2011-11-30

Brakes of Gait

Roomie had taken one of her cute and nice luthier co-workers to see Lyle Lovett in Toronto, when she got the expensive tickets gifted to her from her luthier boss. It was a good time. Somehow they gobbled vegan fast food outside and made it to their seats just in time. Roomie was fall down dead jealous when L dedicated a song to the woman in the balcony with the beautiful voice and when Sarah Slean's twitter status the next day was how she had such a crush on him, ha.

His facebook status showed that the horse was really good, but that they'd had a couple breaks of gate, for too many penalty points to make the finals.

He means g a i t, right? She almost commented: Drag. Brakes of Gait. ha, sp. etc.

Meanwhile, she really wanted to hear more about the sport.

Maybe even try it???



Progress and Mistakes

Buddy was actually a perfect gentleman in from the paddock. And, he had put his head down low so Jill could get his halter on easily. As they travelled toward the barn for breakfast, he flipped his head like a clearly frisky fella, but he stayed poliely in walk all the way in. No biting or bolting or nonsense. 

After the stalls were done, and all that was left to do before breakfast was blowout the aisle and the 10 minute laser treatment for the bay.  The boss said to get a pair ready for 8, so clearly they'd be not breakfast... Jill's tummy was rumbling when she became thankful the boss was late.  The extra seven minutes gave Jill time to remember/guess that new one is probably supposed to start wearing a breastplate when in the jumping saddle, since they'd used one last time.  She took a run to the trailer to get it and put it on. 


Unfortunately, she did not find time to double check that she had done the noseband up correctly.


Jim adjusted it and made it straight as he led the newest Chesnut up to the boss, but, a rein was done into it, in the bridle incorrectly. ACK. Jill was mortified.  Of course it was a foolish error, but worse because this was AFTER a recent noseband lesson. Where the boss was sickeningly condescending in a big lecture about perfection in nosebands.


Jill felt it was the ridiculous rush and super criticism and fear of the boss that caused the mistakes. 


Jill felt further betrayed that Jim started making cold medicine excuses on her behalf.  Because that wasn't the problem, and she didn't need him speaking up for her. She knew should have been grateful for his defence and caring, but he was wrong about the issues. He wasn't speaking the truth.


She thought the boss was way wrong though, way out of line.  Meanwhile it was obvious the boss's partner was trying to undermine her all the time, and she wanted to run away and hide.

2011-11-29

Wish, Wish Again

Jill kept thinking how the 11-11-11 date seemed so magical, and she was wishing that more would come of the events of the day.  


Jill also couldn't let go of the memory of how it was nice to walk in to her best mentor's barn and be greeted so warmly...

Jill longed for a pony project of her own to keep there.  She wouldn't ask for anything with a freelease pony at all, she just needed the ride there and the pony! 


She'd always wanted to take a pony training level to some horse trials.
*It was cool to see the driving exercizes with such a beautiful pony!
*Some of her students wanted a lesson plan that was a game, but that would also include jumping. She thought setting up two jumps and trying hunter pairs was the way to go.

Unhappy Holidays in the Life of a Groom

The boss's partner’s note in the calendar for the prior day really bugged her “Jill's day off again.” They'd agreed in advance on six days a week for her assignment not seven so she could persue her artistic aspirations. Why this passive aggressive recording keeping?

On the upside, every day she had a happy hour with the accidental boyfriend, where they would drink a beer at the end of the barn, all their work finished, and watch the sun set together. The grasshoppers and lizards and frogs were good company too.

He commented that when Buddy behaved well they'd say oh he’s growing up. when he behaved badly they said Jill wasn't doing well with his training.  She'd noticed too.
*
"The boss is going to tack up his own horse later? The boss's partner is taking a day off? What is going on around here? It is NOT like other years." The blacksmith was obviously a long standing colleague/service provider, and was surprised at some new techniques on the farm. 



In between telling Jill lots of backstory and his own education and background, he asked Jill if she got to fly home for the holidays. She changed the subject to how she was grateful when the big spooky grey was so brave he actually WANTED to go in the forest.  She could sense it, he wanted to go, for the very first time, and so they went...

And she chatted with the farrier while they worked about how she was proud that Buddy listened to her verbal commands. When he was so good in the afternoon, halting on her command, she became annoyed with herself that she forgot to tell him whoa as he burst into his stall, dragging her, first thing that morning. Perhaps if she had spoken it would have worked out better.

It was a hard day.

After he got the beating, she'd wept all the way out to the far paddock leading the two other biggest chesnuts and she'd wept while she did stalls. The boss's partner had yelled at her “You are driving me crazy with stupid-ass questions!” when she'd been asking after the value of their practices and alternatives.  She knew that she could be challenging and threatening to the insecure, or out of line etc.  Knowing the boss felt flustered, maybe frightened, and thus lashed out, didn't take the sting out of it. But she tried to hold a clear vision and hold course to some kind of high road.

In just a matter of days, the boss had lost the financial sponsorship she'd understood was part of the deal, as well as the spot on the team and her respect.  She liked Jim a lot, but she was suffocating under the pressure of the accidental boyfriend's attentions.  And, she was homesick. She was getting word from her family about the holidays being her father's last, while she was stranded in a different country, unable to cross the border to get back home until her replacement id came by courier.



As she walked, head bent with tears, the accidental boyfriend had taken her picture. One that she would later use as a facebook profile pic.

2011-11-27

Partners

"I can’t remember her maiden name but she is rich, rich, rich." The boss's partner described the woman coming to see one of Jill's horse pals, that was for sale.  Her heart felt heavy.

Jim joked about her having more heavy stuff to carry.  Jill joked right back, "I am sick of fit.”
*

When she told the boss's partner about the potential boarder who shown up with stories about "breaking" difficult horses with the cruelty of impossible weight in their carriage loads he simply said “Maybe there are some interesting training practices coming our way.”  They proceeded to rent the stalls to the visitor, and Jill proceeded to witness some distressing horse handling. In hindsight, Jill knew she should have driven off the property that very day.

She could see that the boss was dismounted and Jill was afraid she had left a noseband crooked or some other sin that he had to get off to fix, and that she would be shamed and corrected meanly when the boss returned to the barn. The boss's partner, who came back to the barn first,  tried to comfort her with an explanation that this time the boss had dismounted to beat Buddy.  The horse wasn't behaving well...
*
As she rode away from the barn, determined not to participate in such things, she said “I have often thought of asking for a lunge lesson for my position, using Buddy as the school horse.”   
“Well, that’s brave.” said the boss's partner.
“Well, maybe between us, we could teach him something – it would be two against one.” 

Jill thought her thoughts interested the beautiful boarder from the barn next door. She came and joined the groom's walk around the field, while her staff/exercize rider helped Jill to work on her french. The girls talked about riding bareback in their youth and all the fun they'd had with horses their whole life!

Jill thought the woman was lovely, and often still had thoughts about being their groom or nanny or something. They seem so down to earth and kind and fun. She thought of the nanny she'd met at the Royal Winter Fair, who has been with the family for years and works with the horses too and has had a few equine articles published and seems quite content in her life....

2011-11-25

Barelegs in Blundstones


*


Jill was babbling to a new friend how she loved the cover of the blundstone boot catalogue.  And about how her aunt called it garbage soup, while she preferred to call it "All The Vegetables In The Fridge Soup" as if it weren't a delicious, long-handed down recipe.  Everyone she fed it to, seemed to enjoy sharing it with her...

"Just so she could set poles for me, you know." was how the fellow rider described her recent attendance at the Olympian's jumping clinic. Jill realized she would never be able to coach at that level, or feel she didn't need a coach at that level. She admired both the woman's riding level and confidence, but did wonder if it was totally justified.

In the documentary film they attended together, the horse displayed a viscousness Jill was not aware they could exhibit, even in her experience with stallions. It was horrible how the horse so suddenly attacked the man, biting down so ferousiouly to split his scalp. She could only guess it was because he'd lived in a herd with 18 other stallions, in addition to the other challenging environments he'd endured... but, meanwhile she was afraid she might be afraid of horses, having now seen such a thing. Jill avoided horror movies! Yet, she was glad the documentary filmmakers had left the ugliness in, and she was also impressed that the clinician spoke out to the woman horse owner about her lack of responsibility for animal welfare in letting such a creature get to that state.

"There's a guy around the corner in Hillsburgh that uses flags alot. I've enjoyed watching him work. He trained with that Ray Hunt." Jill sneakily said to her date, mid-movie, only to regret it. He proceeded to talk throughout the rest of the film! What a babbler. As a result Jill never mentioned how disappointed she was to see the supposedly kind horse whisper/documentary feature horse person engage in the cruel looking sport of calf-roping. Was it something she should look into?

Roomie announced that furthermore, she'd never liked how the Quarterhorse world was so focused on appearance. What about heart, talent and accomplishment instead of hair extensions?
*

(C)the crepe myrtle is (G)orange and red,
(C)there’s sticky balls (G)the sweet gum shed
between (Am) cypress,
cherry and (E7) palm
verseC I G
i’m leaping from tree to tree
i’m leaping without limbs
like a snake in the everglades
so lonely without him

chorus with accidental extra line(C) the live oaks have (G)their spanish moss
(C) and holly leaves (G)love hickory
could (Am)he, be
missing (E7) me?

chord study C/G/Am/F/C/G/F/C/
verseC I G
where you are there’s christmas snow
above me there’s mistletoe
if i reached out would he come here?
like orchids we could live on air

chorus(C)i’m stranded here (G)in a southern state
(C) and wondering if (G)he might wait
for (Am)me
to (E7) love

repeat chord study C/G/Am/F/C/G/F/C/
chorus
(C) sugar maple meets (G)long leaf pine
(C)you tell me (G)that he is mine
christmas (Am) time
is (E7)here again/not as good as hillside…


The next day Jill changed her facebook profile picture back to one where she knew was crying, but it was taken from the back, as she was leading two large obviously challenging, high performance chesnut horses near the show jumper barn next door, to their overnight paddock and past what she would realize in hindsight was Chester Weber's car.  Right after telling off her boss for expecting her participate in the unsafe turnout practices he was insisting on, but losing the argument to him in that photographic moment.

She remembered how earlier that day she had said "F*ck water buckets," sloshing one around and outlining some of her longer term life goals to Jim. "And, you need a sales horse" he had said authoritatively, surprising her.  He said he recognized her gift with animals.  It was obvious.  And reminded her how moments before the boss had said "You're with me now" tugging on the lead rope attached to the BIG new horse's bridle, because he was following Jill, who going the other way without a lead rope, by mistake.  "He's obviously the kind of horse who responds better to being asked than being bullied," Jill had flatly stated,  before guesstimating he stood more 18 hands.  She was trying to make a point, without actually saying anything, as she was cheerily changing the subject.

"My falling off 17 times story involves a horse that was 17.2" she smiled, wearing the same chaps her parents had purchased for her as a grade 8 graduation gift... No one seemed interested in her, or her past or in sharing her good cheer...


2011-11-24

New Territory

The rolling grey hunk of garbage spinning out from the car in front of her turned out to be a raccoon, that she didn't hit but she was horrified, and remembered how she had once before hit a bunny.

She cried for a long time on 1-75 after seeing an SUV in front of her smush a black lab puppy that had basically run out into the wheels of the vehicle. The vehicle stopped, but Jill wondered just what they would be able to do for the animal. How tragic! 


Upon arriving in her location, she told them about it on the farm.  After she described the drive, they told her about all the feral dogs in that area and how they had started to refer to that stretch of highway as Dead Dog Road...  with a bit of a laugh. 
*
When Jill crossed the border into the United States, she had a letter in her pocket from a Canadian stable that read:

Jill Wentworth is a USEF, CEF and OEF Member in good standing, and is training and competing in the US this winter to prepare for events/competitions later in the season. Due to climate restrictions in Canada, athletes are required to spend a considerable time in the Southern United States in order to prepare for competition.

No international equestrian competitor can be successful without a highly-capable person training their horses. Jill Wentworth has a sixth sense about horses that allows her to calmly work with even the most difficult horses. Her training programs are painstakingly constructed to maximize a horse’s ability through proper exercise, training, diet and rest. She works tirelessly to produce horses that in the best shape on the circuit, as well as being well versed in longeing and ground training techniques necessary to improve their flexibility, stregnth and way of going. She also has basic knowledge of how to treat injuries, with a diverse ability to diagnose and treat most ailments.
I have found horses trained by her to be invariably maintained in truly outstanding condition, enabling her to compete and manage several others at a time when most riders consider themselves lucky to have a single horse under their care. I am delighted to have Jill as a member of the Equestrian Team training under my instruction and supervision. All her medical insurance, accommodation. food, travel and training fees have been paid in advance.   We expect the course of the student internship to run five months.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

*
Jill said she'd almost wept with joy the first time she'd entertained the the IDEA of her fella tacking up a horse for her. "Does that make me easy, or hard to please???"

And then, it happened. Jim said for her to rest in the sun on the picnic table and he'd get the bays ready to ride.

2011-11-22

Hack-enstance

If she'd had her guitar there with her, Jill would have stayed longer.  It was so comforting and comfortable to be at her former mentor's place again for a visit.  

When her life-longest teacher asked "so, how far did you ever get with that thoroughbred of yours anyway?" she made it sound like "rockstar-horse" of yours...  Their paths had crossed when Jill was riding without a coach, retraining a big former racehorse into the   s a n e  eventing enthusiast she knew he could become, ha.
*
It was just happenstance, but in retrospect, Jill thought it was wise to walk the log and then come back do flat work. He was a hot thoroughbred after all.  The footing was so soft... and, Jill had to admit to herself that the pony was better schooled than she would have thought. She didn't really want to approved of the work of the former trainer, but here he was... More successfully schooled than the old man rockstar horse was when she'd first got her hands on him, that's for sure.  Or was it the discipline? Hadn't the old man gone hunter vs jumper?

The little guy'd had too much work in the draw lines though because he even tended to get overbent as a cleverly, athletic avoidance. But still, he felt lovely...

She had imagined canter walk, walk canter transitions the whole big long drive over there. and just swinging the leg to get the lead changes down the straight line. They'd actually only done a few tiny canters, with transitions the worst of it all. But, it was nice to know he had the cloud canter already. Imagine where they could go!

Jill started thinking about a top hat the whole long drive to work after that...

Too bad about the puddle disagreement though. She had almost thought beforehand that perhaps riding was a good place to direct her confrontational nature (instead of every where else in her life), but, then at the refusal/run back at the dwindling puddle, she was sure that he started it all.


How did her reins always end up so much too long? He had a shorter neck than anything she'd ridden before, that's for sure.

2011-11-21

Blind Luck



Jill thought the Jazz Festival was a nice place to meet a person.  And the trend for home-health-care gave her hope too...  She was certainly concerned about the lack of long term health care, elder abuse and the drunk and difficult to move being assualted by police.  Their conversation was stimulating and she liked to garner his opinion on things.  Which side of the park debate did her date fall on, anyway, preservation or enjoyment?

She was proud of herself for her proactive effort at honesty, versus withholding knowledge, including self-awareness, and even in the face of discomfort.  He took the information, about her relationship status/intentions all in stride.  Although he did laugh out loud.

Roomie isn't a cougar is she? Jill's mind did still sometimes wander.

"I need to know exactly where you are taking him" said the owner's mother, who was responsible for the horse Jill was riding these days.  They'd twisted off the third shoe, wretchedly, in as many weeks.  He was loving their rides and the horse was happy and healthy otherwise, but of course Mom couldn't recognize that part...

Jill couldn't really answer because she had been taking him exactly, over every inch of the entire 40 acres of deep snow on the property, over and over and over.  He loved it!  She loved it! "We've just been following Jet's hoofprints." she answered, and lost the ride.

It wasn't til her next visit to the stable she realized the black pony didn't wear shoes!

2011-11-20

Hello Smarty

Now it wasn't just the young organic farmer, Roomie's coworker who was also almost 17 years younger than her, asked if she wanted to go someplace together after work. He was cute and funny and smart, and a drummer, and she wanted to go.  But, she was getting picked up by a former guitarist and couldn't accept the instant invite, alas.  Would there be another?


Jill's boss set other standards, such as the mandatory meeting that was a job requirement for all staff, but not for all the staff, since one coworker didn't show and yet was giggling with the boss the next day in the office.  Jill put it out of her mind and just kept doing the work.  She certainly had a lot going on!


"Why are the barn doors so closed?" another boss asked, coming in.

"Because I just had the foal out on cross ties for her very first time" Jill said, peeking out the stall door she was working in, grinning over the wheel barrow. "and, she was GOOD AS GOLD while I groomed her." The boss also smiled, slightly.

The boss had said the day before that most youngsters flip over backwards the first time they're tied.  Jill was sure it wouldn't be that way with this one.

The next day, Jill made the still unnamed 5 month old baby stand in the tie stall all by herself while she changed her water bucket. And, she made her pick up each of her feet and added brushing the tail to the grooming routine. The little baby seemed to like it! 


The variety in routine, or just the attention perhaps? Whatever. She was sweet.  It would never do to have a cuddly racehorse, Jill knew, but still she couldn't help kissing the cute baby face and showering her with cutsie compliments.

Jill heard the boss talking about it excitedly to the partners, when she was out of the barn. "and, Jill's being doing stuff with her and she just seems so smart"   It was agreed, no one had ever heard of a baby being so good right off the bat the like that.

Jill thought they should name her breezy (because she was so easy AND please-y).

2011-11-17

Teams

Jill was hassling a very fit, very strong 15 yr old about her study habits. Wasn't that her role as a coach? She suggested to the girl's father that if good study habits weren't developed now, even when they weren't really required, the student might not have them when she needed them in University. This, indeed, was what happened to Jill first year.

Shoving a full wheelbarrow into the middle of the barn aisle, he said "oh ya, well I successfully completed my BA and look what I'm doing!"

A fully entrenched horseman, sharing the daily chores with Jill that day, he then started ranting about how its the fashion of our sport that is so prohibitive for males. He was quite hilarious carrying on about how no real man is gonna go around wearing BREECHES for god's sake etc. etc. etc.

Jill argued for the cool factor of jeans and chaps, since she really hoped to find a boyfriend that would share the horseness with her.

The boss's partner approved of the cowboy nature of Jill's solution, and asked "so, how are you going to find this ideal man?"  The truth was, she had no idea how to get through.  She was fearless professionally but a complete coward in personal matters.  She'd done it again with Tronas, approaching him professionally instead of making a pass, ha.  But she didn't feel ready to reveal any of that...

Jill said that at last year's Christmas concert Roomie had delivered a holiday greeting card to a handsome cowboy rockstar, basically asking in modern mixtape, if he would be her pony boy. He responded by playing rhinestone cowboy., ha.  She walked right up to him and gave him her phone number. Jill laughed, "now she is still waiting for the phone to ring."  The boss's partner thought that was pretty funny. had she ever even seen him laugh before? For the rest of the day when ever he passed Jill he would chuckle and say "Glenn Campbell eh? That's pretty good."
*


Outta the mouth of babes?  When a student and her mother complimented Jill on how obviously well exam day went, she admitted she hadn't passed. 
 
"Did the boring old ladies pass?" her test-student-rider wanted to know, ha.
*
"Technically funny is not the same as actually funny and fun to be around."  Roomie was comparing the suitors in Jill's roster.  She liked the cute one, obviously.  "But after a couple days, I crave some intellectual stimulation, you know?" Jill wasn't quite as smitten.  "Isn't that what GIRLFRIENDS are for?" Roomie's date interjected, while Jill wondered if Tronas liked Indian food.

Later she was surprised to hear herself say that she only tried playing the instruments out of neccessity.  If her dreams came true she could just sing along while doing other things like the dishes and   cooking!

2011-11-15

Teachings

Jill had to turn down $240 in earnings to earn $24, and keep the job.  She'd gotten mixed up in the scheduling, twice.  Was it totally her fault? Why did she have to be the only one to pay for it?  The situation was compounding the impending weather related migraine.


Mean while Jill's teacher told her she wasn't riding him enough. Jill thought that was the greatest criticism she'd ever heard!

She had always wanted a horse that would pony a pony, so she thought it was good that he was turned out with the ponies now.

Her teacher had come across this horse twice you know, as a horse for sale. once at barn where he was all scruffy and not working and then a few months later all trimmed up and looking more fancy. 


But she recognized him, since he'd already been vetted and shown to have navicular.

The teacher bought him anyway, (taking her chances on his condition), when the second place came down to her suggested price. 


And he had done very well for her, and now he was doing well for Jill. she was happy to be hanging out with him!

*


The thing about how hard our teacher works us, is that she works even harder than we do. EVERY day. ALL day." Jill said to a fellow students as they undid their horses' girths.

She had been joking around that since it was such pouring rain they wouldn't be able to hear the teacher and would thus basically have a "free" ride... ha.

The storm had eased up. Jill was amazed how her mount could hear the teacher...

Her horse knew not only essential verbal commands, like ter-rot, but whole entire descriptions of exercises.

On the teacher's request (not the rider's), he was leg yeilding in to the centre line, straightening for a few strides and then leg yeilding back out.   He understood turn down the centre line and leg yeild over to the wall and make a 10m circle and do shoulder in to B and straighten and half halt down the long side. it was amazing. was she supposed to stop him for starting before she told him to?

"Na, let him listen to me" the teacher said.

2011-11-12

Wishin'

Jill was grateful to see the baker sheets had been used in the cold. This weather was hard for dressing horsies!!

Jill was at work in the dress shop downtown, across from the bakery and bulk healthfood store, when she would rather be riding.  How she wanted to take some lessons. And, GIVE some lessons, on her pony.  Why not? They would all benefit from the schooling!

To her coworker she confided, "Its been hard for me riding him dressage with no teacher, and no mirrors. And, I feel like he is like at my level, so we do all the things I know how to do, in as a fine a form as I know to wish for, and only 15 minutes have passed!"

There were many horses Jill could get on and have to work a lot to teach them what she knew. Where as this little buddy had been in high level training for years and already knew the movements she knew, and so she didn't know what to work on in dressage with him.  Quite a luxury of a challenge in a way, right?

*
Jill smiled to remember a student's request for next class "can we do the pairs again?"
Apparently at least one rider liked the musical ride movements they'd been doing, incorporating actual instruments! It was a lift to her spirit to have this passion in common with the kid.
*
As usual, Jill was trying to keep her focus on horses and not on boys.  But, despite the best efforts, she was also emphatically wishin' that the recent email from Tronas had the potential to blossom into more than a strictly professional exchange.  And yet, his brief note, just as it was, was certainly cause for a constant smile. And emphatic command into the universe:
Her co-worker piped up from the other side of the shop, as they chatted.  "If anyone can pull it off, it's you."

2011-11-11

This Horse Is Impossible!

One thing Jill really enjoyed about her current internship, was the way the radio played in the indoor riding arena. It was fun to change your current mount's rhythm to match whatever song came on next, and singing along out loud while riding was surely a good exercise. She said to Angie, her coworker, that she wasn't learning anything, but it was fun.

She had been wishing for mirrors in the indoor school, in order to coach herself. But then she heard about how a horse can mistake a mirror for an extension of the arena when freelunging. That they have been known to jumpinto the wall mouted mirrors. Ow! With sharp broken mirror bits everywhere? The thought made her wince. With all the jumps and poles and rails and jump cups on the loose around, clearly this stable was not the diligent sort of place for covering up and uncovering big wall mounted mirrors. And, they didfreelunge frequently, it was something Jill actually liked experimenting with. And so, she stopped wishing for mirrors because she never, never wanted to see an accident like that.

One day, the arena door opened so she could be told off for using too much hand, with a boss-selected "rather severe bit." At that point, Jill was barely able to keep the athletic little bay she was working, in trot and he had been spooking at EVERYthing, while she tried various exercises to get his attention and ask him to settle into a rhythm. She always used 3x the leg and was only using as much hand as she thought was absolutely neccessary, as in, for survival, ha.

She tried to explain this all, simply saying "This horse is IMPOSSIBLE." 


The pony spooked twice at nothing during the quick sentence exchange. So, the door was just as abruptly closed again and Jill could hear orders for a reduction in this horse's feed being issued to the other staff, instead of the socalled free lesson/shouted criticism and lecture to her being continued, whew. Jill was glad to be left alone, to relax and improve and she suddenly understood what her co-worker meant when she had said doesn't want to ride because "it would just be another thing to get yelled at about."

When Jill came back into the barn a half hour later she said "that was like an amusement park ride or something. He was so fast and so frisky to begin with, and then the the radio started going off, so we could hear the skidoos roaring around outside, sounding very horse eating and scary and close to the wall, before the radio would come back on, randomly, at full blast. On. Off. On. Off. And then, Angie, you started clunking around in the hay loft on top of it all. ACK. What a house of horrors!!! I am lucky to be alive!" 


As, she pulled the bridle off the sweaty, still snorting fearfully/foolishly at shavings bags in the hallway bay, she added, "but, I LOVE riding, don't get me wrong..."

2011-11-10

Tis The Season (Slow-Mo in Snow)

"At one stable where I hang out," Roomie said, "they are keeping lots of mineral oil around because it is the season for colic.  In the two colic stories I heard recently, there were some major differences. In one case the boarder went to the stable proprietor with her concerns and the vet was called and the impaction was quickly treated. and the boarder was taught the water drinking changed habits reasons behind the slight case of colic. In the other story, the boarder's concerns were downplayed and the signs of colic were not recognized. The boarder called the vet herself and a serious case was then treated, and followed by a week of rest.

The way that Pharlap movie just shows him lying down in the trainer's arms to die from colic had Roomie sobbing. But no actual horseperson would actually comfort a horse like that i'm sure of it!  When a horse has colic you walk him, not hold him.
*

As she walked past to make herself a tea in her own little hayloft apartment, Jill thought the little bay's obsessive pawing in the snow, in the corner of the paddock seemed weird. It was like a second thought she was having.  She remembered, in hindsight, whthat en she called to him to cut it out, he seemed kind of dopey -- not his usual self. She decided to forgo a break and bring him in, putting her toque and parka back on and getting outside as fast as she could. He did not stop his pawing, even as she approached him, which made him (for a change) easy to catch.
This was not a good sign.


In the stall, she offerred him carrot before removing his outside blanket, but he was not interested. And, as she undid buckles and belts and slid the blue sheet off him, she could see he wanted to roll.

Jill knew that a horse can die from colic, often from twisting their intestines by rolling, in futile attempts to ease their stomach ache. So, she left him only for a second to call the boss, who was reluctant to call the vet, reluctant even to come out of the house to have a look for herself or lend a hand. She wanted Jill to walk him and see if he improved. As Jill kept the horse walking in the arena, she could not get a cell signal, so she made the poor beast walk through the barn and out into the freezing, windy, slippery parking lot while she dialed his owner. Luckily, it was actually a phone number she knew by heart. Her friend, the owner, called the vet herself and frantically announced she would be right over.

By the time her owner-friend and the vet arrived, almost in perfect synchronisity, Jill was having real trouble keeping him on his feet. She was afraid he/they would never forgive her for the way she had to kick at him from the ground with all her might while yanking on the lead shank and yelling at him to keep him from getting down. 


When he did walk, she patted him and consoled him but then his legs would crumple and she would have to get the aggressive/ferocious (life saving kindness) streak out again.

She managed to keep him standing for the shots and the hose thru his nostril into the stomach and all the other aspects of the treatment that saved him. The remedy actually, thankfully, worked, and worked fast. She said in a way she was glad that she wasn't crying wolf and in a way she was sorry she wasn't, when they had commended her for noticing and for taking such prompt action.

He was not himself for a few days afterwards, and she was never sure if it was the medicines or the illness that left him so much recovering to do. And, Jill clearly remembered how the very next day the boss had yelled "you have got to start noticing things." No wonder she hadn't worked there long. She had moved on to better things, and was just sorry for her equine friends still stuck there.

2011-11-08

Double Trouble or Double Pleasure?

It was nice to lead them both back outside together. You just let the old guy follow and he would stop and chomp where the grass was good, between the fenced paddocks.  And then you could lock up the current pony project in the hilly treeline paddock, and then go back and lock the old man up afterwards...

Jill switched their halters, despite their size difference, for the leather was too heavy on the old guy's summer face and was rubbing him raw in places. Now he was out in the faded pink nylon, belonging to the little buddy. 

Their practice ride of the day included gates, without unmounting. They got thru, eventually the first time, but couldn't close it behind them. Jill dismounted to close it. 

*

"I'm just not cuddly" Jill had said, on an impromptu date, explaining her surprise about being a cat person after all, ha.  "You're not?" her date sounded interested and yet slightly disappointed, ha.
*
"I am so jealous right now." Roomie had said, recognizing one of her former riding buddies mounted in the sand ring, while she was on foot, walking up there to audit some more lessons at her mentor's place.  Roomie hadn't been on horseback herself in quite some time...

*
Then coming back, after their road hack, they got it undone, and they got through thru and got it done up again, but not quite correctly latched. It was pretty good though...   The exercise included the kind of gate that she couldn't let go for a second, or it would swing and hit them or swing away from them. 


The pony had to learn to pull or push the gate with small steps on her command and then stand, even with another horse up his bum etc etc etc It was a low chain link and latch for her to bend over and reach, even from such a tiny pony... She was proud of them both!

It was nice to jump all three little x's in the grass ring, bitless, no problem. She could swear he was stronger in the bit, vs. the bitless.   She would dig up that little copper d and change his bit, which was from now on, hopefully just for flatwork, ha. 


She'd also been thinking a lot about the bitless on the roads.

The new blacksmith insisted he would need shoes...

2011-11-06

Cowboy Craze

He's kissed 10 of his facebook friends "so far?" Roomie had decided her cowboy was a slut, she'd seen the 10 second interview question answers he'd posted on his profile.   It was the "so far" part that really cynched it.  

The handsome ones always are, she'd sighed to herself, moving carefully, one step at a time, with calm friendship in mind.

*
He didn't say so, but clearly thought it showed an irresistable passion for horses, and, in fact just charisma and sincere charm in general that she came to the stable on the friday nite of the long weekend, and the saturday/sunday/monday...

She was frustrated with the expense of the hour plus commute and couldn't help but wish that, someday, a man would trailer his horse over to ride with her someplace and every place, ha.
*
"You almost ditched me" jill said, into the arena cold, giving the little bay a boot. as she regained her seat, balance and stirrups. She couldn't believe how he could dart on and on and on unstoppably, almost deer like, once he got started spooking around like that. 

He did not feel afraid, just stubborn and bratty. 

He had leapt about 15 or 20m due right, into the middle of the arena, FAST in a repeated scrambly scoot. And his spooking/refusing nonsense was certainly getting worse instead of better. Jill's neck hurt like when she had whiplash. and she was thankful there was another horse and rider in the arena with her, when it happened.  She thought, at least if she had fallen it she wouldn't have been alone. She was grateful for the comforting company as they trotted round for another 5 or 10 minutes with a small canter each direction before heading back in to the barn.

And then the pony stood well enough to have his mane pulled, thankfully.

Thinking back over the recent mini rides, noticed that, unfortunately, he settled down more the more you raise your voice. She had whispered to him and spoken sternly.  Yo! Who wants to yell at their pony? She told Roomie later "Sometimes you can tell he expects a smack in the head, when you're sitting on his back. I saw him get many smacks in the head and be otherwise roughed up. but now riding him sometimes in some ways it seems like he deserves it.  Jill thought she wasn't making sense.  Deserves it? She did not believe in FORCING a horse, ever. She believed in partnership.

"As i get fitter and stronger, i'll get braver and we will start to have more fun," jill decided. out loud.  And as we build the trust, we can do even more to enhance each other."

She was really happy for time with her old man horse friend as well.  A second horse to groom was extra good.

Tronas must have blue eyes she thought, noticing his blue shirts in facebook profile pictures.  Was he really engaged?

Her lovelife was intense, for all the lonesome wishing.  It had felt weird to be caught between two guys that were "equally in the running," romantically speaking, and to have them each say "he seems like a nice guy."

She thought the fact that she could enjoy the interest of more than one fella probably meant that neither was The One she was holding out for, lol.