arm around him first and when he stood for that I put the rope in my hand. I let it slide off his neck. He just stood there. I tried the same thing with Blaze, but I swear that colt is getting less tame as time goes on. He just wanted to rear. So I put the rope on the ground and pulled it across directly in front of him. He was curious and enjoyed watching it slither past. When I finished with the colts, I found a spot in the paddock under a tree and sat down in the shade to enjoy the horses. First Flossie walked up and joined me. She stopped on the other side of the track, though, to be near Mickey (one of Billy's horses that was grazing in the paddock behind the electric line). Bambi and BamBam came up next. BamBam decided to lie down in the shade, so I shimmied over to him and started to stroke his face, ears, nose, forehead. It was such a thrill to have him allow me to do that while he stretched out on the ground like that! Usually a horse, and especially a baby, will jump right up if you try to get close while they're lying down, so I felt privileged to be able to do that. |
| FLOSSIE'S 92nd LESSON Back in the saddle again. What a fabulous ride! What a fabulous day! What a fabulous time I had with Flossie! This is the first time we ever cantered clear around the track! Her gait was so steady and such a nice pace that I didn't have the heart to rein her in. I do believe she enjoyed the run every bit as much as I did. I took my curry and dandy brush out to the paddock this morning and groomed BamBam. I did his neck, back, and shoulders, on both sides. I didn't go down his rump or his legs because I don't have a halter to put on him so I can control his head. I told Des I groomed BamBam today and he told me the little colt will not let him near him. I find that so amazing since he walks right up to me! I mean he sees me and he just waltzes right over. Flossie chases him off if she's near me, but once she goes off on her own she totally forgets about him and doesn't care what he does any more. Gary's mare was flying around the paddock this morning trying to out run a bee. The two little colts were scampering around with her just for the sport of it. They were a true joy to watch! I finally met Billy. He's the one who owns the two geldings he has in the little paddock where I first worked with Flossie. He has an electric fence around it now since one of his horses had escaped a few weeks ago. The small horse is Mickey and the other is Justin. He was there to put in some new fencing around the paddock that's connected to the yard. His plan is to move either Mickey or Jason into it once he's finished. He wants to put three walls around the roof that already exists in the paddock, so it won't be any time soon before the horse will be moving in. Billy is an odd-ball with a terrible attitude. He's been in the horse business all his life and he tells me he knows it all. He was talking about Des' and Gary's horses; the two mares and the colts in Flossie's paddock, to be specific. He said they don't have many years ahead of them because they don't get fed grain. Then he told me what he does with his horses. He'll race a horse once and if it wins, he keeps it. If it loses, he takes it to the glue factory. The horse may only be three years old! Talk about not having many years! He said he gave a horse away once to a girl who let the horse starve. He drove past the paddock where she was keeping it and when he saw it was a rack of bones, he took it away and had it killed. Three months later the girl called and asked him if he had seen her horse. He asked her when she had seen him last and she said six months ago. That's when he told her he's dead. He said, because of that experience, he will never give a horse away ever again now. What a terrible attitude! His horses are nothing more than money-making machines to him. He told me Mickey is alive today only because he's small. He sees some potential in him, even though he came in sixth place in his last race. He said he'll give him another chance once he gets some height on him. What a jerk. If the horse grows and still doesn't win the next race he's in, he's off to the slaughter house. The bay is only three years old! Des goes in for surgery a week from this Wednesday. He'll be staying there for a week. I sure hope all the best for him. He says he's still losing weight, but to be honest with you, he looks like he's gained some to me. He has a scale, though, so I guess he would know. Oh, did I tell you I've been posting Flossie's trot easy as pie? Before long I'll be riding the gait clear around the track! I guess I'm at the end of my tale so I'll let you go here. I just took your halter and rope off; now you're free! You can run like a horse with a bee on its tail if you want. |
| Today's lesson was a duplicate of yesterday's lesson with Flossie. Again, she was a dream. Again, the weather was superb. Again, I scratched on BamBam and, again, to his utter delight. He tried to throw his head back to groom me in return a few times and I had to get firm with him. He can't be doing that to me! He was standing under a tree when I first approached him and there were branches hanging down over his back and sticks all over the ground, so I stepped into a clearing nearby and called him over. Don't you know he responded! He sauntered right up just like a puppy. He truly has a wonderful horsenality! Blaze, on the other hand, although he's still friendly enough, he's a bit more standoffish. I can touch him on the head and neck for the most part, but if I want to touch his back or shoulder, he has to be in the yard with me on the other side of the fence. As I type this email, I can see into the yard beyond our backyard. A bulldozer just went by. If I were standing at our fence I could have touched it. There go our trees. There goes our glorious wildlife. Here comes another neighborhood. Just as the trees are making way for civilization in our backyard, the same is happening to the fields and pastures beyond Flossie's paddock. As I rode today, bulldozers were tearing down trees and clearing away the underbrush. I could see the start of a paved street from the saddle as I rode past the fence. Again, goodbye nature. Hello cement city. While we were driving downtown today we spied our 'old' neighbor, Sarah. She was walking down the sidewalk so we pulled over for a little chat. We exchanged email addresses. She didn't have an address to give me before she left, and even though I had given her mine at that time, she had misplaced it, so I was happy for the encounter today. I think about her often and wonder how she's doing. I'm trying to think if there's anything noteworthy to add to my ride this morning. The only thing I can think of is the fact that I'm always finding ways to improve on the exercises I've been doing at home and they seem to be helping my seat. For instance, when I brought Flossie down from one of the best canters in the world, she broke into her terrible ultra unfriendly-user trot and there I was sitting it as if I had been born to it. It happened automatically and I had just been thinking, only moments before, there's no way on earth I'll ever be able to sit this mare's trot! I give the credit to the exercises. I really do. |
| Oh what a scrumptious day today! The sky was sunny, full of cumulus clouds, and the trees were filled with breezy gusts that came and went throughout the morning. I could have ridden all day! Flossie was perfect. What can I say? Her only fault was at the end, while we were winding the ride down, and she acted as if we had never done side passes before. I put the cones down so I could ride her in a serpentine around them. Then I used them for a large circle and had her working around them that way. She was a lot of fun and guess what? I get to do it all over again tomorrow! Norm didn't have a club meeting this morning after all; it's been scheduled for tomorrow morning. So, while he's residing at the Weight Reduction Club of Eagleby early tomorrow morning, I'll be riding around the track in Waterford again! I scraped the bot fly eggs off Flossie's knees after our ride with the knife Des gave me for that purpose last week. Then I went out to the paddock and walked right up to BamBam. He let me scratch him down his neck, withers, shoulders, and even his back. He kept stretching his nose out and wagging his neck back and forth to show his appreciation. He wanted to groom me back a couple of times, but I wouldn't let him. He got the picture early on and never tried to nip again after trying once or twice. He was so dirty! I took half his body with me under my fingernails when I left. Billy took both his geldings out of the big paddock; not enough grass for so many horses. He put them in the small paddock; the one I used to use when I first starting training Flossie. He put an electric fence around it, though, because one of the geldings had gotten out last week. Two girls chased him back up the driveway. In two weeks Des will be going in to have surgery on the arteries in one of his legs. He's talking about fixing all the fences when he can get back up on his feet again. I told him I'd give him a hand if needs it. He'll be spending a full week in the hospital. He's going to have Dave, one of Gary's handlers, take care of things while he's gone. Dave's a good guy. I met him once last year. He's probably in his twenties and talks like he has a real passion for horses. Des already has someone else scheduled to take care of Sooty (his cat). He said he's not looking forward to having the surgery, and he's going to be very happy when it's over. At sundown it was still so pretty out. I love this time of the year and am so happy to see the hot weather drifting away. My jodhpurs were perfect for today's weather; comfy cozy. I can't think of anything else to say so I'm going to leave you here. At least you won't be in the dust; I collected all that stuff on my boots. Aussie ya after my ride tomorrow! |
| FLOSSIE'S 89th LESSON Flossie was feeling good today and she had only one speed: FULL SPEED AHEAD. Every gait was fast except her walk because she wore herself out. We worked on not falling in on circles, and on side passing. I called it quits when she finally started to show some progress so I could end the day with a "Good girl, Flossie". I wore my new jodhpurs for the first time today. They're made of a heavier material than my stretch pants. I wonder how comfortable and practical they'll be when I wear them next summer during the hottest time of the season. BamBam still comes up to me when I call him like a puppy, slapping my thighs and saying, "Come on, BamBam, come on!" Blaze stole a carrot from my hand and ran off with it. I quickly retrieved it, though, and gave it to his mother. He proceeded to eat the crumbs that fell to the ground afterwards. Des is having surgery on one leg in three weeks. He'll be hospitalized for a week. The other leg will be done in three months. At least he's finally getting the ball rolling. He said he needs to get dentures on his bottom jaw because he's losing all his teeth. He has pockets between each one and the bone is disintigrating and his teeth are starting to get loose and he keeps getting one infection after another. He's hoping his teeth will hold on until after the surgery on his legs. It's always something. I told Des about the bot fly eggs on Flossie's legs so he gave me a bot egg knife so I can scrape them off. It's that time of the year again. All the horses are starting to grow their winter coats. There were loose hairs on Flossie's saddle pad when I took it off her today; the first time since last winter. The truck got moved to another spot in the yard, but it's been parked at another bad angle. Des has no idea who finally moved it; he thought I had done it. Gary hasn't been around and the truck was moved last Thursday so Des is thinking Billy probably moved it. I wish he had taken it out of there entirely, or at least put it in a location that wouldn't affect the horses when they come in for hay. The weather was warm and sunny, yet there was a nice cool breeze to balance it off. I didn't notice any humidity. It was great weather for riding! Flossie got warm under her saddle, but nowhere else and I didn't have to worry about her getting over-heated. |
| FLOSSIE'S 88th LESSON I had a great time riding Flossie this morning. The forecast changed; it took rain totally out of the picture and put high winds in its place. The early hours were extremely windy, but by the time I rode, they had died down. Then they picked up again when we got home. Flossie's leg wounds seem to be healing okay. She's a bit touchy when I try to run my hands down them, so I'm very careful when I work on her hooves. I don't feel any heat in them, however, nor do I see any swelling. I hope she isn't hiding any internal injuries. I had her working on sidepasses from the ground just for something new while I was cooling her out after the lesson. It took her a while to get the picture, but she eventually caught on. She's a very willing partner and is interested in learning anything I introduce to her. She loves to hear the words "Good job, Flossie!" I spoke with Des. He told me he's having an angiogram done on the arteries in his legs Wednesday morning this week. He had read somewhere that if a person leaves it too long, gangrene can set in. He said his legs have been causing him a lot of pain recently; worse than usual. He can stand okay, but when he walks for any length of time he pays the price. |
| FLOSSIE'S 87th LESSON I set up two jumps for Flossie today using my cones and a couple of long branches that were lying on the ground. The plan was to have her walk over them, but since she had never had to do such a thing before, she plowed right through them. I set them up about three times and the third time she finally realized she was supposed to pick up her feet. Well, she picked up her front feet at least. I've been doing some stretching exercises throughout the week to relieve the tension in my shoulders and in my legs which helped my seat tremendously. I wish I had known about them years ago. I've been blaming the hard ground for my stiff seat, but it turns out I can ride on the hard ground as well as I can in the paddock if my body is relaxed. Not only was I able to sit every stride of the pace and the canter, but even posting the trot was smooth. The gait itself is ungainly, but I was able to ride it relaxed and under control today. That sounds so basic, but it's such a giant leap for me. Blaze came up behind Flossie while I was on her so I turned around and gave him a quick tap on the end of his nose with my crop. He got the message and didn't bother us again. Since he's a stud and Flossie's a mare, it was an important lesson for him to learn. Des told me the colts won't let him come near them. They stand really well for me, though. They allow me to touch them on the head, neck, and back without flinching or pulling away now. When I was grooming Flossie, I noticed some minor cuts and scrapes on all her legs and I figured she probably got tangled up in something since I was there last. I knocked on Des' door to see if he knew anything about it. He said he went out to give the horses some hay last week and Blaze's mother charged Flossie. (She's the alpha mare, so everybody has to look out when she's around). Flossie had nowhere to go, so she tried to slip between a parked truck and the fence. I had seen her sneak between the two before when Bambi was after her, and she didn't have a problem, but this time Des told me she got a front leg caught in the bull bar on the front bumper. He said he thought for sure she was going to break a leg. She struggled frantically to get herself loose. Des said there was nothing he could do for her but watch her try to pull free. Eventually she lifted her leg just right and was able to get away. He said he was amazed that she never went lame. She's not sore at all and even as we were talking about her we watched her trotting across the paddock as sound as the next horse. He said when he gives the horses hay now he makes sure Flossie is standing somewhere in the open. When I feed the horses carrots, I usually do it when all the horses are out in the paddock together. Sometimes they come into the yard and when they do, I make sure they all have a carrot at the same time. I do that by throwing one each to the horses in the back and handing them to the ones near the fence. If there's any quarreling, as there usually is, it's very minor. Horses will be horses, but I'm really glad Flossie escaped this recent ordeal without any serious injuries. The swelling on her back where I had pulled a splinter out a few weeks ago is totally healed. I can't even see the spot where it was any more. While I was in the paddock when the horses were grazing, I noticed a grasshopper being eaten alive by a mob of ants. I thought Africa isn't the only place you can see such things except in Africa the prey and the predators are on a much larger scale. I best be checking the laundry now to see if my riding clothes are dry. I can't wait to get my hands on my new jodhpurs; the knees are wearing out on my stretch pants. |
| FLOSSIE'S 86th LESSON It was so humid today I was perspiring just standing still. Even the horses were sweating around their ears. When I went to rub on BamBam's back, it was so hot I felt I could start a fire from the friction. I started Flossie out in the paddock working on circles. Then I took her to the track. As we came to the part that's closest to the road, we suddenly saw a person on a riding lawn mower cutting the grass along the road on the other side of the street. Of course Flossie had to stop and check it out. She went past okay, but when I turned her around and asked her to go back the other way, she didn't want any part of the track that runs along the road. I got off her and lead her up to the fence so she could get a better look. She backed away once, shying, but allowed me to lead her as close I wanted her to get. Then I remounted and we went on our way as if nothing had happened. She didn't worry about the lawn mower again after that no matter how many times we went by or at what gait. After the lesson, I walked Flossie around the track in hand to cool her out as I always do. When we came to the road, the lawn was still being mowed by the same machine as before, but there was also a large machine with a crane-like contraption that hovered over the grass along the side of the highway. It, too, was moving along coming towards us. Flossie didn't know what to make of it; but she never stopped or showed any signs of shying. By the time we came close to the road, thankfully, the machine had moved up and away. We could still see it from the track, and it was still cutting grass, but it didn't look as scary from that position. When I was giving the horses some carrots, I offered one to BamBam. He bit off a tiny piece and moved it around his mouth for the longest time before spitting it out. I gave the piece to his mother, Bambi. I didn't want him to choke on it. The colts want to bite me whenever I groom them. I've been yelling for them to stop whenever they open their mouths. BamBam seemed to catch on. He started sniffing me instead. Oh, Blaze was so cute today! When I first mounted Flossie, he kept following us as we circled around the cones. He'd try to get our attention by bouncing around beside us, then running on ahead of us. I decided to use him as part of Flossie's training, so I didn't chase him off immediately. Flossie had to ignore him and pay attention to me, which she did extremely well. I was really proud of her. That colt is so cute, though! His tiny little neigh, for one thing, and the way he turns and kicks up his heels. He ran off when I thought it was time to send him away. I had Flossie chase him until he cooled his jets and started hanging out with the rest of the herd. I've been trying to get Flossie to bend around my right leg when we're circling to the right because she has a tendency to fall in in that direction. |
| FLOSSIE'S 85th LESSON I don't have a lot to say about my lesson with Flossie today. Basically, all I had to do was just put the mare through her paces. She came to me when I was setting up the cones for us to ride around. Usually she waits until I walk up to her, so you can imagine what a surprise it was for me to look up from what I was doing to see her coming across the paddock to me. Because it had rained hard over night, I phoned Des to make sure the ground wasn't too wet before I went to ride. I found the track muddy in two places, but it was dry enough to get around these spots, and since it had rained, the track was actually soft which always makes for a more comfortable ride. It sprinkled a bit as soon as I had dismounted, but it only rained for about three to five minutes; nothing worth mentioning, really. Oh, one thing happened today worth mentioning. I asked Flossie for a canter and instead of the usual nice, smooth gait she picks up most of the time, she went into a nice smooth gallop. I couldn't believe it. She has never done that before and it was quite a thrill. We went around at a good clip for about an eighth of the track, then I pulled her down to a canter and we just went along at a nice pace the rest of the way. She was very responsive to me; when she started a gait too fast, she listened and came right down when I asked her to. We spent most of the lesson on the track, although we did do a few circles and straight line exercises in the paddock. I was able to get up close and personal with the colts again today. They're getting friendlier and friendlier. When they open their mouths to bite, I just say no and they stop. Blaze is beginning to enjoy his neck rubs. Both colts are getting taller and Blaze looks so sturdy. I have a feeling BamBam is going to be taller than Blaze; his legs are so long, it's incredible. He has the Standardbred face, however, and the way it's shaping up reminds me of a fast-growing male adolescent whose hands and feet are bigger than the rest of him. In this case, however, it's BamBam's chin, ears, and nose that are out of proportion. |
| FLOSSIE'S 84th LESSON Besides the fact that she only had one speed when we first started, Flossie was so good today I spent the entire lesson working on myself. I started out circling around the cones I set up. I had her walk and trot around them in both directions. At one point she picked up a canter so I let her do that, too. She only went for about five strides, but it was a first and I was happy to see she was eager and willing to circle at a canter. This exercise gave me the opportunity to work on my left leg, which I refer to as my 'rogue leg', while going to the right since I have a problem keeping weight in it and holding it where it belongs in that direction. Next I took Flossie to the track and that is where she really wanted to expend her energy. I allowed her to run it off at a fast pace while I worked on relaxing my lower body and shoulders. It also gave me the opportunity to work on my hand position as well as my elbows and my head. Most of all I worked on feeling; the way Flossie moved beneath me through my body contact in the saddle; my leg position, etc. When I wanted a canter, all I had to do was use my aids. Because I took great pains to use my seat, shoulders, and hands correctly, she picked the gait up as if she had been doing it for years. When we were done on the track, I took her into the shade for a rest, then we went back out into the paddock. I had her zig-zagging across the field from one end to the other. I had her trotting and cantering in a straight line from end to end. I worked specifically on my seat, my legs, and my hands, and I also worked on feeling. At times my seat was not what I wanted, but at other times it was better than I could have ever imagined. I feel I am making progress, and because I am, so is Flossie. She responds so well to me when I'm doing things right, that she encourages me to be at my best for every stride. Later, when I was in the paddock feeding carrots to all the horses, (there are six of them at the moment; two colts, three mares, including Flossie, and a gelding), I had the opportunity to touch the colts. They both allowed me to rub their foreheads for as long as I wished. They used to pull away after only a few strokes. They both even allowed me to rub them down the side of their necks. That is a first. At one point BamBam was separated from the rest of the herd by quite a distance. I started calling to him as though he were a collie. He perked up his ears and whinnied to me. Then he started towards me. Bambi only allowed him to come so close, though, before she intervened. It was the cutest thing and totally unexpected. I had no idea how he would respond to my call. Both colts are really getting to know me and to feel comfortable with me. |
| FLOSSIE'S 83rd LESSON I used the new cones I bought for the first time today. Of course Flossie had to stop at every one and give each a sniff before approving. I had her circling around them, weaving in and out, crossing over from one side of the circle to the other, at both the walk and the trot. It was too easy. She's used to working around the trees in the same way so it really wasn't new to her. I took a movie of Flossie when she was standing at the fence in the yard. She didn't do a lot of moving, but it was so neat to catch her on film that way. Horses were whinnying in the background and the recorder caught one while I had the camera rolling, which only added to the atmosphere. I didn't work Flossie hard, not because it was hot, because it wasn't hot nor humid, but because I hadn't ridden last week. After working on the track in both directions, I had her doing serpentines in the paddock as well as straight lines from one end to the other. I took her over to the dam, which I seldom do, and found a large tree branch to have her walk over. Since we had worked on that sort of thing before with the log weeks ago, she knew exactly what I wanted and stepped over the branch in stride without hesitation. The bulldozers that are working on the housing development next to Des' property were working loud and clear today. Flossie ignores them now that she can see them so well. The neighbor's bay gelding was stomping around near the railroad track on the other side of Des's fence and, later, when I mentioned it to him, he was surprised. I was too, actually; it's no place for a horse to be turned out. I talked to Des for a long time after my ride on Flossie. I gave him the refrigerator magnets I bought him while in Bourke and he was both surprised and delighted with the gifts. He had placed a tub of water in the yard and Flossie knocked it over, so I told him it's empty now. Then I told him Flossie's feet need a trim; especially her left front hoof. The toe has broken off and part of the side. The others are jagged and need to be filed. I also told him the lump under her chin is not going away. He said he'll have a vet look at it. We talked about everything! I told him how Norm and I met; I told him about Norm's Toastmaster clubs and about the speech he gave last night in Stone's Corner. He told me he owns a few other horses he's bringing back to the paddock and he's concerned because the paddock can only hold so many horses. Billy has a few in there with Bambi and Flossie and Gary does too. All the small paddocks are already taken up with Billy's horses. Billy's been doing a lot of work on the property. He made a pile of loose limbs, debris, old pipes, etc, and set them on fire last night. The ground where they went up in flames was still smoldering this morning. One of Billy's horses likes to pull on part of the fence during the night and then lets go and it hits the tin walls with a big bang. It scares Des when he hears the noise and it wakes him up when he's trying to sleep. He went out with a flashlight last night to see what the horse was doing. He's going to have Billy switch another horse with that one so he'll be able to get a good night's sleep again. He put himself on a diet, which he's been on now for a week. He's decided to eat more fish, but he said he's tired of it already. He also took himself off the grog. He said he's never gone for a full week without it before. He's going to need surgery on his legs soon, but he's not sure when yet. He thinks he's going to have something put into his veins to open them up because the way the blood flow is now is just not good enough. I told Des about our trip to 'Back o' Bourke' and our experience at the Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. He had never been to either place before and although he had heard of them, as well as Cunnamulla and Charleville, he had never visited them, either. It's amazing how many Australians haven't seen much of their own country. I've seen more than the average Aussie who's lived in this country all their lives! |
| I had so much fun riding Flossie today! I worked on my seat; relaxing, specifically, and was able to start out that way right from the beginning and that's saying a lot since it usually takes me time to get my seat together. I spent four hours with Flossie and arrived at 7:00 am to beat the heat and it worked, so, once again, going early turned out to be worth the effort. I realized this morning just how much work my left leg needs. I concentrated on keeping it under me, and keeping weight in the stirrup. I tend to sit with more weight in my right stirrup. Consequently, it's easier for me to circle to the left than it is to circle to the right. So I worked on that; first, doing a circle at a walk, then at a trot. It took a lot of effort and it really made me see just how off balance I am. The effort paid off big time, though, because I was able to get some good stuff out of Flossie. First of all, she's comfortable going into a canter; she picks it up as pretty as you please. Second of all, she's comfortable at the trot and picks that up as smooth as pudding! I still have a hard time posting/sitting it, but I can stay with her longer than before, and I see that as a big plus. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to feel as comfortable at the trot as I am at the canter and the pace. We did work on the track in both directions, at every gait, then worked in the paddock. We did circles and figure eights, cantering in a straight line, and some resting; not much, though, because it wasn't that hot so early in the morning. At one point I allowed Flossie to take me wherever she wanted to go and we ended up in the yard (what a surprise . . . NOT). Then I thought, 'oh no, she's not going to budge out of here.' But she did! She protested at first, so I circled her and rode her out onto the track without a fight. She's learning to go where I point her; off or on the track, and that's a big deal. It used to freak her out when we went off the track, and it wasn't that long ago, either. She's a quick study; she's a willing partner; and she's a dream to work with. She really is. Des had the track dragged and it was in tip-top shape! Everything looked tall and green just from that one day of rain we had last week. The dam's still terribly low, though. There was a blanketed bay horse in the paddock with the mares and colts today. I found out he, along with all the other horses in the various paddocks around Des' place, belong to Billy. (I never met him, but Des said he lives in Eagleby). Blaze kept bugging the blanketed bay and for some reason that disturbed Aunt Flossie; when the colt took an unduly interest in the bay, Flossie did everything she could to break them up. Which wasn't hard because the bay didn't want the punk bothering him, anyway. BamBam allowed me to walk right up and touch him on the forehead without so much as blinking an eye. Blaze, on the other hand, allows me to touch him, but he still bobs his head first. Oh, and when I called for him to come to me, he came over like a puppy without the slightest hesitation! Des has two old women renting a cabin on his property. When I first started working Flossie, he had had a guy living there. Then it was vacant for the last year or so. Since I didn't see Des while I was there, I phoned him to let him know I won't be riding Flossie next week and possibly not the following week, either. He told me all the horses, besides Bambi, BamBam, Blaze, and his mother, and Flossie, of course, belong to Billy; not just the blanketed bay in the big paddock. And he told me Billy's the one who had the track dragged. |
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