Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 75th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 75th LESSON

Blaze and his mother were very interested in Flossie and me this morning. The mare walked up
to me as if she were the one I was coming to ride. She probably thought she�d get a free
hand-out, but I�ve made it a policy a long time ago no one gets any carrots until after
Flossie�s ride. (Except Flossie; she gets one, but only one).


When I mounted, everyone hung around; Bambi, her colt, Bam-Bam, and Blaze and his mother. I
tried to work Flossie in a circle in the middle of the paddock, but Blaze, especially, and
his mother, were too keen on the roan�s every move. Flossie, to her credit, paid attention
to me in spite of her �fan club�, but I didn�t work her as I was planning to. We remained on
the circle long enough for me to get an idea of where Flossie was mentally, then I took her
off to the track.


Blaze, of course, had to follow. As we were approaching the track, I heard a strange noise
and when I looked back over Flossie� rump, there was Blaze on his hind legs. Was he going to
try and mount Flossie? I�ll never know because I turned Flossie around to face him. He
backed away and went scurrying off to his mother who was positioned right behind him.


The horses left us alone after that, so I had Flossie working on the track and she was
excellent. To end the lesson, I had her running in straight lines across the paddock. We
criss-crossed every which way even at a slow canter. (This is something we had never done
before). When we went back to the track, I had her circling off the dirt area and around the
trees that stand alongside the track on in the inside. I had planned to take her over the
log again, but completely forgot about it. She really needs work in all gaits off the track,
so that�s what I concentrated on today. Otherwise, when I ask her to work off the track, she
gets flustered and acts like a chicken with its head cut off. No fooling. It�s like she just
loses her mind and can�t figure anything out.


Later, after Flossie had had her face cooled off and her back watered and her belly full of
carrots, I shoved an extra handful of carrots into my pants and proceeded to walk out to the
paddock to give the remaining vegetables to Bambi and the other mare. (I should give that
mare a name so I don�t have to keep calling her �the other mare� all the time). Flossie
followed, probably smelling the carrots on me. So I wove in and out of the truck and car
that were parked on the edge of the yard, with Flossie right on my heels. It was pretty
funny. Eventually, however, I got away from her and took the carrots out to her pals.


When the carrots were done, I sat down in the grass in the paddock just to watch the horses
graze around me. At one point each one came up to me, individually, inquisitively sniffing
my ears. I love the feel and the soft sound of Flossie�s warm breath in my ear. Even Blaze
came up at one point and sniffed the toes of my boots. He was going to walk right up to me,
but since I was sitting on the ground, I didn�t want to come face-to-face with the little
monster, so I moved my legs which I knew would turn him away.


Before my ride Norm and I had a talk with Des. He says he�s going to have to have surgery on
his legs to open the veins that are collapsing on him. He wants to wait until after the
holidays, though, because he�s going to be in a wheel chair for a while. I don�t know how
he�s going to get around in a wheel chair on his property; he has too many steps, for one
thing.


The temperature was about seventy degrees and the weather was cool today with a strong
breeze that sprung up suddenly from out of nowhere. The property next to Des� is being
bulldozed and the heavy equipment is moving in closer and closer to his paddock. The horses
are very much aware of these monstrous work vehicles, including Flossie. She doesn�t mind
them, though, until I�m on her back. I�ve found many different ways to keep her mind off
them, however, and it helps that she is willing to focus on me instead of what�s going on
around her.


I worked on my seat today at every turn. I always do, but I discovered some things in
particular that helped. I seem to ride differently every time I mount, so it�s like
re-learning to ride every time I climb aboard. Go figure.


Just between you and me, I think Bam-Bam's sick. He's not growing, in fact,
he's getting thinner. He holds his rump like a newborn. His legs are skinny and his
neck is extremely short. Bambi doesn't allow him to nurse and I truly believe he's
going to be dead before the year is up. Maybe tonight. He sleeps all the time and when
he's on his feet he just stands there pawing the ground or shifting his weight from one
hind leg to the other. He shows no interest in anything around him. I'm truly worried
about him.