Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 245th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 245th LESSON

At Des’ today, there was a power machine working by the railroad track and a little
tractor mowing the lawn across the new road, right where I circle Flossie, and although
she was aware of them, they did not create a problem. However, she was checking out
every bend in the track and suspiciously eyeing every tree and bush we passed. Something
startled her a couple of times and she jumped to the side of the track, but she never
faltered or offered to quit on me. She calmed down after a few laps and I had a good
rider. She circled well, too.

Bambi, on the other hand, was a bad girl today. As soon as she saw me coming with the
saddle she started to dance around in protest and if she had been a two-year-old child,
she would have been shouting, “No, no, no!” at the top of her voice. I had to yell at
her and jerk the reins to make her take the saddle, which she accepted peacefully enough
once I got her attention.

When I mounted, she looked back at my foot and I patted her head and talked to her. I
had to use the crop to get her to move forward but I’ll tell you she only went as far as
she went last week and then she stopped and would not put another foot forward after
that. She backed up, oh, she’s handy and can back quick, and I’ll tell you something
else about this mare. She has a temper. When I insisted she go forward, she squealed at
me. She also kicked out with her hind leg and struck out with her front leg.

When I asked her to walk up to the gate where I had planned to dismount, she planted
herself next to the track and put those kicking/striking legs into action. I got off and
made her jump when I smacked the saddle with the crop and yelled for her to move out.
She walked up to the gate then.

I’m not sure what my next plan of attack should be. Des told me not to worry about
riding her. I know she's spoiled and is used to having things her own way. She doesn't
want to listen to anybody.

I’ve been feeding Flossie carrots by hand for the past two or three months, ever since
she had coliced the last time and I got tired of using the tarp. Now Bambi thinks she
should also be hand fed and leaves a portion of her carrots on the ground and comes over
to me, nose outstretched, telling me with her body language that she, too, wants her
carrots from my hand, just like Flossie, instead of off the ground as usual. It’s funny
how it never bothered her before. I wonder if she’s starting to think we’re family.

Norm forgot he had dropped me off at Des’ today and was thinking I was at the Internet
center, since on Wednesdays, that’s where I usually am. He said he kept expecting me to
come walking in the door any minute. An hour after the time he had said he’d pick me up,
I left a text message on his phone stating that I hoped everything was okay. He phoned
me and told me what happened, all apologetic. Since he had another class to go to, he
had to leave me there for another hour and a half.

I spent the time on my back on the grass in the paddock. Both Bambi and Flossie
meandered over to me, sniffing my knees and my pant legs, walking around my head. As I
gazed up at them, I was amused by the way they looked from that angle. Their
mouths/noses/muzzles almost resembled a camel’s, and I can’t even begin to tell you what
their bodies looked like! They sort of looked like reflections in a pool. Their heads
appeared even funnier as they grazed between their front legs. They seemed to bob up and
down like a turtle’s! I wished I had taken my camera out to the paddock with me!

While I was lying there, I started to think of the things I would be doing if I were at
home and how I’ll be getting a late start on them now, but you know what? After a while
I started to give myself a good mental shake with the reminder that there was a time when
I would have given anything to be spending the afternoon in a horse paddock. I remember
operating factory machines, micro fiche cameras, and machines that assembled surgical
syringes during the afternoon hours when I was employed, wishing that I could be around
horses, instead. It wasn’t long before I forgot about what I’d be doing if I were at
home, and started to enjoy the thick carpet of grass beneath me, the smeary blue sky
above, and the branches that stretched down out of the clouds to take a good look at me.

Des had left his hose running all night, and, consequently, drained all the water out of
his tank. He had just had it filled up two days ago. It costs $110.00 to have it
filled, so it turned out to be a $220.00 expense for having been so forgetful. I’ll bet
he’s more careful next time!

Des’ wife owns an antique shop and she sent Des some new living room furniture which he
had delivered today. It’s a really pretty shade of red and it’s very plush and
elegant-looking. He said she sends him new stuff periodically then takes it back again
when it’s time for another change. She also sends someone out to clean his house for him
every so many weeks. In case you didn’t know, they don’t live together and have been
separated now for 13 years. Pat told me Des’ wife is a millionaire and owns several
houses.

Jack’s little pony has been winning races left and right for the past few months,
according to Pat. The little bugger is always asking for handouts whenever I walk past
him. His stall is the first one in line and so I have to walk past him a lot. I give
him a carrot every week right along with everyone else, but for some reason he thinks he
should get more than all the others.

I have nothing more to share with you today, so I may as well turn my horse around and
light a shuck out for now. It’s been a long email and the sun is already making tracks
down to the horizon. You’ll see it when you wake up tomorrow morning.

Me, on the other hand? Why, Aussie ya af-tah, of course!