Sunday, November 21, 2010

Stocking Up, Road Dressage, & Typical Mare Misbehavior

 Not much has been going on. School is so hectic, as well as my extracurricular activities and concerts.
My dearest brother went and got a big load of hay with me last weekend. He has a short bed on his truck, but....he stacked them that high and we squeezed 40 bales on total. I was looking in the mirrors the whole ride home, sure I was going to see bales on the road behind us.
 We unloaded them and I have about 60 bales in the shed now...and could have fit probably 20 more. It's good to know how much I could fit. Since I'll be boarding, it's not really necessary to stock up more than that for now.
 I've been riding Daisy very little...due to being busy after school, and the days I'm not seem to always be the days where it's too windy and/or rainy to ride. Because of this, Daisy had a lot of attitude the days we do go out. I went out with her on Thursday down the road...first time I asked her to trot, she plunged her head straight down to buck. She didn't get very far though; I had her head up fast again, I saw it coming. After that, the ride was truly marvelous. We road up this big hill on the road in the direction of home that we generally gallop. Even in the kimberwicke I had trouble stopping her once we'd start. Thursday, in the snaffle, bareback, I could feel her in my hands and when I asked her to stop in the middle of the hill, she was at a walk in seconds, no questions asked. Later, at a flat spot, I had her sidepass trotting back and forth across the road...At the schooling in October, Karin harped a little on getting Daisy to ride straight because apparently she's squirmy...I never noticed, but I've been trying to do that more now, and I realize when she sidepasses, it's always her front end sideways, then her hind end, which always gets left behind at first. I've been working a little on sidepassing with her entire body completely straight and getting her to sidepass her whole body at once. Going left, at the trot, she was amazing! :) 

Today I didn't ride because it was opening day of hunting season here in upstate New York. I gave her a good grooming, then let her out and followed her out of her stall to get the wheelbarrow (err...muck bucket. The wheelbarrow has been out of commission for over a week because the wheel blew; with a full load, of course) and for no reason, I could see it in her eyes just before it happened, she kicked me and took off. She hit me in the upper leg, about a foot above my knee, on the side. Left a curved, hoof shaped bruise. ouch. It made me mad, of course, and I took off after her yelling and whacking her with a halter. 
I'm thinking I'm going to have to go to being over-the-top about demanding respect from now on. Not a move shall be made that I don't specifically approve of.

Crazy mares. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

2 comments:

Gudl said...

I like all your photos, interesting perspectives!
Sorry about your boo-boo ;-)

Danni said...

Haaa....your brother's hay-laden truck made me laugh. I've driven home with high stacks of hay before, but never THAT high. :-)
Ugh...I'm so sorry she kicked you. Isn't it crazy how you can sometimes see stuff like that coming. I can totally see it in my donkey Chester's eye when he's about to get twitchy. It's a frustrating feeling, isn't it? You spend so much time being kind, gentle, fulfilling every need, building trust and then, BAM, out of the blue (it seems) they act out. It's hard to understand or rationalize the why's. I chalk it up to Chet being a brat. lol I've been lucky, though, he has yet to connect with my body. He did slam the hay buckets I was carrying last month pretty good with a back kick, but it didn't come close to hitting me. I think that is just a matter of time - ((shiver)).

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