Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 160th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 160th LESSON

Norm dropped me off at Des' at just after 6:00 o'clock this morning so he could get down to the beach to do some snorkeling. That was fine with me since we were both able to beat the heat this way. Gary was already down working his geldings. When he finished with them, he started working the one and only little filly he has. It was her very first time running next to a truck around the track. She got away from Gary the first time around, because there was too much slack in the rope. She did very well after that. Since Gary had to leave to go to work before coming back down to work BamBam, I used that reprieve for my own ends and took advantage of having the track to myself.

There were bulldozers and workmen in the paddock where the old barn is located near the road, next to the track, digging ditches to lay sewage pipes where a new housing development, no doubt, will soon be going up. Flossie didn't want to go past them. I remember a time when I had to spend the entire lesson on getting her past things like that,
but not anymore. I had her going around at every gait before long. I even had her circling in the corner near the road, which is directly beside the barn, and even though she could see the men and their bulldozers working, she still circled for me. I was proud of her for that.

Des sent Bambi away to be bred. She'll be gone for 21 days. Flossie got out of the paddock once, since she's been gone, in the same place where Blaze had gotten out once before. Des wasn't home at the time, but Gary was there, thankfully, and he brought her back in and fixed the fence. Des said once Flossie gets out, she just wants to come back in again. That's a good thing since she doesn't have a halter.

Des found another stallion he's thinking of breeding Flossie to if the fee is affordable. One way or the other, he's going to get that mare into foal. This stallion is a paint, of all things. If he can afford to have her bred, he's going to have the deed done next month.

Des says his leg is healing. His nurse was down again today to change the bandage. I was elated to hear he's doing so well. He knows a man who is diabetic, but never realized it until he got wounded. His wound never healed and so he had to have part of his foot amputated.

I had my camera running this morning while I was riding Flossie around for the first two laps, but for some reason it wasn't working. It wasn't the same problem I had last week. When I went to play it back, the screen was dead. Totally black. I had thought it was broken because I couldn't even close the zoom lens on it at first. Eventually, however, I
was able to take photos and even movies with it again. This particular camera comes with an automatic lens cover, but it broke off sometime during my ride while I had the camera attached to my belt. I'm not going to try to get movies ever again. I gave it my best shot and it's just not worth it.

It was a hot day today and the track was dusty. It's supposed to rain overnight and I'm praying that it does. I don't want to see another drought like the one we just came out of. As long as it doesn't rain on Monday mornings!