Hoofprints and other signs

Jill wondered if she had brought a mysterious small animal disease home to her obviously still rather ill kitty. Apparently the cat there and its dog friend had both started to suffer seizures?

Her cat first had chewed toxic daffodils brought in by her room mate and was drooling enough for two days to warrant her first trip to the vet in three years. She seemed to feel fine, she was just drooling! Until a few hours before they got to the doc's office. With their temperature and breathing issues, he gave them antibiotics for a cold. Meanwhile her guests were complaining that her roommate's cat smelled funny, not just the breath but she and the whole house smelled like cat pee. This was the mean one she hadn't put in a carrier for the road trip. Jill booked another vet appointment, a housecall this time, for advice on all these matters. The pets got their shots while they were at it and the next day it fell apart again.

When Jill got home the cat was splayed out in a weird way on the floor and didn't move when she came in. Seven hours later the poor pet had staggered three steps to lie facing the wall and three hours later she rolled on her side. She was just lying there, not eating or drinking. Eyes open. The evil house cat kept coming over to growl at her in her sorry state. What to do, what to do, what to do. She did not have the hundreds of dollars this was costing, and she didn't know if she was just too soft and too much of a cat lady or if she was cruel to just watch the cat suffer til morning and decide then what to do.

The ride itself was lovely. Biting wind couldn't even wreck it. Jills eyes watered and thought her lips might bleed but went around the big field one more time each direction in trot. She was starting to feel fitter, and he was looking fatter.

Time to get a watch.

Jill hoped that the hoofprints she hadn't been able to find in the snow belonged to someone she would ride with more. "All this guy wanted to do was gallop." she's enthused about the deep footing, returning as Jill set out on her own.

The facility she'd visited that morning kept flashing in her mind. Imagine gorgeous leather office chairs and a huge oak desk and bookcase in the office of the barn! The horses were all huge...

She'd thrown him off asking "can you speak to some of your training philosophies here."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at."

She'd ridden in a dressage clinic once where the teacher had insisted "your horse should be more afraid of you than anything else!" and had Jill whip him into a frenzy she had long, long regretted. It was her first foray to the discipline and scarred her some. And, she already knew from other experience that she would not work in a barn where the animals were brought in for untacking with spur marks or the results of other whippings and beatings. THAT was what she was getting at, but couldn't say that...

He seemed nice. She hoped he would call back and offer her something. Something with some RIDING, ha.

Cantering Snow and Sun

She rode the round, compact chestnut around the snowy fields. It was kind of romantic to follow the pair of human tracks decorated by dog paw patterns alongside and circling around. In the place where her mount tried to spook and spin and bolt she made him walk a perfect large circle a few times each direction, even though it was deep in places. He was, although spooky, pretty easy to settle once he knew you weren't afraid of him and would drive him forward.

They rode back and forth along both sides of the treelike in a huge oval because it was low and fairly sheltered from the wind by the trees went they went one direction. The sunshine was amazing! They worked mostly in walk. She remembered the long walk hacks she'd done for the boss in Ocala before the 10 minute dressage school that was the day's official training plan.

She made him w-a-l-k the slight uphills, not break into trot, and to do so in a frame, so that he got more of a work out. Afterall, the wind was giving her one, ha. The sky was a beautiful blue. A few times she tried trotting where they ought naught and he kind of fell in front, but she gave him total freedom with his head and he came up again and it felt like when you're riding through or jumping into water. Probably good accidental practice. She brought him downwards in a transition each time to get his hind end underneath them. Her legs hurt on the way back so it must have been some kind of work out. The best part was when she'd asked him for canter. For the first few strides he was sharp and then turned pokey! She FINALLY got to feel that slow side of him. it made the cross country challenges of him more appealing. She knew what to start building up their strength on now. That Vroon-vroom conditioning to follow, ha.

The hood over the helmet was warm, but probably unsafe somehow, no? The mitts over the gloves was working out perfectly.

She loved the way that horse loved that cat. The fluffily, smiley tri-coloured grey girl would run stowards the horse's steamy breath and he ran his nose along her back and sides. It was adorable!

Jill then trotted him around the arena with lots of walk to make sure he'd be good for the owner's lesson the next day.

He was cooled out but he wouldn't eat any hay knowing his grain was waiting for him. She tried to force him but in the end just had to hope the carrot she'd thrown in on top was fibre enough for him since the grass munching he'd been doing on her arrival….

At the other place she went to ride, they weren't hacking out they were riding in the arena. Bleck. The strange-to-her-horse balked at the mounting block. When she went to just get on him from the ground (as she had learned to do with her previous thoroughbred off the track horse who had the same issue) another rider commanded she stop. With Stoney, Jill had kind of had to get on from a run, ha. When she'd run into it with the brood-mare-school-ponies more recently, students used the block on the wrong side until they stopped worrying about it. But she wouldn't be able to do that here. "C'mon, a thoroughbred off the track? You should not try getting on him like that. He could never take all that weight. I will get off and help you."

Jill felt sheepish. Especially about how her current weight was showing. Good thing she was starting to ride two in one day for the gas mileage savings. Soon she'd pitch in on barn chores, ha.

Hopefully it would be just in time for the big thick wooly layers of sweaters to come off… she caught sight of the bay horse in a frame in the mirror in the wall as they trotted past. He was in fine, fine form. Floating past, even carrying his tail. The indoor ride was worth the commute afterall!

She couldn't believe not a single person had commented on her new purple hair. At least her volunteer job bosses liked it. The character in the book she'd copied the inspiration from was well KNOWN by it, but in her case on one even noticed. Alas.

As for her not yet new boyfriend, Jill thought she had overheard him tell his sister about a date he had for Thursday, and was surprised he'd agreed to keep her company on her adventure that same evening.

What to make of the fact that he then backed out?

How To Be A Good Dad

Jill said "a musician friend of mine came riding last holiday season. I gave a riding lesson gift to his wife and daughter, but he was paying his own way in so as to be a part of the family fun! You can't believe how long a 3yr old lasted in the cold, the whole hour, before she started crying! She was my charge while the adults had a lesson from the head coach."

Her first timer friend finally got the posting rhythm. His teacher was focused on the other adult, his partner. When he got it for a second and Jill saw she couldn't help herself "hey, you got it!" she and the child grinned at him. So, he trotted over by Jill and the kid and asked "Can I take a rest?"

Jill did not answer at first and then finally said "I dunno, ask YOUR teacher."

She had just been insisting maggie pat the pony again even though she was afraid. Jill expected HER to listen to her teacher...

So he went round a few more times and then finally shyly asked if he could please walk.

She acknowledged his question only after he trotted round a few more times. Then she said "okay, now rest." Meanwhile, the experienced rider of the family was cantering round and around on a cadillac with a grin a mile wide.

Jill was using his aptitude as an arguement that all musicians take to riding easily and Jill's dad who had carpooled her that day, summed it all up later by saying he thought mr. musician seemed like a pretty good dad.

And more cross still

Jill was able to coax the big snorting panicky bay, slowly, to the edge of the puddle. And then, he LEAPT across it! And they came back, and did the same thing. And back, same. And again...

Making a big fuss of him each time.

Jill was proud to be able to go with him. She thought it was the weirdest effort to have to make, because at first she had to be sitting up tall and using her seat to push, while making sure not to get ahead of him or go over his head, yet when he would leap out she had to make sure to soften and go forward with him, a challenging combo.

Its not like he was going straight across. It was always so random! A high jump, a sideways scramble, a stop quake quake fling the other direction... a surprise every time. Once, only once, he trotted right through it.

Which is all he had been asked to do on show day. The puddle was NOT an obstacle on course, just an unflagged challenge that brewed in the storm and eliminated them, ha.

Jill was sooooo glad to be able to go back and school the issue.

They did 10, 11 and 12 and then went to go play with the drop and water complex.

More Cross Effort

Then they went to the bank that was #7, and it did not cross Jill's mind that he would have a problem with it because they'd survived it on showday fine. But as they got near he turned into a BIG GOOF. Just like when they were on course and he wouldn't go through the water.

Jill kept trying and trying but he would not go. The teacher grabbed his bridle. They tried leading him with his trailer buddy. He kept backing up and spinning and threatening to really rear and getting worse and worse instead of better.

Jills neves started to get wrangled, in a new way and so she said so. The hestiation she had noticed would be obvious to her goof friend too. "Do YOU want to get him over?" Jill surprised her teacher asking. "Do you want me to?" she spoke before mounting.

It was not easy for her.

And, he kind of fell of the side once.

But, she did finally get him over proper.

So real quick Jill got on him and did it like eight times... including the top step and the next step and all the steps.

Jill said "he really is a lovely horse." and her teacher agreed. She always liked his scope, even when he was so shakey off the ground.

Next, they went to face the puddle problem.
*
"Better to come across the combination of two dreaded obstacles while here schooling then at your next competition." The teacher was merciless and Jill was glad it hadn't been her that vocalized the rider's fears, as the boss stood beside the first part of the jump and crossed her arms.

Jill went first and Stoney stopped dead at the edge, and then stepped down. A first time! He bounded through the water and jumped out over the bank while every body cheered. The other rider fared just as well and they had to go around to the other water, the h u g e success of the day!!!

The trakerner was fine, although humourous because he saw the ditch and CLEARED it so000 much.

The next time he took a longer spot, which Jill saw as a sign of his increasing confidence. They also did a big steeple-chase-like brush jump that he had to touch while getting through and then galloped on in the only real rhythm they enjoyed that day, taking a couple of the other fences in the field in stride.

A great way to end the day.