Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 173rd Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 173rd LESSON

I arrived at Des’ early enough to beat the heat this morning. It was a cloudy day, so I
didn’t have to contend with the sun. Everyone else had been down and was gone by the
time I arrived, so I had the entire track to myself. Well, for the most part, anyway.
You see, on the other side of the fence that lines Des’ property, only about a foot away
from where I ride, a huge power shovel was busily tearing down the road that runs
parallel to the track. This metal monster towered over the paddock like a huge dinosaur,
chugging like a train, roaring, hooting and beeping, moving back and forth, with its arm
pumping up and down, picking away at the cement and breaking up the ground into jigsaw
puzzle pieces.

I was able to get Flossie up next to the machine before she decided it was too scary for
her. So I dismounted and walked her back and forth in front of the machine while it
hooted and hummed and continued to tear up the ground. She didn’t seem particularly
nervous, just unaccustomed to having the thing there, clanging away as it was, so I
mounted and asked her to walk past. She did. I continued riding her at a walk around
the track eight times in all; the same amount of times I usually ride her around before
continuing my ride at a circle in the corner.

I kept praising her and praising her each time she courageously passed by the machine.
To make matters worse, there were machines on the opposite side of the track, too, busily
digging away at the earth, making just as much noise and commotion as the other machine.
The only difference was, however, the machines weren’t as close to the track, and having
them there was nothing new since they’ve been working in that area for years now. They
were still something to consider nevertheless, since they, too, were making a racket,
albeit Flossie wasn’t too concerned about them.

When I told Des, later, how obedient Flossie had been, he said he was surprised. He
didn’t think I’d be able to ride her past that machine by the road. He also said he
didn’t think any other horse on his property would have done it, either. To be honest
with you, I can’t think of a single horse that would have done what Flossie did today. I
didn’t even have to get after her with my crop and spurs. I mainly just kept encouraging
her to keep going forward with my voice, my legs, and my seat.

The road is being widened and it’s going to run alongside the big paddock on Des’
property with only the fence separating it from the traffic, which is only about a foot
away from the track, itself. Buses, trucks, motorcycles, vans, as well as regular cars
travel that road constantly, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens when it’s
finished and the traffic resumes.

Des told me BamBam is still anemic. He has opened up the door to the colt’s stall so he
can now wander in and out at his leisure. The little guy’s afraid of doorways, though,
so every time he navigates between the two, he picks up speed until he’s safely through.
Eventually Des is going to have his paddock extended all the way down to the road, so
he’ll have plenty of room to move around in. He’s not a stallion anymore, either,
by-the-way. I may have mentioned that to you once before, but I’m not sure.

I accidentally used Billy’s True Blue to doctor Bambi’s wounds this morning. Her leg
looked better today than it has ever looked since I’ve been taking care of it. It’s
gotten smaller, and is less raw-looking. The flies aren’t bothering it as much, either.

I told Des about Lynn and her proposition to ride down trail with me as soon as her horse
is fit again. He agreed with me when I said trail riding would be good for Flossie’s
training. After the way she went past that equipment today, I’d say she’s ready for just
about anything.

I used my new palm-sized sweat scraper, which I bought in Kilcoy recently, for the first
time today and I really like it. It perfectly fits into the small container in which I
keep my brushes, combs, hoof pick, etc.