My lessons with Flossie, a roan Standardbred mare |
FLOSSIE'S 130th LESSON What a perfect day for a ride! The sky was blue, breezy, and sunny, and it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday. Des had his paddock mowed so all the bare spots from last week were gone. There were a few remnants where the earth had been dug up deeper than in other areas here and there, but they didn't present any problems for us today. Flossie balked once while approaching the road but I used my spurs and my crop and was able to get her by without much of a hassle. It was nice to be able to circle in our favorite corner again. Up until now the weeds were too tall and she couldn't find her footing. After her lesson, I took Flossie in hand down the driveway until we reached the road. Then I mounted and walked her back up the driveway to the yard. She was a little nervous once we reached the end of the driveway, and she kept pushing her head into my side I think for reassurance. Anyway, she stood for me to mount and walked away from the road as slowly as I asked her to, so I was happy with that. Des said the new mare he has now belongs to him and Sharon. Gary works her around the track every morning for them. They bought her from somewhere north of here. He said out of thirty-five races, she won eleven, came in second eight times, and third five times. I thought that was awesome, but he said all the races she was in are low grade races, with not much competition. He said when horses don't do well in races around here, that's where they end up. BamBam will be coming back in a fortnight if the weather remains dry until then. I'm curious to see him again. Billy finally weaned the filly from its mother a few weeks ago and sent it away to be trained. Now the mare is in a little make-shift pasture where she can graze again. The empty stall is where BamBam's going to go when he gets back. Blaze is as Blazey as ever. I make sure to give him some carrots whenever I'm down to ride Flossie so I can keep an eye on how he's doing. I can't think of anything else to say. The cool breeze and the golden sunshine were a real treat today. I enjoyed the wind in the paddock and the smell of the cut grass. This weather is what weather should always be like. It's just so perfect-a-moondo! It was a joy to get up this morning and not have to wonder if it's going to rain or not. Rain was the furthest thing from my mind! (Well, maybe not as far as snow . . .) |