2013-12-30

A Winter Moment with Mouse

"Be Careful AJ!" next Roomie told the highlight of her day.  A farm owner was running past the open door to the arena, as her little buddy was spooking within it.  She had been done lungeing, and, about to mount.  First they'd heard some human yelling, tensing him up at the mounting block and then the thundering horse hooves, which had inspired him to drag her into the arena.  What was going on? As the bay took another big spook, freak out, making him hard to hold, AJ whipped off his tack.  First saddle, then bridle.
Resting them safely out of such a chewers reach on the viewing chairs in a swift, effective movement, AJ locked the arena gate closed behind her and jogged out the snowy laneways between paddocks.
Three horses were loose. 2 year olds. A bay, dark bay and the super excitable leader, a chestnut with an amazing white marking on the barrel.
By the time she got close, chore girl had one in hand. She'd brought a halter along with her lead shank.  They were all calmly walking towards AJ, who had a leak shank in hand.  "Want me to try and catch the other bay?" she had gestured with just the rope.  "Na, you can just kind of herd them from behind," she was instructed, standing back to let the herd pass by.  And then, the two loose horses began to run again, trotting at first and picking up speed through separate fenced aisleways between the other paddocks (containing equally excited equines), as the other farm owner was arrived calmly on scene.  "There's a halter there, if we need one," AJ gestured to the nearest fence post.  "What, they won't let you near them?" he asked, grabbing the halter, she'd finally realized was there. 
A.J. was useful in containing the loose two, as he haltered the troublest-maker, and as the farm hand rejoined her fellow humans, having successfully enclosed the other horse in its originally intended paddock.  She caught the darkest bay with the re-useable halter, and soon after the 3-some of 2yr olds was successfully "turned out" for their shift.
When A.J. had returned to her charge in the area, she could tell he had done quite a bit of running around, and then also, calmed down.  She put his bridle on and sat on him for a minute.  This moment of riding bareback was a beautiful intimacy.

2013-04-21

"You're like getting your Phd, in horses" Jill said to Roomie

2013-04-06

Entanglements


As Jill walked over to get the stallion from the round pen, she caught sight of the open paddock gate behind the barn. Leaf was standing right there and at first she went running over there to shoo him back in, especially because of one of the old retired bay escape artists who was standing right behind him.

But, as she got closer, she realized he was stuck. Obviously he had been pawing at the gate, and gotten his foot thru -- and, in trying to release his foot, he had pulled the gate open. She stopped trying to herd him but continued approaching, she did not want to see him freak out and break free.  To get him to stop pulling back, as she approached, Jill started cooing at him, and he responded by relaxing some. 

Luckily, she had just unwrapped a granola bar for herself that she could offer to him, and then feed to him while she pulled his foot up, while pulling the gate towards her at the same time, to release him.

Normally quite a spooker, and one of the biggest horses on the property despite his age of not yet 3, Jill was proud of how still and sensible he had been, at her request. And that she had been so effective. Not to mention, she patted herself on the back for her generosity in giving away her breakfast again, ha.

Talk about your lucky timing. in sooooooooooooo many ways!
*
Jill had learned to check the official website of the sport office, before putting in any mentoring hours with a so-called senior coach.  But, the provincial website sort of seemed to her like a sport office popularity contest, where they just published credentials of their most secretly adored, instead of the full list the media, or the public would expect.  She couldn't prove it and wouldn't even try, but that's what her spidey senses told her...

She took pictures of some horses for her volunteer newspaper reporting.  Since someone at the barn had given them permission, the law was that they didn't need any release forms signed from the horse owner.  She was really glad for the journalism training the publication was giving her, because one day she thought she might really work in the news.

She was afraid to progress the interviews for work.  Would she really want to travel so much to make a living? Or to put down roots in an other country? Just when she was thinking she'd found a real home, her mind began to wander...

2013-03-26

The Rules Have Changed!



As A.J. walked with her bareback student, hand on the pony's bridle, around the big hayfield, the youngster confided, "I'm probably not going to jump bareback, until I am like, sixteen or so."  A. J. enjoyed stealing this idea and the pleasure of a bareback walk from her weatern-horse-camp, once-a-year, big city neighbour - a weekly babysitting charge/bandmate who had somehow inspired her to return to lost-as-an-adult Equestrian pursuits.  Easily, suddenly, at this unforeseen stage of her life, A.J. was very glad to have an economically sound reason to commute out of the big metropolis and head to horse country, a couple times a week, having re-connected with a coach of her youth.  With the acceptance of a part time job offer!  This was her first teaching session as a re-employee at the Top Notch Riding Academy she had once come through, and had continued to admire...

Before she knew it, she was getting hollered at in the barn my her re-boss.  "We don't go bareback anymore! The insurance company doesn't allow it!" A.J. was secretly later gratified when the grand-father witness to the reprimand assured her, "It was a good lesson today." He acknowledged even the value of the bareback part, without having to say so.  He was the father of one of her former riding buddies, the child's mother.  A.J. was in heaven.  Wait til she got home to share the news with Jill!

It was exhausting to shout against the wind, standing in the sun, for that many hours.  And, that's exhausting before one even factors in the patience factor.  A.J. taught six or seven hours without even a lunch break.  She was so tired after the first day of re-work that that she couldn't even sweep up after the last student or double check that the tack was all put away correctly.  She just went straight home and fell asleep in all her grunginess.

In the morning, she woke up and put on the same breeches and headed back for more of the same.

The rider phobias, the horse personalities and day to day attitudes, the weather conditions, not to mention traffic issues and the planned lesson plan challenge of the day.  Was the teacher also allowed to have a mood in her unfamiliar new surroundings?

*

Roomie said the Saturday afternoon lesson she'd taught was adorable, because one tiny little kid was up on a huge Clyde, that thoroughly listened to her, while the bigger girl was riding a very, speedy little pony she'd never ridden before.

Jill could just imagine how much extra humourous and effective "bossing" would have been required of such a loud-mouthed teacher in the middle of the arena, ha.  Roomie went on to describe her more advanced, previous hour's student, standing in the middle of the arena with the teacher, chatting away about this and that and asking questions.  The teacher needed to concentrate on the current riders, stating "Listen girl, I am glad for your company and interest and enthusiasm.  But I have to concentrate on these students right now."

Roomie said it was hilarious how the girl had then actually lay down on the poles of a nearby cross rail.  Entwined with the tiny x jump, in a huge sulk, the youngster was covered in head to toe in sparkle make-up while she basically rubbed in the dust, glowering, silently. "And eventually, finally, she got up and stood quietly beside me for the rest of the lesson, ha."

2013-01-02

More...


He was living it up in her home town, "pretty sweet spot." She wanted to relax together on Saturday nite... could you have a date night to stay in? ha.

The good news about water schooling is that its good weather to fall off in. Mud's soft at least.
*
The other day the red horse (one of Jill's favourites at the morning place) was a little anxious to get out. he was kicking the stall front and never taking his eyes off Jill... so she put the shank on him and they headed out a little earlier than usual.

It was a cool morning, and the wind was up his butt, and the junk man was driving the tractor around making weird spooky noises and red was quick and acting up. Jill made him stop, halt, everytime he tried to bolt, except for the one time she made him walk a circle. even in front of the boss, who did not want the racehorse instinct petted out of any of the ponies. Yet Jillsinsisted the red horse offer her these basic curtesies of training. "You are too big to be a rude horse" she told him, carrot in her pocket... She was the one who got the most out of that beast. Red was the type of horse who refused to be bullied. And, he was really smart. She worried that he was too smart to be a racehorse...

When he behaved enough that they finally made it to paddock, she opened the gate and they started to walk in briskly together -- but the rubber matt was wet and Jill's boots were muddy and she took a big super skid -- like high speed surprise water skiing with a horse for a tow. Which spooked Red and negated all the calming down she had done on the way there. h a.

Luckily, she and Red both found it funny.