Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 207th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 207th LESSON

There were two men near the track working on the road when I first arrived on foot with
Flossie in tow this morning. There were machines roaring and moving around in all
directions. Some were traveling back and forth, coming towards the fence, then turning
and moving away from the fence. A generator was growling to itself about a yard away
from the track and a man with a sputtering jackhammer pounded away in a hole about four
feet deep only two steps away from the track.

I walked Flossie back and forth beside the men and their noisy machines. The generator
and the sporadic banging of the jackhammer caused Flossie to snort and hesitate. She’d
stretch her long neck towards the menacing monsters and place a timorous foot down as I
encouraged her along. I asked the man how long he would be working there and he said
he’d stop what he was doing until I was done working Flossie. I told him it would be an
hour and he said he’d find something else to do. I was overjoyed and thanked him
profusely for his kindness!

I worked Flossie four times around in both directions and every time we passed the
generator, even though it was turned off, she’d give it a wide berth until we put it
behind us. She didn’t bulk until it came to our last lap and I had to double her. We
were cantering at that point. I took her into a tight circle and then let her go
forward. I had to yell to encourage her, but it’s all she needed.

In the corner she circled well in both directions and never once came off the rail. Not
at any gait. I cantered her three times in both directions without stopping. I even
managed to get a few slow strides out of her! That is in spite of the fact that I wasn’t
riding well today, which was the first day in a long, long time. I could feel myself
tensing up and gripping and had to fight like a mad woman to relax. I had felt out of
sorts as soon as I woke up this morning and was hoping it wouldn’t interfere with my
ride. Even the exercises I do before I ride were difficult for me today for some reason.
I did the best I could, nevertheless, with what I had.

After dismounting, to cool her out, I took Flossie in hand around the track as I always
do. There was so much commotion going on near the road at that time, what with the
generator working again, and the jack hammer, the various power machines of all different
sizes and sounds, not to mention the men running around on foot or in their trucks like a
bunch of loose marbles, I decided not to push it. I turned Flossie around and went back
the way we had come. I think the kind man with the jack hammer yelled something out to
my retreating back, but I wasn’t sure. He was probably ready to turn off the generator
for me again once he realized I was trying to get by. Normally I would have insisted on
getting Flossie walking past that area, especially when the man offered to turn the
generator off again, but since I still wasn’t at my peak, I think I chose to do the right
thing in the long run.

Gary took Zippy to another place with a track on Tamborine Mountain for a few months
since he had injured a leg and needed some recuperating. Pat told me the gelding had
hurt himself one day while on the race track and the leg is starting to swell up again.

Des’ new colt, the one with the funny blaze on his face, is starting to get a bit
friendlier. He wouldn’t approach me at all when he first arrived. Now he’ll sniff my
hands and arms as long as I don’t make a move to touch his face. Now, having said that,
I stood by him today and kept my arm out so when he came close enough I could touch him.
He tolerated that for a while. He responds in a friendly manner when you talk nice to
him. Not all horses seem to make that connection.

It’s 77 degrees as we speak. The morning started out at 60. Winter is slowly losing its
grip on us.