Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 195th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 195th LESSON

The forecast had changed overnight last night, calling for a light, moderate rain this
morning, increasing to heavier rain as the day moved on, but I didn’t let the bleary
skies deter me from seeing Flossie, anyway. I phoned Des and he said the guys have been
working their horses and so I thought I’d take a chance.

As soon as I saw Pat this morning, he couldn’t wait to let me know that he trimmed
Flossie’s hooves for me the very day he had promised he would. They look so good now!
The putty had stayed in place all this time, and the grooves seem to have quit moving
upward. I didn’t have to do a thing with her feet today except clean them out. No
dressing, no putty, nothing.

As soon as I mounted, it started to rain, and Gary, with a horse pulling a gig, and I
entered the track at the same time. The track was in such a muddy state, I didn’t even
bother walking Flossie in hand before I mounted. I pulled her up behind Gary and I could
tell right away she was feeling good. Champing at the bit, tossing her red head, she
kept telling me in every horsey way possible that this was a fast track and a day made
for racing. How could I disagree?

We started out at such a rhythmic trot, I practiced sitting it instead of posting. The
ground was so wet, it was soft, and made the ride comfortable. It was muddy by the road
and in the bend near the rail road tracks where it always is, but we ploughed through it
all at every gait in both directions, regardless. I figured if Gary’s horse could do it,
so could we.

My legs and my shirt were both covered in mud splatter and my stirrups and Flossie’s legs
and belly were dressed in it. The rain was streaming down and we didn’t care. When
Flossie shied, I egged her on and she didn’t fight me. It was as though she, too, didn’t
want to be bothered by anything else, and just wanted to concentrate solely on the task
at hand. It was cold, it was wet, and it was the most fun I’ve had on horseback in a
long, long time.

Flossie thought she was in competition with the horse harnessed to Gary’s gig, so I had
to pull her back in order to keep her from running up on him. Des was standing by the
fence and I yelled to him as we virtually flew past him, “Boy she’s feeling good!”

Gary dropped his phone on the track right where it could get trampled, and both it and
the case were instantly covered in mud. He turned around and shouted, pointing them out
to me. I pulled Flossie down in mid-flight and dismounted, picked up the paraphernalia,
stuck it securely in my shirt pocket and buttoned it up, then mounted, and picked up a
fast pace again as if there had never been a pause.

When Gary left the track, I rode around at every gait in the opposite direction. Flossie
was so sure-footed, I didn’t have to worry about the mud, and I had total control even at
the canter. I would have photographed the triumphant feeling I had if I could and framed
it for the wall . . . it would have made a glorious scene!

Someone finally mowed the lawn in the corner where I like to circle Flossie, so I had her
canter for me. She went in both directions at a perfect pace. She still tends to fall
in going to the left, but I was able to keep her out of the center.

The rain stopped the moment I dismounted. It took me forever to get all the mud off
Flossie and a lot of it I had to just leave on her. I didn’t see the point in spending a
lot of time on it since it’s going to continue to rain today and tomorrow morning,
anyway.

I gave Des another bag of golden Sweet Corn balls. He said he’s been trying to find them
at the grocery store so I told him he has to get them at the Asian Grocer in Beenleigh.
I also gave him a can of cracker peanuts and a bottle of basil seed and honey drink. The
peanuts and the drink are both new to him and I told him to let me know how he likes
them.

Pat has an electric strip around the pen where he keeps his pony so Flossie doesn’t hang
around him much anymore.

I’m so glad I took the chance to ride today in spite of the weather. It seemed it had
been a million squillion bob-a-lillian years since I had ridden last, and the rain sure
didn’t put a damper on my fun.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my ride today, if not as much as I enjoyed doing it,
then at least nearly as much.