Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 180th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 180th LESSON

It was another nightmare ride on Flossie this morning. As soon as I mounted, all she wanted to do was back up. She would not go forward for anything in the world. I had to take her down to the track near the road and mount her there. As I was standing on the track beside her, while the bulldozers and power shovels were buzzing and shirring away on the other side of the fence, I could feel the earth vibrating under me. It was a very unnerving sensation. Not only that, but there's a pile of dirt next to the track now where the new road is being built and the stones and rocks slide down onto the track as the power vehicles work above it. It seems every week there's more commotion going on and new things happening all around.

The muddy spot on the other side of the track near the Rail Road tracks has been dragged so it's now dry again. However, the vehicle that was used to drag the mud away has created deep gouges in the ground around the area. Flossie did not want to go near that spot, so, again, I had to get off and let her sniff all over the upturned soil. Eventually, I got her working to the left enough to get a few laps in around the track at a trot and a canter. However, as soon as I asked her to come down from the canter, she wouldn't budge. I don't know why I hadn't thought about this sooner, but Flossie is a very verbal mare. She knows what the word walk means, so I asked her to walk. It was like a miracle. All that kicking, swatting, pleading, squeezing, turning, spinning, backing, I had been doing earlier and all I needed to do was say one word. Unbelievable.

Using the word walk, I managed to get her walking on the track to the right. We did a little bit of trotting and cantering in that direction, also, but for some reason she is no longer happy going in that direction. My time with her was up before I knew it. I didn't even have the opportunity to do circles. It's just as well, though, because it was extremely hot by then and I wouldn't have wanted to have worked her much longer anyway.

My dad had phoned while I was riding but I don't carry the phone with me so I had no idea until I was done for the day. I can't make long distance calls on my mobile so I couldn't phone him back. Now I'll have to wait until late tonight, when it's his morning, or my morning tomorrow when it's mid-afternoon where he is. I hate this time difference. If it wasn't a worry, I would have phoned him as soon as I got home, but by then, it was midnight in America.

Norm's been running around for hours and he's still going. He starts the day conducting a water aerobics class in Eagleby, then he does some personal training for a few clients. Now he's working with a new client. When he gets home he'll have to start getting ready for the Woodlands where he holds his weekly boot camp. However, if the storm we're in for keeps moving in as it's supposed to, that class may get canceled for tonight.

As we speak the sky is growing darker. I doubt my clothes and saddle pad will have a chance to dry before the rain hits. As soon as I see the first drop, I'm out of here!