Another Horse

I was grooming Molly the other day when another horse began hanging her head over the fence. Not wanting her to spook Molly, I went over to the visitor and "pushed" her off the fence with sweeping arm motions.

This horse is young and not always cooperative. She reared up at me. I jumped back and shouted at her. Then she turned around and kicked at me with both of her back feet. That was very bad behavior and I have standing instructions from C. to respond to these kinds of incidents. So I jumped through the fence to shoo her away. When she turned to face me, I stopped and looked steadily at her. Then I approached her steadily and stood next to her. Then I had her back up a few steps and at that point, I  praised her.

I am getting used to reacting to this horse. Because I'm usually on my guard around her, I never expected to like her. And yet I sometimes do. Sometimes, when  she's  calm and letting herself be scratched, you can almost sense her lack of connection. It's as though she doesn't quite feel the ground under her feet, doesn't quite have a sense that she has a place in the world. We feel for her, as vexing as she can be.

A Goodbye

One of my friends at work is retiring. The news came as a surprise to me, and I will miss her.

B. is an accomplished rider. I have been surprised and delighted at the genuine interest she shows in Molly and me and our adventures. It would be far more likely, I think, for a rider at that level to look down upon a mule and her rider.

It has always been a pleasure to see B. at my door. She is a generous and enthusiastic sportswoman from whom I have learned a great deal about horsemanship.

Time management 1

I don't know how people manage to have any time at all with their equines. When I took lessons at various barns, I would often hear people say that by the time they got done with their chores, they had no time and/or energy left to ride.

Boy, is that ever true! Once you commute to and from a full time job, manage your household chores (with your spouse's help - crucial!), make 2 meals a week (with your spouse making the majority of meals, also crucial!), and commute to your barn, you probably have enough time to groom your horse, pick up one day's worth of manure, tack up the horse, warm her up, and ride for a half hour to an hour, and then put her and her tack safely away, two or three days a week.

Tacking up Sweet Pea in about 2010

I read somewhere that we typically invest two or three hours of maintenance for every hour of riding. If you grew up with horses, you already knew that. If on the other hand you started in midlife with riding lessons, as I did, then it dawned upon you slowly and fearsomely.

My admiration increases many times over for people who have children and still manage to ride.

As I've noted in a previous post, having spare disposable income means that some of the schedule components can be outsourced. However this post is for those of us who can't buy extra time. The schedule becomes so snug that neglecting any component of it squeezes the rest. If you have to work overtime, take the car for servicing, or get anything in the house repaired, then that week's riding time can dwindle rapidly. And this is true for me, even though my spouse shares household chores.

This feeling isn't mine alone. And it isn't experienced only by horse people. I'm going to try to read "Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time", by Brigid Schulte.

Winter trimming

I took Molly's blanket off the other day and she rolled almost immediately. She wears a Jammie (c) under the blanket to keep her from getting the shoulder rubs she developed last year. It looks strange, but I hope it helps her.

This winter many nights have been below 0 F. All winter long everyone's conversation has been about the weather. For me, taking care of Molly at the barn has actually helped me enjoy being outdoors. But for her, although she has a run in shelter, she has no choice but to spend her days and nights outdoors in subzero temperatures.

Molly's farrier, N., trimmed her feet recently. Molly's behavior was bad! I haven't worked her much this winter, so that is largely to blame. I wonder if she might also be more achy because of the cold. N. observed that Molly may have hock issues, because she doesn't easily lift her back feet even in good weather. She thinks this could be the result of Molly having strained against heavy loads she had to pull for many years earlier in her life. It may have presented as lameness, which may have led to her being sold.

As much as I am discouraged over my own lack of experience, I'm glad Molly is with me now.