Spooky Hallowe'en

It was annoying that he kept taking off in the hayfield, or big ring, for several strides with his head turned so far left. When he pulled a spook like that, and took off, the only/safest way to stop him was to tighten the circle left. It was becoming an over-used emergency measure between them.  She could have almost put her finger IN the snaffle ring of his bit. Meanwhile, if she knew he could behave, what she really wanted to do was gallop. As if she was staring down mortality, and fulfilling a last life wish. Not just a steady, forward canter in half seat either. For 50 or 100 acres! To hit the rhythm where gallop changes from clattering hoof beats to a steady hum, with his head moving more than the flash of legs beneath. “To the speed where you can hardly believe anything can go this fast without the axles breaking and the machinery all flying to bits.” She'd liked how the magazine article she'd tweeted described it -- it feels like flying.

AJ had taken a riding day just to bond with her horse buddy like she used to do when she was a teenager, hand grazing and grooming him on the line. She was trying to do as much as possible from the right side, because she found him to be such a one-sided horse. She thought she probably looked like a chicken and inexperienced to the farm owners, but whatever! She also did a bit of ground work including lunging, especially to the right, and insisted he stop at the end of the line when she asked, instead of turning in, or worse, turning completely around… It took several repetitions.  They also walked past the scary junk pile, over and over. He was learning to spook away from her, instead of always to the right, with his tucked in to the left, as if unaware of his leader.

On her second riding day of the week, she’d concentrated on riding “no hands.” He wasn’t acting too frisky and it seemed to work, they even made a couple of transitions to halt, with absolutely no use of the reins, no contact with his mouth whatsoever -- out around the edge of the hayfield.  She'd felt calm and brave riding absolutely on the buckle like that, to test out a new theory.  She was wondering if it was when she shortened her reins that made him quicken, inciting her to shorten her reins etc.

The head trainer was dismissive of her efforts, you should "only close your hands on the reins" for a transition…  It was also discouraging to simply feel like riding, and arrive ahead of/unscheduled at the farm, hoping to ride in the beautiful weather, to learn the horse was reserved to be ridden by a beginner at the in-house Hallowe'en show. It haunted her how the trainer said he had previously been her horse and he was easy to round up, because AJ didn't understand what she was getting at.

Dear Cat Sitter,
“Before I started letting them out, the black cat was peeing inappropriately and I was to the point I was thinking of having him put down. You have to hold him sideways for a snuggle, and its always with a countdown. 10-9-8…  You can let/leave him out into the backyard, I have to trust him to look after himself. The black and white cat, on the other hand, is a big fat lazy bones, always hissing or meowing, hiding and worrying/overeating about something… while always demanding attention. She is really down right snuggly, and she’s good at spooning. She'll probably stay in while I'm away?  Thanks for making sure they have food and water.  Please help yourself to dried spearmint and fresh fennel from the window ledge?”

It was AJ's first time leaving the cats in the care of a non-roomie, which she did find a tiny bit unsettling...