It
seems the older I get the quicker the seasons change and the years fly by. Autumn is my favorite season and has arrived
with its colorful leaves and cooler temperatures. I wish I could live in a
place that stayed this beautiful year round or at least the temperatures
remained crisp and cool. The herd seems
to enjoy Autumn best too. Who can blame
them, fewer flies and no hot sun beating down all day. In fact, the herd likes it so much we can
rarely find them at night to bring them in, they prefer to stay outside and
sleep under the stars. So, they’ve been
granted permission to think for themselves and let us know when they want to
come in.
This
is also the time of year we like to give the herd their pre-winter baths, mane
shortening, tail trimming and sheath cleanings.
Last weekend Dusty was the first to enjoy her spa day. Followed by hand grazing until she was mostly
dry. Of course, the minute I turned her out into the catch pen she promptly
rolled in the dirtiest spot she could find the minute my back was turned. This Saturday was Blue’s turn for the full
treatment also followed by hand grazing with treats. And yet, the second I
turned him out he galloped all the way to the backfield without a look back. I
wonder if they don’t especially appreciate being fussed over and clean but with
my warped sense of hygiene I like to feel that they do.
On
the riding front Dusty and I enjoyed a “welcome back mom” ride on
Saturday. I haven’t ridden her in almost
two months, through no fault of her own.
In the beginning of August I was admitted to the hospital for a few days
experiencing a lot of pain in my abdomen. After twelve hours in the ER and
numerous tests: cat scans, ultra-sounds, MRI, blood tests and a lot of unauthorized
poking and prodding they admitted me for a few days. The tests showed an
abscess that was causing all the problems and I was given some heavy-duty
antibiotics. After being released I was
home for a few weeks recuperating and was told not to do any heavy work to
avoid rupturing the abscess so I basically followed the rules. When I took the
dogs to the groomers I was lucky enough to contract a flu or virus. That laid me low for another week. Stuff happens and I’m feeling better now.
Back
to Dusty and our ride. I was fully
expecting her not to be very enthusiastic about being ridden again. After all,
she made me chase her around the catch pen with no intention of being caught
for about five minutes. I had the rest of the herd on my heels as we followed
her escape route. She’s the master of walking just fast enough ahead of me that
I can’t get catch her and get the halter on her. Dusty should be a dance
instructor, she’s great at leading a conga line around in circles.
Color
me surprised when she was an absolute star at the mounting block and never
moved an inch while I mounted. We walked
for a while because neither of us is in riding shape. Although she’s in better shape than I am,
after all she walks forty acres or more a day up and down hills just
grazing. Then we trotted a few times in
each direction and did some figure eights at trot and walked. She was perfect except for one thing,
whenever I asked her to walk so we could end with that she’d walk a few steps
then trot again. Once we got the walk
under control I dismounted. I’m certain she wanted to keep going but I don’t
like to do too much when I start a horse back in work. I keep it short and
upbeat so they might look forward to the next ride. Or at least I hope they do.
Until
next time
Quote for Today
When riding my horse I no longer have my heart in my
chest, but between my knees.
