Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 55th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 55TH LESSON

Today I concentrated on setting Flossie�s head and slowing her gaits. I was shocked, but
she put her head right down as soon as we started out before I even had my hands in
position. Since last week was the first time I ever set her head, either she�s had work on
her head in the past before me, or she�s one smart cookie!

She wanted to go fast today, but when I brought her down, she was happy at a slower gait.
She�d try to speed up again, and I�d bring her back down. At one point during the canter, I
was able to relax the reins and leave her head-set alone. She carried herself for quite a
few strides. I was impressed.

After her work-out, I took Flossie off the track and had her doing some work on straight
lines. She�s getting the hang of that. So I tried something new; I had her doing big
circles in the paddock at a walk and then at a trot. She�s never done this before. She�d
get it and then lose it over and over, but it�s a start, and I was happy to see how much she
enjoyed doing something new.

I cooled her out by taking her around the fenceline again. I love working her off the
track because the grass makes her gaits feel softer and smooth as glass. She was so willing
today; she came right up to me as usual when I went to get her. Bambi didn�t follow her out
of the paddock the way she usually does, so it was just me and Flossie in the yard while I
groomed her, picked out her feet, and tacked her up.

I think Bambi is getting slower due to the foal that she�s carrying, and that�s why she
didn�t budge out of the paddock this morning. She also has to wait until Flossie�s been
cooled out before she gets her share of the carrots I always bring along, so she probably
figures there�s no sense in her arriving on the scene until the goodies are being dished
out. Of course, sure enough, she was waiting for us in the yard by the fence after I walked
Flossie around the track on foot to cool her out.

I had my digital camera with me so I took photos of everything under the sun. I tried to
take photos to show where the paddocks are located in relation to the driveway, Des� house,
and the track, but I�m not sure the angles I took them from will tell the story
proficiently. I put the photos into a Yahoo album with statements beneath each so years
from now people will know what I was looking at and what I was trying to achieve.