Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 95th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 95th LESSON

The wind has just picked up and I have the window open so I can hear the branches of our
palm trees crashing together with their leaves spinning and wheezing like a pit full of
hissing snakes.

There was no wind this morning, however, and Flossie was so obedient today! She just wanted
to go, go, go, and since she was behaving so well and was so cooperative, I let her. We had
the most fun flying around the track at what felt like a hundred miles an hour!

She spooked a couple of times at some unexpected noises that came from the road. The first
time there was the sound of air hissing as if it had just suddenly burst from a tire. It
was so loud and so close, Flossie jumped, shying from the road, but I kept her going and she
didn't even try to balk.

The second time the loud noise sounded like a gunshot. It also came from the road and both
noises happened just as we were on the part of the track that goes closest to the road. At
least we were only walking both times. The second time Flossie didn't spook as much as
the first time, and again she didn't try to balk; she just kept going forward when I
asked.

Later, when I asked for a faster pace or a canter in the same spot near the road where she
had spooked earlier, there were no problems. She picked up her gaits like a pro and
didn't look for trouble. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

After my ride I put some of that concoction I had made for Flossie months ago out of baby
oil and hair conditioner, and combed out her mane and tail until they were both as smooth
and tangle-free as silk. I'm so amazed at how little of the stuff I need to do the
entire job. Bambi and Blaze's mother should be so lucky. They both need attention so
bad their manes are in witches knots. I tried to undo Bambi's while I was in the
paddock after my ride, but I wasn't able to make much progress. It really needs work.

I was able to rub on both colts today. Blaze comes right up to me with his mother now, when
I'm handing out carrots. I let him bite off the very tip because he can't chew the
broader end of the vegetable yet. So now he gets the narrow end and his mother gets the
rest. BamBam has never shown an interest in carrot-time so I've yet to see if he'll
eat them.

I didn't see Des today, but I knew he was out and about because after my ride I noticed
his truck wasn't parked in the shed where it had been when we first pulled in. I
didn't hear him coughing today, either, which means he's probably gotten over the
flu.