To Move or Not To Move (That Stormy!)

"To teach a pony to lie down on command requires many steps," Roomie said, "the first, in my experience, is having a book out of the library about it." The student's parent looked amused rather than panicked so she continued "and from there, it's not much different than teaching a dog. In fact, the horses learn the pattern much faster than a dog. But, because the pony is so big, you need ropes to pull and gently push him down, cleverly engingeered like, when you say DOWN."

Roomie remembered the 10 camp kids leaning on that pig of a pony named Stormy with her. With a lunge line rigged the way the book said and they gently pulled a foot up and pushed down. Slowly... a little more and a little more, day after day.

"Mostly because we couldn't do anything ELSE with him, he was so lazy and stubborn. We decided to follow the steps in the book and by the end of the summer we got him to do it. Once." Jill ended the story with a smile

Those camp kids were the same "lifers" that she'd learned other things with. Like, how to be the boss of people who can do things you can't. There were a few kids that seemed to sign up to come every session all summer every year, and so they'd get inventive. Some of the kids in those good old days could canter standing on a horse's butt, with their arms in the air like an air plane. And they invented lots of groovy dismounts in those vaultage days too.

"That pony, by the way, used to buck me off in front of all those camp kids/students every once in a while too. Like they'd be trying to get him across the creek or something and get bucked off one by and one and so then I'd get on him to school him for once and for all and he'd buck me off into the same heap as all them!

With no additional energy expended on his part whatsoever i assure you. he had a quite a practiced knack to my recollection... but back then i considered those episodes my opportunity to demonstrate the "you get back up and get back on" principle.  That stormy!"

Stormy had come to the Top Notch Riding Academy by mistake. He was an apoolosa/shetland pony cross that NOBODY expected, as in he was the accident that they didn't know had happened until the little pony named Mini was just about ready to pop him out!  She was the smallest pony in the whole barn, who lived in standing stall, and, was obviously, accidentally bred one night that renegade Rocky broke of his stall!
*
Jill had an offer to move.  So, the landlord horse i could to start riding or hanging out with does tricks on VERBAL command! She had never ever taught a horse to B O W before.,She wondered what shenanigins she could get up to on non-riding school private property, ha. 

May Day

"I am keen to ask your mom about her amazing citrus smelling squash recipe." Jill wanted to say to her evil new housemate, gesturing to the the grey haired smiling matron elf in the kitchen, because of the almost empty jar from the fridge.

After smelling it and recognizing the orange liquid and its jar, she'd basically accused the evil house-mate of stealing her very hard earned and hand made homemade organic carrot/orange soup. She had not been shy to challenge the thief in front of friends, directly "Do you know when my soup was taken out of the freezer?"

Jill was still mad at herself after forgetting to take it in the cooler to survive on for her recent drive down to Ocala, Florida. She'd made it because it would be good cold or warm, for lunch or dinner, en route or through out. Most of the jars were frozen.... and she'd forgot them! The evil housemate had said the day before "I brought it back from my parents. Its squash soup my mom made. Oops was it on your side of the fridge?"  He was convincing, but Jill was certain he was a liar. That thawed soup was her own handiwork, not his mom's, but she decided not to make a scene, for the sake of the old folks, and maybe even Roomie, who would be upset when the liar/theif was revealed.

*

Roomie was oblivious to the complications her new love interest was creating at home, and was jabbering about wanting to follow Lyle Lovett's shows at the North Charleston Performing Arts Centre, Savannah Georgia and then Fort Pierce, Clearwater, St, Augustine and Pensacola, Florida. "Lord keep us stead fast in thy word" isn't that a Martin Luther King speech set to tune 1543 Erhalt Uns Herr? She was also, apparently, looking for the hymn's sheet music...
*
Jill knew she should not keep pouring so much energy into worrying about her sister and parents, let alone the minor injustices around her homestead, and she decided to put some more of her life energy into loving the little bay mare she'd recently gotten access to...

This new equine favourite was, of course, out in the paddock as they drove in. Standing near the white shelter, beside the sick gelding who's head was hanging down, the 2 yr old's stance looked to Jill like some herd instinct of a filly protective of her sick brother. He did not look good.

As Jill stepped in the barn trying to decide what to do, the filly came to the indoor, head over the half door, smiling and asking for attention. The stable staffer said she was bringing the sick one in, to try and get a urine sample. but first "do you want to get this one out of the way?" That's when Jill realizes how anxious the young filly was for her attention, proof she enjoyed the challenges and exercises Jill had been bringing her way.

During this particular bi-weekly (instead of a dress shop shift), the little mare went perfectly into canter the very first time Jill asked her, and then came back into Ter-rot, the very first time Jill called out this new vocal command was a joy.

Talking about it with her mom after the lunging session,  "That young one? She is really keen to please me. And, she is smart.  I am really just acting on my intuition too, you know, but it works.  Often the first time.  We are communicating!  Its amazing!  She's amazing!!"

*

Jill had the expression of one of her mentors stuck in mind. he'd been talking to a vet, on the phone about one of the owner's horses, "but, when it is the horses that have to suffer for it, that's when I get irritated"