Frustrations

Today, again, we were blessed with nice weather. It was still a little chilly, but the sun was out and we didn't get any rain. The ground is starting to firm up and get less muddy. Hurrah!

Today was also a day of frustrations. The stall cleaner who is usually scheduled to work today and tomorrow didn't show up again. Paige sent her a text yesterday and she said she would show up, and she didn't. That is frustrating. I tend to plan out my day, then try to stick with the plan. My plan for today was to try to get all the stalls done by the turnout switch, since the stall cleaner normally shows up around 10am. I was set to clean the stalls that were still occupied, while she would clean those who were already outside, since she isn't that comfortable around horses. By the time we would get done, I would switch horses, take my lunch break, ride Madusa, and clean the last two stalls before pm chores. Unfortunately that didn't happen. However, I did get to ride Madusa this afternoon while Jan did stalls.

I have a bit that I bought for my project horses at Kirkwood; it is a D-ring snaffle and I thought it would be more comfortable for Madusa instead of the fat baby snaffle she has been currently working with. I have been riding her since June 2010 and I think I know her well enough by now to know when she is comfortable and happy, and when she is not. I had noticed in the past few rides with the last bit, that she would avoid the bit by opening her mouth, going hollow in her back, and tossing her head up and down. She normally doesn't do that. Normally, she will shake her head a few times from side to side and then stop after a few minutes and settle into the work. It doesn't usually have anything to do with the bridle or bit, she just likes to see if the rider is going to let her get away with it, or continue asking her to work. So today, I used my D-ring to see if she would do any better. She had been in another D-ring before, but that one was a copper bit, and mine is stainless steel. I lunged her a bit, then got on her. As she got settled into the bit, I noticed that she was starting to round her back and neck, gather her hindquarters, and listen to my cues better than she had been doing. I was so happy! She had the same amount of saliva as before, and she seemed more relaxed and happy again. Alas, my victory was short-lived. I told Paige that I had used my bit to see what she would do, told her the results, and she said that I was full of it and she had to see it for herself. Then I realized my mistake...I had used my own brain. What was I thinking?!

Well with all that aside, I got to watch one of the boarders, Mikayla, learn how to throw a lariat on her horse, Rocky. Brian, another boarder, was showing her to see if Rocky would tolerate having something else being swung around his head other than her Clinton Stick. Rocky did just fine, but Mikayla doesn't have the best coordination, but she was determined to get the lariat over Brian's hand. She ended up hitting it, then called it quits because her arm was getting tired.

I had vegetarian fajitas for supper tonight and they were AMAZING!! They were just what I needed to end this crazy day. Until tomorrow readers...