Surprise and Surveys

The facility was new, big, beautiful and very well run, in that it was well equipped and managed with great care to horse and people health and safety. The place she was pleased to be teaching was run in a  convenient and logical way and was unfailingly clean and friendly -- like a text book equine biz, with healthy, well trained, talented horses that were consistently well treated and well cared for.

Her students had all ridden elsewhere, and she thought they'd chosen well to be students at their current academy.  And then Jill was pleasantly suprised in the random surveys the boss did when more than half her students said their favourite thing about the place was their teacher...  they'd had to add the option on the blank line explaining "other"

But, could she use that positive feedback for the project?  The head coach didn't get that kind of feedback so it could actually be harmful to Jill's reputation instead of helpful.  

With a disturbing number of her peers and distressing number of former bosses, Jill was already so unpopular she thought she may as well try and get paid to be annoying, ha, as a Horse and Human Health and Safety inspector for the Animal Wellness Media outlet.

*

Just what kind of outing had she just invited a guy out to? He probably just wanted to horse around and in hindsight she felt bad for the very girlie nature of the live music she expected to subject him to. AFTER a 2hour volunteer training shift? Holy good deed-ism.  She was very impressed that he was good sport about her ideas and just seemed up for the party...

Leaps of Faith

Jill said "I am not naturally good at the timing of things.  One of the reasons I loved riding Stone cross was that he was so forward my job approaching fences, especially the last three strides, was to sit up and wait. Let him figure it out. With my leg on, of course. But, I could only move into two point postion when we were good and airborne."


At a certain point, on the approach to a jump, you have to give up struggling with your horse, even if you are going too fast.

*
Jill was teasing about cowboy fashion and her friend outdid her. "If you don't like the belt buckle take it off him." counselled Jill's new friend, joking more respect for western was required. Jill had mentioned how he seemed to take everything in stride, and how she liked that about him. He sounded like an interesting guy. And he was handsome, she'd already said, ha.
*
Right now we are letting the feet breath. The chipping is okay, to be expected as those nail holes grow out.
*
She had been winning at everything out at preliminary level, and had him vetted for sale for a higher level, to a more advanced rider because she didn't want to advance.  Only to learn that the was 90% blind. No one could believe he'd been out there doing what he he'd been doing, with ease.
*
"I have never made a horse more happy.  That horse loves the whole underside of her whole entire head scratched and rubbed and brushed to all eternity.  She is SO cuddly."  Jill had liked herding them from one paddock to the grassier one.  Although she realized she ignored the instruction to try and lead them by handfuls of grass ha.


She did not like their limited access to water.  But, when she pinched their skin they did not seem dehydrated.  The fences were too low and very flimsy, if electric, ha.  But the horses respected them.  The mare had a puncture wound on each foreleg near the fetlock and the gelding had stepped on a nail.  Weres the nail buried in the mud? There was not much that could be done right away...


The cats breathing was bad again.  And the little male was hanging his back legs off chairs in weird ways again.  


The pig knew its name was pig!  It was obvious.  Hello Pig, Jill tested over and over.  Vs. hello hens or hello hogs or dog... But she didn't pat it or show any affection beyond some kind words and company, ha.  The sow was enjoying the mud and cool weather.
*
That nite she caught a horse-myth-busting show where the pinch the neck test for dehydration was proved inaccurate. She was pleased they accepted write-in questions, and started a letter right away...

Not To Be Pushy

One of Jill's 7 yr old students was perhaps a little offended when her teacher took a hold of her pony as they left the arena and went-a-walking around the grass field. The rider was elated and so proud of her first ever (on purpose) canter strides in there moments before...

"Just look around -- you could get reeeeeeeally far away from me here, and when you're outside there's a lot more that can be a surprise, and I would hate to be far from you if there was ever a problem." The young girl was riding a frisky spooker of a bolter. 


Sometimes the smallest horse in the barn is the most difficult to ride.

The little beauty replied, "but if there was ever a problem, you could just tell me to halt and I would halt."

The pony took a huge spook not so long after that but they just circled around Jill because of her hand on his bridle, and the kid, bless her heart sat up and stayed on. One more thing to be proud of for that day!


*
He said she'd practically lassoed him, and maybe she had.  Why not? Because of his fans in Peterborough? That was his department, ha.
*
She thought she might try a purple yoga ball in the paddock on Saturday to see if they were afraid of it, or might be convinced to push it around, back to her, etc.  Who knew what would happen.  The first time she'd offered them water to drink on hot day, they'd spooked at the bucket ha.
*

More Not to "Sell"-ebrate?

The boss said Jill had no right to suggest how to run the business.  Fair enough.  But, what Jill had been actually trying to communicate, as tactfully as she could, was her frustration with the obviously intentionally unfair and misleading work proposal.

Jill had been hired by phone for some networking and PR work on a Friday afternoon.  Just as she was en route to a huge conference in their industry.  Jill accepted the offer delightedly!  She took the boss at face value, and got underway doing the exact good work she'd offered to do, all weekend, with confidence and enthusiasm and positive impact...  she was actually pleased to offer the boss untold marketing value with the synchronous timing of their agreement!

On Monday, however, the boss sent an email saying that a weekend review of the budget had revealed, er, a lack of need of that kind of networking. On second thought...  Their arrangement must be cancelled instantly.

Jill noted that there was at least one week's pay offered.  And, she just let it go. After the one ineffective conversation, she'd kept quiet about the "miscommunication."

But she did wonder how that business going now.  Were the rich getting richer?  Cynically, Jill guessed it was a huge success by now because so often the world proved how nice folks finish last, ha.  She felt bad to have promoted a product she did not believe in and certainly did not personally patronage the equine biz in question, so she didn't have a sense of its growth and credibility..

*
The ad in the paper said the mare's name was Sadie.  But when she arrived on site, the horse was known as Bella.   Hmmmmm.  The horse was not sound, and the stories about the numbers of part boarders didn't add up either...  what did that mean?  Jill didn't have to wonder long because it was obvious from the start that her student would not be after a mount like this one.  Alas.

*

"Nameste, W-iiitch." Jill's buddy was always making her laugh, and had an outrageous suggestion for her favourite new retort for many-a-frustrating situation, ha.

Birthday Surprise

Jill's boss was giving a tour and they stopped in to the arena while Jill was teaching a walk trot lesson. It was one of the student's birthdays and so Jill was letting her choose what they worked on the most that day, which was, of course posting trot, ha.

When the visitors came in the arena, they'd been doing an agonizing effort at sitting trot, "okay, all riders. Birthday girl special” Jill instructed, to everyone's delight, ha.

*
Some of the regular students were being given the real low down, so they would remember to close the barn door bottom half when they had a pony in the barn. "Have you heard of clastrophobia? Well, your buddy, the quietest of all the ponies, sometimes gets a case of horse-clastrophoebia and she freaks out and sits down on the cross ties.

If you ever see her start to do that, get away against the wall and shout at her to STAND UP. Some times she will, but sometimes she breaks the cross ties and just stands there. So then you step forward and get her and tie at different set. Okay?"

Jill thought the owner's habit of coming to lean on the crossties at the mare's head only made it worse, but didn't feel at liberty to say so.

*

Dead Meat vs. Healthy Determination

One day Jill chatted with a real tough looking guy on the subway. He had this dog with a metal, mean looking muzzle on it. She wondered if the dog had attacked another one or what, to warrant such a vicious looking hunk of equipment. She had seen a pit bull go mental and basically eat a screeching black lab in the middle of traffic; Also, another of her dog friends was attacked by a pit bull and ran bleeding and quaking and yelping into her (previously his) house to escape; he was never the same and hated all other dogs from that day forward.  One of one her best hacking buddies around then was Koya, whose recovery from a similar traumatizing pit bull attack, Jill could admire, because that dog learned to just stand in fear, and wait out potential risk with other dogs, not lash out, or run.

The lunkhead interrupted her reverie with an answer to her question “It’s the law, man. Only in Canada I tell you. I don’t want no $5,000 fine so this is what I got to do to my harmless little puppy. It’s the owners, I tell ya.”
*
The image of the man beating on the donkey to get it to move was stuck in her mind.  A donkey will stay put til it feels safe so everything the guy was doing was not only cruel, but completely ineffective.  How could she make a difference?

She was listening to the horse-meat discussion on the CBC, and there were very good points raised.  Jill thought if you were gonna eat meat, then why waste horses?  Or even dogs and cats. Given the world's overpopulation and the starvation of many animals, including humans, maybe it was right to thin the herd rather than keeping everything alive for all time out of kindness...

Of course you might not want to consume the retired racehorses for the legal and illegal substances they were possibly full of, including bute.  That probably went for school horses and work horses then.  But what about the mustangs?

America has a slaughter ban, which meant other kinds of cruelty in Jill's mind.  Meanwhile, on the air there were reports of how ineffective processes on kill floor were in Canada for equines, because they are so different from other animals...

It made Jill so upset to think about she didn't even want to go to the barn.  But, what to do, what to do, what to do...

*
The horse tried to run out and the student prevented that, but the beast stopped, spooking at the jump... The rider almost came off but regained her seat. "Okay good," said the instructor in that split second. Then nearly screeching at the impressionable teenager, Jill added "Now, ride like a banshee! Go on!! go!"

It was probably the wrong word, but the rider seemed to know what she meant and used her seat and pushed the horse up in front of her leg and they leapt the obstacle from a standstill.   The instructor was jumping up and down in the middle of the arena, cheering, and the fellow students joined in the applause too, drowning out the sound of the pats the rider gave her mount's neck, ha.

Seeing the Light?

Roomie said she'd seen Lyle Lovett the night before he married Julia Roberts. She could so easily remember how he took a phone call, on his cell phone, while on stage! She didn't know then who the celebrity caller was, and he didn't tell the audience in that moment that he was betrothed, he just explained it was his girlfriend...  Roomie LIKED it, it was goofy fun mid concert - whereas most of his shows are incredibly precise, they become almost formal in their mesmerizing wonderfulness, this one was just kind of whacky.

And then, roomie was really surprised to hear the news, that Lyle and Julia had just wed, while on hold, at her job the next day... "He is awesome. I'm SUCH a fan. Can you tell?"

*
The students couldn't hear the instructions for the rain teeming down on the arena-tin roof. Jill approached each one of them individually, as they trotted by to say, "in case of emergency, HALT."

As she made her way over to the door to the barn to ask the owner what the business policy was for lighting storms and spooky horses and continuing to ride in metal buildings in such conditions... there was a tiny gap in the downpour-racket, and one row of lights went out.

So, Jill shouted to all of them at once "if we lose the lights, halt and dismount and just stand there holding your horse til you hear me shout something to do. and, remember that your horse can see in the dark better than you can."

She wasn't even done the sentence and the arena went dark. but there was more light than she would have expected coming in thru the outside door so she could see them all perfectly halted. "time to practice the rest" she shouted and as quick as the wind they did. within seconds a huge gust of bizarre rainy wind came howling in, with branches and debris and a huge clap of thunder and all the horses, even the really quiet school horses, started freaking out.

These were strong students though, who circled the horses around them while Jill opened the door to the barn and told them to take the horses to their stalls, which was successfully managed, thank god. There was power in the barn and they untacked there forgoing the rest of their ride time (RIGHT BEFORE A SHOW THIS WEEKEND DANG IT).

The barn staff thought she had SHUT the lights off it was so oddly timed, and because of her use of the word "practice."

Separation Anxiety

Jill liked chatting with a big guy holding two draft horses, ha.  She told him how it was hard teaching with the broodmare pony herd at first, because she was the one teaching Total Beginner privates, and the mares were long out of being in practice at being alone, although they were lovely athletes for stronger riders...

Whichever "quiet" pony the head coach or owners suggested or even that Jill chose, she would whinny the whole time.  Which would cause the herd to run the paddock the entire time.  Which made the student and spectators uptight, not to mention Jill, who could NOT be heard about the din.

Her cowboy buddy at the time suggested a plastic bat toy for whacking them per whinny so they'd soon learn to shut up. Yowza, not her style.

Instead she recruited volunteers to hold or walk companion animals, teaching horsemanship to pony-trainers for free and developing rider skills for her students at $15 per hour.  Hour of pure Joy however!!!  She was very disappointed that by the time she had every body trained and even matched into group lessons, the head coach was ready to squeeze her out...

*
Can you feed a horse pumpkin? Jill was not sure how to answer the visitors enquiry.  Horse's digestive systems were pretty persnickity since they could not throw up, and they could DIE from a simple stomach ache.  In the end, Jill researched that it would be fine for them, which didn't surprise her given that she fed it to her cats...  She thought of her friend's overrun backyard and vowed this season to toss a few into the paddock.
*
The guy she thought might be her record producer wanted to know if she was romantic with the guy who come with her to the open stage.  The answer was kind of yes but really no.  "Have you heard the concept of a teaser pony?" He shook his head.  Jill thought she should try and explain it "Well if a mare resists live coverage in a breeding shed, it can be dangerous for both horses, and even the people around them.  So, in some facilities they present an enthusiastic but small pony stallion to a mare that is in season, in order to help and get her in the mood for her real stallion."

The Awesome Hots played in the background, "I Wait For You."

Creatures of Habit

"She doesn't like her head touched," the tour guide explained, while the old mare leaned her head over to Jill and rubbed her lips on the visitor, ha.

The other mare, the big one, the most difficult, the Belgian, enjoyed meeting Jill too.  It was obvious.  And all day, whenever Jill looked over there to the paddock, the mare was looking back at her too.

It helped of course that she'd thrown piles of long tall grass into the sandy paddock several times when she passed by through out the day.  With the knack of timing the three piles so the big mare got the most, but no fights broke out, true.  But also there was the fact that horses ENJOYED leadership.  That someone was the boss of them was RELAXING, lol

Also, they learn by pattern.  So if their first pattern with you is that you are afraid of them, they pick up on your fear and are MORE afraid than you are (because the BOSS is afraid so it must be really bad...

Jill told the story of not being afraid of heights (aka refusing draft barn training for a fill in position) only to find herself standing on the edge of a windy cliff (aka surrounded by giant dinasours alone) ha.

And, Jill hoped to spend more time with them!

Speaking of which, had she actually handed a guy a piece of paper with her email, phone, name, date, time and location on it? LOL.

Jill's roomie had once been the youngest person doing such a job in Canada.  And, she was woman in job class that was 80+% men, so she felt proud that she'd actually broken through the glass ceiling, even if her pay cheque wasn't quite up to the par.  When she told the story of falling in love with her first husband, it was because she awoke to him playing John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in me on the Piano."

Her date charmed Jill at least with his retort, "I would have fallen for Joe if I'd heard him do that song." He went on with other stories, such as that he'd been at a Blue Rodeo members solo show in small town with only about three people were in the audience.  And, that the rockstar came to his backyard the next day with a six pack and played music all afternoon...  "That's why I can never bother to catch a Blue Rodeo show at Ontario Place or whatever giant venue."

A Fall or Not To Fall

"Ya, that's how you do it." Just as Jill forgot herself and got the hang of rocking the dollarstore tambourine AND singing around the campfire, the woman's pleasing voice was in her ear, encouraging. Overdue support? How Jill longed for encouragement!!!  A new horse friend instrumental her music circle? Giddy UP!

Jill remembered the former co-worker who had provided the woman's number way back when.  Jill had never dialled because of all the other ill advice said co-worker had provided, she recognized in hindsight as in jealous spite.  She'd assumed back then, it was a different kind of set-up... but now it surprised her that it turned out that she WANTED to spend time with the so-recommended woman and was lamenting all the time she'd allowed to pass before trying to connect.

Her roomie had a less uplifting update on her date with a fellow prof from the University.  On paper, he was a text book perfect match, but she didn't find herself super keen for more of his company... "He wanted to tell his stories all night and not hear any of mine.  And, he doesn't make me laugh."  Uh oh.

Jill had known many shy guys that took a while to relax and let their funny side show and so she encouraged the idea of just spending some nice quality companionship time again to see how things may unfold...  Roomie was also uncomfortable with her fellow trainers talk about their boss.  She was getting tired of covering for the new recruit, and trying to create harmony in the farm community as a one-woman project.  She had once been known as an amazing team leader - when she worked in the financial services world, they would send her into problem branches to effectively motivate her peers and subordinates, and sometimes they would even gather problem employees and send them along to her management skills for rehabilitation at the very same time.  But, she wasn't in a position authority at this farm and didn't want to invest that kind of skill and effort for $12 an hour either.


At the barn Jill admitted "You are a hard student for me to teach, because you are so good, ha. My specialty is the first timers who have never even been around a horse before, or the nervous nellies that want to take it slow, or the unique learners or....   But, at least we know I challenged you." 
Jill said, laughing making light of the fall.  Despite her focus on inexperienced horsepeople, Jill could use even the difficult, rescue or high-level horses in her work with beginners.  She created magic when she used her inherent gifts.

The trees around the property line were all golds and reds.  A magnificent year.  The beauty of it almost left her bruised.

Her young co-worker of the day was trying to brag while doing stalls, that despite all her time with horses she had never fallen off.  "Do you know what my family used to say when I tried to brag that I hadn't fallen off for a while? They would shrug disinterested and say ' Well obviously you haven't been trying anything very hard.'"

The rider retorted "You might have to walk the course, as demo for me," showing a bit of fear about the challenge ahead of her.  And then, she went on and won two firsts at the weekend show!

Sport Office Work?

Jill was well aware that the facility owner insisted on over-ruling the certified coaches, on what should be taught to students and how, and eventually she fired each and every one by one. It seemed she preferred subordinate staff with less knowledge, professionalism and training as teacher. So then, why was she allowed to maintain membership in the accredited facilities that were expected to have a certified head coach?

Jill had heard Cavalia was seeking a barn manager, but she was sure she was too late to apply. Instead she was considering another more current want ad.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and manage detail.
organizational and computer skills, excellent oral and written communication skills.
high ethical standards and the ability to manage confidential information.
capable of providing effective leadership and supervision of staff.
knowledge of rules, experience with a discipline recognized by the Federation and current License as Official

Q. If you are not a resident of the greater Lexington area, are you willing to relocate at your own expense?

She liked to imagine living in Lexington. She knew could take the heat in Georgia, Arizona and Texas and love it more than anybody. California and Florida didn't even get warm enough, but Kentucky would have some of the warmth she craved right? 

Then, since Jill was not legally able to work in the United States, she wished the Canadian Sport Office would hire her for such a role instead. She was daydreaming and not getting any applications progressed.  She missed working! 

And then, she was nostalgic about the date that Jim said "I am really impressed with your stride. People are always telling me slow down slow down but we walk in a comfortable rhythm."

Jill had thought he had a charming smile, and was glad to see his eyes without the sunglasses for a change, ha, and she liked holding his sandpaper farm boy/farrier hand through the crowds on the street of the big city.

Meanwhile, she'd told her friend the night before, "He's the boss's brother, I am not even going to hold his hand." ha.

Calm and Longing

Jill heard he had a new part boarder and she wasn't even jealous. She'd only riding twice a week anyway, and if someone else was gonna keep him loose and fit while treating him nicely who was she to complain about it?


There was a handsome friend of a friend watching the group warm-up that night.  Was it that the teacher noticed that Jill's horse was especially stiff as the lesson got underway, or was she helping her student show off? She surprised Jill saying "get up off his back and go round a few times in canter." So, Jill did and then the teacher said "Now, hand gallop." Whoo hoo! "Faster, she insisted, C'mon now - GO!" The other riders all came in off the track and Jill was having a blast.

When the teacher said to bring him back to trot, Jill asked the obvious question. "But, we hadn't even warmed up! (?)"

She said, well you could have trotted around for 40 minutes to get warmed up, or you could have done that.


When they got to the private part of the class, Jill felt the teacher was merciless. Jill had put the snaffle on the bay so she could ride with her mitts instead of dealing with the four riens of the pelham in gloves for the cold instead, but her arms got to ache from how strong he was pulling.

The teacher got them jumping in a circle and keeping the curve of the circle while cantering over the jump round and round while he pulled harder and harder and harder and went faster and faster and faster and Jill got more and more tired and then finally, he did bend enough laterally to satisfy the teacher and they got to

sigh

change direction.

*
Jill believed it was better to be single than sorry... and, she was glad to be independent and comfortable in her own company. How else could she have enough time for all her animals and interests and projects?

But, then again, sometimes, especially on a Friday or Saturday night, she wished for company. and, she remembered how nice it could be to kiss, and be kissed.

Mutual Feelings

Jill was steamed to realize that her full seat white breeks had not been returned to her.  There was no way she was fitting into the 26" waist and had put them for sale on the table at the stable.  But the boss had moved them and now they were gone!

The instructor assessment form completed for her by the clinician noted that her drill ride exercise was challenging and fun.  The group seemed very comfortable to ask questions, and the group interaction was very nice with each other and with coach.  As an instructor she was very enthusiastic and encouraging but needed to continue working on lesson plans and focusing on aids, as well as more frequent "how-to" descriptions.

As soon as the boss said her coaching detail was great and the students, parents and horses loved her, Jill could sense the but...  The boss didn't like her and as soon as she said it out loud, Jill was relieved.   She felt the same way!  They wrapped up the probationary period with no hard feelings, and Jill did not have to get used to telling students to remember their "dressage crop." etc.

*

"You can really see the difference in their ages, by how close they stand to their mother eh?" now that there were THREE brand new babies on the property, two of the brood mares were out together with their offspring, and Jill loved working on the farm to learn these kinds of things first hand.

*

"See, here you pinch with your knees..." Jill heard an Equine Studies program staffer providing incorrect information about riding position on the model horse.  Old-fashioned to her mind anyway...

*

What's the safest way to carry a hoofpick while riding? Jill wondered, yearning for saddle bags.  Was there even really such a thing?  And, since she was wondering things, why, why, why was she sitting at the library at a computer when the weather is so perfect for riding?

*

"There is no 'til death do us part anymore." Jill sighed to the cowboy's surprise. He'd found her so conservative.  "People live longer now. People change and grow throughout their lives now-a-days and might not do all that with just one special someone."

A New Chapter

Jill was proud of the fact that she'd graduated the week before (finally) from simply schooling the school horses to riding a young horse that the head coach/trainer didn't get to that day. A few days later when the boss asked if she could help set up/settle the two top show horses at the giant Palgrave facility for a show, she was excited to and said yes. The boss said "bring your boots and your hat though, because you might want to take one of them for a hack." (whoo hoo)

Even though they had only met the once, she had him on her mind.  Jill knew he had referred to his girlfriend that March.  Were they still seeing each other that fall? Or, the next spring? It was a very long-standing crush. She didn't know how to find out, or how much it actually mattered whether her fantasies were adulterous or just simply ridiculous, ha.  She couldn't help wishing for a quick trip to Arizona for June - who knew what could happen where the land itself was magic?  She had areoplan points but needed to save them for a trip in the sunshine next winter.  She was thinking of booking soon...
*

At her other horse-pace, Jill saw a horrible horse emergency that morning. The calm, trustworthy filly she was to jog later had her head stuck, the halter snagged on the bolt on the outside of the stall door.  Jill walked in the barn and couldn't understand the mare's weird expression and pose, over half door.  What was she doing?  Then Jill saw that the the nylon halter was caught.  Jill could see it needed to slide like a millimeter the right direction and the horse would be free.  

Arizona was frozen there and Jill went over saying "okay whoa girl i am going to help you with this" wondering if she could somehow cut it off the horse, thankful the mare was so still. Jill touched the halter to give it a tiny tug for freedom and the horse FREAKED OUT. Scrambling backwards, or attempting to,  with all her horse power.  A horrible scrambling clatter of hooves on the floor and wall with her head still stuck and the friggin halter would not give.  She was hanging herself and almost ripping her own face apart and it was horrible.  Jill watched saying easy, easy, easy and not knowing what to do... until thank god a buckle broke, and provided the needed slack, and she was freed.

Jill almost cried with relief and Arizona kicked the stall walls about four times really hard after that.  Jill was glad she hadn't been INSIDE there trying to help.   Her heart pounded for a long time after that and the pony was freaked too, you could tell. poor thing.

When the boss-vet came in, he had a look at all the rub marks and self-inflicted burns and scratches but pronounced her well and lucky enough overall.

A Boy of Good Breeding

She was driving his truck and trailer for him while he couldn't and getting paid $10 hr for it.  Plus, he was a good teacher about the backing up stuff as he passenged.   And, they were having a good time together.  The farm boy/farrier said, "A man should want to be with a smart a woman.  After all, if you can't talk after the act then what's the point?" He was wooing her, obviously, but it seemed truthful.


Jill said she was waiting to have sex til it would be special, between two people really in love and ready to share their spirits along with their bodies. "Don't you just want to save it for love?" she asked her friend-only.  He was honest also about only looking for friendship, ha.


Her doctor had said "You don't show immunity for HPV." and Jill didn't know what it was.  She still didn't, after the doctor explained it, but she didn't want to be sold the needle.  Because she wasn't sexually active like that and besides, she didn't really like vaccines!  The doctor actually encouraged her to go out and get physically romantic with someone, she'd said like laughter, it can be good for your health!  Especially given the other medical issues they'd been discussing, ha.  Such a modern outlook!  It really opened Jill's mind to consider the advice...


At the book launch, Jill loved how the authors made funny about the many times they'd been taken to task for the very autobiographical nature of their fiction.


*


It was pretty clear he wasn't speaking to her, when he shouted for his brother-only, who was not in the barn, while Jill was. "Joe, Joe! Come and see this flock of birds!" he was enthused by something as they flew overhead.

Jill watched the brand new baby filly twitching in the straw and itched for a camera. Why had her $100 Walmart special had to die so young?

The two month old colt looked GIANT all of a sudden, because it was a Monday and she'd had a day off.  He'd become a bit dog-like, with too much leg, in his little tiny halter... he was so gangly in the paddock. He now got to go out twice a day with his momma.

Jill remembered doing the brood mare's stall in her barn, when her ready-for-the-prom-now filly had been about that size...

If only the next mare to foal would also be right on time. Maybe one of these days Jill would actually get to see a baby be born!
*
Jill thought the most romantic words ever in song were about coffee, and a kiss on the forehead. "Honey its so early. Maybe we shouldn't speak yet."

Hard to Catch?

Well obviously the emergency-peppermint-bribe from the other day worked, because when Jill approached the old guy, their little buddy came right over demanding attention. Or maybe it was because he'd run and run and run til he needed cooling out (when the old guy was brought in before him) the night before that taught him the lesson?


They were trying a new turn out routine, the old guy in the ring and the little guy with the treeline hill paddock.. it was a pain when you wanted to ride the little guy in the ring. Jill knew the horses would be better off together, as they had been at their previous location, but the owner forbade it. 

Jill was pleased to see the fence where the top panels were down had been fixed. And, obviously a leadshank tied around the latched gate was a new procedure, to prevent them from getting together... Jill wondered just which one was acting as the escape artist.


There was water in all the water buckets and she was riding by 8am in the morning. whoo hoo! With people around working on the property even - they were heading to the horsepark for a pre-show school.

Until his feet were trimmed, Jill was still taking it slow. They trotted in the grass ring, walked and trotted the gravel part of driveway, past the not flapping today flag, And then went all the way to road on the asphalt driveway thru the pond. It was further than they'd ever gone, and it was with no long stops to settle. He was getting better about the spinning around, and, she didn't even have a crop! 


Jill remembered how at the last place, where she'd been the employee she wasn't allowed to take him outside "He'd kill you." was the boss's judgement, clearly not one to go outside on their own.
*
Jill tried to incorporate nutrition and general health care into the theory parts of her riding classes.  Like a physical education teacher, because of having done the Coaching Association theory courses as part of becoming certified.  But she found that many stables weren't interested in the free government resources available, and didn't want to use them in their student education or libraries.  Of course those were often the facilities owned by smokers or where the instructors had to duck off the property for a smoke now and then...
*
The old guy wouldn't be caught to have his hooves picked and sprayed. But he was moving nicely and looking happy and perhaps showing a little less rib? Speaking of which, Jill herself was pleased to cooking and eating. Aloo gobi, Daal and some other successful new recipes. She was on a roll, and was impressed when her guest was impressed!

She was given a free bike had been delivered. and riding on it for a second it made her start to think it was actually possible to get underway riding to riding...
*

"Are you the same John that used to own Potsie and Ophie about 100 years ago?" Jill asked the guy on facebook.  He replied "Yes."

"I bought that mare from you. I rode that mare for you. Coseka, remember? Named after the stock."

He had been a stockbroker then, not a blacksmith. Jill remembered how he never drank coffee in the early morning cold, just hot water and lemon.

"What'd you do with her?" he wanted to know.  She had a terrible accident. In the valley where she was turned out. She fell down a hill and got wedged under a tree and lay upside for too long before they could rescue her. All the muscles on her right side were killed and would never be restored. but we were able to find her home with a family on a farm, where she became like a family pet.

It had broke her 17 year old heart. She took a break from horses after that.

*

When Jill and Dee took Ophie and Postie out hacking, they rode out the back of the property, and there was an orchard. that was always a good place on the way home to stuff your tucked-in-shirt full of apples for later. You could just totally drop the reins and trust the horse's feet to stay put, as they stuffed their faces full of apples from the ground for right then and there.

Jill and Dee would ride around the corner and up the shoulder of the paved road to the concession roads left and then right again, to the Limehouse park. And then they'd jump all the benches and sometimes even the picnic tables to impress the baseball players, if they were up there.

Jill could remember how her blood bay standard bred cross always wanted to keep the lead. Especially if there were several in their group. When she really needed speed, to catch up or pass, she would break in to trot to overtake someone else's canter. It was fun for Jill to post up down in a kind of speedster slow motion, while they travelled at top speed. It was one of the only ways to slow her down.

There was a forest route to take on the way home if you wanted.  Those were also the days they biked 17 km to the barn to do the chores to earn the rides and then biked 17km home.

Another Kind of Show

"He's mad. like, he's doing it, but he is taking a tantrum" Jill said to her fellow spectator in amusement, gesturing to the stallion at the far end of the ring.

"How do you know?" she replied. Jill was shocked, didn't everyone see the way he was STOMPING and chomping while he did the "Spanish Walk" his trainer was asking him for?  She'd thought she was just drawing attention to what was obvious, if you looked to that partnership instead of the one that was more centre stage.

After that she started explaining everything to her, checking for interest. "That is shoulder in.  Do you see he's travelling in three tracks? That is half pass because you can see his feet crossing right?" Jill was amazed that other people in the seats were listening too.

She thought, I have so much to learn, ha, but I would learn it out loud, I swear.
*
She wasn't, in all honesty, much of a fan of the arab-looking desert horse breed, Achal Teke.  And, the scrappy looking stallion Etikette, for example is not as flashy or technically handsome, perfectly built as a young trakhener like the other on display.   In fact, he had a sort of scarred up lean machine shape, a having had a life look to him.  And, in fact he seemed a bit difficult. A horse with a napoleon complex?But, the heart and talent to back it.

Jill thought he was mad to be in the arena. She dreamed of saving the indoors for kur practice, to see if he likes music. She dreamed of riding while the nutcracker suite was playing.  It would require a lot of different TRANSITIONS you know, and creativity, but it would work....

Dreams, Dreams, Dreams

I feel like a princess!" Jill said, as she exited the WEG shuttle bus. "You should!" her new, elderly acquaintance agreed. "This is one of the more expensive hotels in the area." After she'd blurted the p-word, she remembered how she'd told her band-mate on departure, "Of course I'm okay with going alone. And, of course I've got 8 hours to invest investigating what passes are flying, ha. It is after all, a handsome prince who has invited me." She'd had no idea really, at that point, how AMAZING the whole experience would turn out to be.

Her Australian bus-seat neighbour had once shipped a horse from Perth to Japan, when sold for $95,000. His wife was retiring from competition then, and that was a long time ago… One of their travel buddies, then and there, in fact, owned a horse on the team, and traveled to all the shows, but he was getting a bit frail for the next Olympics at 86!




Her traveller friend wanted to know now how the instructor certification process was in her country. Jill enthused that at least there was, at least, basically ONE certifying body in Canada, and not such a confusing array of credentials as in the country they were both visiting for the horse show… "but, in terms of actual horsemanship and riding skills I'd say pony club was the stronger model. Do you have that too?" Jill was glad she had that background to bring to the process, and in common with her new chum. "I have to admit that the whole national certification process in Canada was useful in terms of developing my teaching skills ~ especially in terms of an ability to formalize lesson plans and build progressions etc. But the nonsense about almost failing because I braided with elastics and not wool or because my belt buckle didn't show enough, THAT's a bunch of malarky." Her companion was nodding in agreement! He'd liked the Instructor's Handbook she'd purchased that day at the Pony Club booth on the horse park.




And then he amused her citing verbatim all the pony club rules he did not adhere to on their farm back home where they did still have two horses, ha.
*
She'd asked a lady sitting in the stands beside her, if the little bay stallion was a Conermera too. She shrugged, even though she had in fact been there since the beginning of the demonstration and also had the official literature. "I always thought that being a GREY was part of hailing from the Irish breed" Reading over her shoulder Jill pointed out the phrase about breed colouring and commended her for clarifying, "good work!" The woman gave Jill her brochure ha.

When she passed the driver on the pathway later Jill announced, "What a beautiful horse you have!" The woman in the lovely hat, who had driven in the 4-wheeled combined driving carriage asked, "the bay?" and Jill smiled and nodded. She was a sucker for a bay horse.

She forgot to take pictures at the Natural Horsemanship clinic. And, she had mixed feelings about the suggestion to drop the rope in doubt or trouble, but everything else was fun to watch…

*
"And what sport is that?"

Jill could easily still recall how her respect for him skyrocketed exponentially the day he asked that at a conference meeting, seeking clarification of a board members claim to animal cruelty. She could also remember how she got on the phone immediately trying to rustle up a mount for the hunt the very next day!

Seeing Stars

Was Jill flirting, teasing or serious when she asked him, "My dad says that sometimes the caddies are smarter than the players, do you think it could it work that way for grooms?


Jim had the lead shank, controlling the pulling horse and the video camera falling off his shoulder and the towel he was trying to use to clean the beast a little... and, though Jill was just spectating - not officially working, she offered to help "do you want me to hold something?"

"Me" he said, making her laugh and then handing over the horse...

When they'd walked over to the ring together he said he was glad the pizza took so long to come last night, because he liked looking at the stars together and getting to know her a little better. She appreciated his flirtations and flushed with the memory of when they'd met at the horse trailer at 6:30 am that morning. She still felt half asleep when he told her she looked nice, and then she'd gasped to see a shooting star like he had suggested she watch for, especially early in the mornings.

"Do I smell romance in the air? her friend, also spectating at the show wanted to know. 


And, Jill admitted that instead of losing boyfriends because they hate playing second fiddle to horsies, "I like the idea of FINDING a beau IN the horseworld -- that way, he'll understand... not to mention lend-a-hand!"

Memory Lane

Jill had found a shared accomodation arrangement just before she started 1st year at the U of Moo, and she had never moved out.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?  It seemed to work for everybody in the house.   Her landfamily was a single mom voice coach and music professor 17 years her senior, and her 2 children. The boys were not that interested in horses, but it was one passion the women shared...


She was surprised therefore to come home from working the Mane Expo to find one of her old Pony Club yearbooks on the coffee table between the young guys sitting there playing video games.  Even more surprised when the youngest commented that even though her helmet is not done up, she looks like a good rider, just sitting there on "a bay." Jill picked up the book and it fell right open to the photo of the horse-partner she remembered was named Baye.  There was a poem she'd written there too.  She wasn't thrilled to read it:

i am horse
people beat me with whips
stick spurs in my side
make me do jumps
or stop on a dime
BUT
i get carrots and apples
and room service food
people clean my room daily
i'm scratched and i'm cuddled
i'm horse and i'm loved.


"There's another picture of me in here," she showed the boys one where she was not mounted but was dolled up "EARINGS at the barn!? Nailpolish too. I guess to match the chaps?"

She could actually remember that day.  She was coaching students at a show and recalled how lil Mr. Poppy won a white ribbon for third place and screeched her name in quite a scene and was running to show it to her up close up, when he fell with it in a huge mud puddle in front of all the spectators.

"They gave him a new ribbon." She emphasized his gender as she gestured to the boys, showing his picture and telling them how he'd purchased his horse with his commercial money.  They were both actors.  His profile read pony club level, D age 8, mount:  Pop, 3/4 arab 1/4 welsh 4 yr old chesnut pony, 13.2 hands

"Pop is very nice and she protects me. Once she tried to climb a ladder because other students asked her to. Her brothers and sister are show ponies in the states. She bucks but I don't fall off anymore. She loves the stallion at our barn. She comes into season everytime he walks by! She's a silly pony and we all love her A LOT!"

His quote about why he enjoyed pony club was "the snacks and the movies and christmas."

Jill didn't seem to have been asked that question.  But it stuck in her mind how the caption about her mount Baye, was actually the story of her whole entire life: "I've been riding this horse all summer but the owner is back so I'm not sure who I will be riding now,  perhaps the very green mare that's just arrived..."
*
Before she'd taken the week long contracts to work the booth at a few different equine trade shows for the bitless-bridle folks, she'd done a few personal trials, at stables she frequently visited ~ mostly focused on horses she really thought might really benefit, but also on those that the one cob-sized nurtural model she'd picked up would simply, actually fit.  


First she took it to the cowboy's place, where she was riding the only English horse on the property.  A challenging mount to get over the bridge/creek on the driveway and sometimes a speedy/spookster, she'd asked the handsome property owner to keep her company while she tried the little thoroughbred completely BITLESS for the first time ever.  It felt good to be under the supervision (aka full on one on one attention) of such a sexy handsome, ha.  He didn't think bitless was a big deal at all, in fact every horse he broke went in a hackmore as the first step ~ which was also good influence.  Jill did not concentrate on the fact that he tended to ride quiet quarter horses, while her mounts could tend a little more to the firey side.  And then, not only did the new bridle fit her horse-friend perfectly it work like a charm, both indoors and out, for the goals of the ride that day.


At the english place she was teaching, there was marvellous success with the flea-bitten grey school pony who had the terrible headshaking habit.  Jill had always thought it looked like the sweet, calm mare was in pain rather than being difficult and had suggested to the boss/owner countless times that she suspected a tooth problem.   She was not at all surprised that the dead quiet school horse did better in the trial tack, and Jill was delighted to imagine beginner students balancing on the reins with no bit. 

She'd only used it on the speedster of a black mare she hoped would be her partner for the Level 8 Rider Exam once. The little black pony that was so strong indoors and out, driven or ridden, didn't seem easier or harder to stop with the alternating gear, but Jill missed the feeling of having the beauty on the bit!

During the fair, Jill did not admire the design of the one in use for the first time in the North arena, as much as the figure 8 design of the one she was representing. Overall, she was actually quite unsettled by the unsafe nature of the tent pegging display! She was glad when they stopped it and concluded it as they did, but she wondered if it would be detrimental to her sales.  It was true that both horses it worked really well with in her experience would be proven to have tooth issues shortly thereafter, but Jill was still able to sell the product, honestly, from the heart, because of the trials...