Know When to Hold 'Em

Here is the reading of this blog entry:

Earlier in the day AJ had lunged Mouse while he spooked several times at the sound of ice falling off the arena. Eventually, she thought to turn on the radio. If she'd also thought then to close the large arena door, he would have spooked less at the truck parking, the woman out to catch her 2 year old in the paddock outside the arena and the man approaching the arena to check for traffic for his aforesaid friends. They'd complained about their horse that he was almost too docile in the barn afterwards. While AJ'd informed them "Mouse almost ditched me on one last spook, so I just made him a trot a few controlled circles then walked a few steps and then dismounted. Enough already! He was getting wound up instead of wound down and was already sweating." AJ had not built time into her day for more of a cooling out process than that.

Imagine getting texts and fb messages about a song dedication to you at the Centre In The Square! Apparently the beautiful tune went out to her by first and last name, as a woman who does a lot in the equestrian world in Canada and the States.  AJ was grinning wildly, bringing Jill up to speed on the weekend. "Except, my tickets were for the show the next day at Massey Hall!" Jill assumed she would have run a portable recorder in her purse during the following concert, just in case, but no, AJ was lamenting a second Lyle Lovett moment that would not make it to the radio airwaves.   He'd done it again!  But alas she had not a chance to meet in person to record a "sounder" for the radio show.

"My crush has got a song about a racehorse." Jill was pondering for a moment about the local "star" out loud, and wondering if he was interested in horses or wanted to come riding. The suggestion was worth exploring.

Jill's fine fiddle playing mandolin teacher had no interest in the animal at all, but Jill was trying to barter rides for the woman's children in trade for musical instruction...

She also told AJ about her fellow coach/rider at the barn who pointed out to another competitor that they were competing unfairly in the wrong division (having won ribbons in the division in the past, they should have been upgrading into the "open" category). And how she proceeded to do the same thing her own self. Jill noticed, but she didn't say anything, or try and correct her co-worker's entry. 
*
To hear how it appeared within the hoofbeats episode, including music, you could listen here:

The Weather is No Picnic

Mouse had lost weight in the three, count them, three weeks AJ had been away from the farm due to weather. It had been mentioned to her, by a partboarder at the private breeding facility that they only came up to ride if it was minus 10 or warmer. Otherwise, you were just torturing the animal, and yourself, for no good reason, right. And since the weather was so cruel that season, it was a long time between rides and by the time you got to ride again, they'd forgotten what they'd learned in the last training session anyway, right? What was the point? Just give the horses and yourself a winter vacation.

AJ had then spent the following days, day by day, pining to a trip to the stable in minus 25 and worse. The first thing she did in the morning on her three or four possible riding days each week was to check her phone for the weather. She was keeping it at the side of the bed, with her reading glasses. Morning after morning she was disappointed to sleep in, or resigned to work on life chores that needed to be addressed, instead of heading to the barn as she wanted to.

Finally, it was a pleasure to reconnect with her little liver chestnut. He had some bad blanket rubs, but he was back to the inner jacket that fit him better under his rain sheet, so she hoped that was already fixed for the better.

The chore girl that day had retorted to the farrier that they weren't that chatty because the head trainer wasn't in the barn at the moment, and that the others were working! Then she corrected herself, well one of us is working and one of us is here for pleasure… AJ felt chided for her internal thoughts that she was a horse trainer too.

She knew he had lost weight, because she kept adjusting the saddle and it didn't look right. Then, doing up the girth, for sure it went up extra holes, it was up to 4 on both sides by the time she mounted.

It was a quick "work-out" because she had to wait for access to the arena before getting started. If he wasn't so disruptive in there he would be more welcome to share it while the head trainer rode various mounts, but as he was, they had to wait for the gap between training rides and the staff coffee break, in order to get started.

He was his usual athletic, dramatic self on the lunge line. At one point, he kicked up dirt that got in her eyes, but her hands were so full, with the lunge line and whip and his antics, that she couldn't even wipe a tear or rub the itch.

By the time she mounted, he felt tired out underneath her. He was actually kind of a lazy horse, so she didn't understand why he always did all that. She warmed up his back with just a few quick laps in posting trot, and then put him into more of a frame for a round or two, figure or two, in sitting trot, and then asked for a little canter. She asked on his good side first, successfully and then changed direction. On the right rein, she asked for canter three times and got the wrong lead. For the next attempt, she'd chosen a different corner, and put in a little volte first, leg yielding him off the inside leg. For the transition she used her voice, instead of her outside leg. Success! She verbally praised him instantly, pleased she could so confidently tell it was the correct lead for a change, and she patted his neck as he cantered down the long side. With the transition back to trot, and then walk, he was further rewarded. She walked him several steps and then dismounted. She could cool him out, while schooling his manners in hand, as she walked with him around the arena.

Afterwards, she'd kept remembering the sweet expression he had as she brushed his face. He'd actually looked affectionate for the first time! She also enjoyed using the rubber curry in circles on his neck, because it was obvious that felt good for him too. A Happy Valentine's!

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.

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

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...