So very special
I got to work today! Yay! Only for a wobbly 1 1/2 hours but that's a big improvement over nothing. Back to working on zombies, and soon I'll get to document notification e-mail templates. Got home in one piece, rested up, changed, then went to the stables. Yay! So, what magical horse whispery insight did I gain today?
*snort*
The reiki lady was there again so I got to "assist" once more in the ongoing neck treatment of Vallie, who may or may not be a Connemara pony. Assist meaning standing still for about 20 minutes and not interfering more than the odd tiny bit of rope pressure. I did find a patch of heat on the neck (the pony's not the lady's) so that's something I suppose. I continue to be fascinated by ears (ponies' not ladies').
I managed to be partially responsible for terrifying another grey pony called Barney. I was trying to put his bridle on but he kept his teeth firmly clenched together. I tried the old tickle-the-gums-in-the-spot-without-teeth trick but he started throwing his head up. It's policy to bridle the horses untied in case of sudden panic, so when he decided to run backwards there was nothing to stop him except his water trough, which then splashed his quarters. I suspect his thought processes then went something like this:
OMG I'M BEING ATTACKED BY A LION! A WET LION! OR MAYBE A SHARK! IT'S A SHARK!!!! I'VE GOT TO GET AWAY FROM HERE BUT THERE'S NO-WHERE TO RUN! OR SWIM! OMG! OMG! OMG!
So, I was pinned in a small enclosure with a pony who *really* wanted to be elsewhere. His feet went in all directions, his head went down and he shook in terror. I heard the coach shout "Get out of there!" which was probably directed at me, but I didn't have a chance to do more than shrink into a corner and present a small and motionless target. I was in no immediate danger of being attacked, run over, or even accidentally kicked so it seemed like a good decision for that second or two. Did I say just recently that I don't move fast around horses? Oh I move fast alright. Fortunately Barney steadied himself pretty quickly and then the coach came in and took him in hand. I didn't have time to blink, let alone say whoa.
The coach was worried that the pony had had a fit, as he had been ridden a bit too hard that morning. But I was pretty sure that he'd just given himself a fright. Ponies are not particularly bright. I took responsibility as I'd been clumsy with the bridle and banged his teeth, but she assured me that it wasn't my fault. "They're not always angels," she said. I was then reassured by the fact that Barney then misbehaved in the exact same way when she tried to bridle him, only this time she won.
Speaking of non-angelic behaviour, my nemesis Nemo needed to be tacked up for the lesson. I willfully ignored this and later saw two adults working hard to bridle him. Monster. Later while he was being led around he stopped several times and would not proceed. I think his career as an RDA horse may be short lived. To be fair, I found out today that some of the weekend girls have been trying to teach him tricks, so he's probably had enough of the human race for a while.
After that I spent a while walking several horses around the arena to warm them up for their lesson. With the dry weather the sand is getting a bit too soft and loose for comfort, but I got to practice asking the horses to walk faster or slower, and to weave amongst the obstacles for the hell of it. I know I was out there for a bit long, but it's hard to say no. In the end I was left walking the last riderless horse in the class. "You've lost your rider!" cried one of the little girls who was probably about 7. "No I haven't," I said, "My rider is invisible."
Actually my rider was a no-show, so we eventually just put the horse away again. C'est la vie.
Lesson learned today: Flash's name is ironic. At least he agreed to start moving again each time he stopped; I was spared the indignity of pulling helplessly on a lead rope.
There's a footpath along one side of the arena, the denizens of which provided the other lessons learned today (and as further evidence that the smaller the breed, the more dangerous they are): toy poodles--even silent ones--are much more scary than huge wolf-like german shepherds or excitable sheep dogs. Also, some prams make a hell of a lot of noise.
There's a two week break coming up, with only feeding and mucking out happening in the mornings :-(
*snort*
The reiki lady was there again so I got to "assist" once more in the ongoing neck treatment of Vallie, who may or may not be a Connemara pony. Assist meaning standing still for about 20 minutes and not interfering more than the odd tiny bit of rope pressure. I did find a patch of heat on the neck (the pony's not the lady's) so that's something I suppose. I continue to be fascinated by ears (ponies' not ladies').
I managed to be partially responsible for terrifying another grey pony called Barney. I was trying to put his bridle on but he kept his teeth firmly clenched together. I tried the old tickle-the-gums-in-the-spot-without-teeth trick but he started throwing his head up. It's policy to bridle the horses untied in case of sudden panic, so when he decided to run backwards there was nothing to stop him except his water trough, which then splashed his quarters. I suspect his thought processes then went something like this:
OMG I'M BEING ATTACKED BY A LION! A WET LION! OR MAYBE A SHARK! IT'S A SHARK!!!! I'VE GOT TO GET AWAY FROM HERE BUT THERE'S NO-WHERE TO RUN! OR SWIM! OMG! OMG! OMG!
So, I was pinned in a small enclosure with a pony who *really* wanted to be elsewhere. His feet went in all directions, his head went down and he shook in terror. I heard the coach shout "Get out of there!" which was probably directed at me, but I didn't have a chance to do more than shrink into a corner and present a small and motionless target. I was in no immediate danger of being attacked, run over, or even accidentally kicked so it seemed like a good decision for that second or two. Did I say just recently that I don't move fast around horses? Oh I move fast alright. Fortunately Barney steadied himself pretty quickly and then the coach came in and took him in hand. I didn't have time to blink, let alone say whoa.
The coach was worried that the pony had had a fit, as he had been ridden a bit too hard that morning. But I was pretty sure that he'd just given himself a fright. Ponies are not particularly bright. I took responsibility as I'd been clumsy with the bridle and banged his teeth, but she assured me that it wasn't my fault. "They're not always angels," she said. I was then reassured by the fact that Barney then misbehaved in the exact same way when she tried to bridle him, only this time she won.
Speaking of non-angelic behaviour, my nemesis Nemo needed to be tacked up for the lesson. I willfully ignored this and later saw two adults working hard to bridle him. Monster. Later while he was being led around he stopped several times and would not proceed. I think his career as an RDA horse may be short lived. To be fair, I found out today that some of the weekend girls have been trying to teach him tricks, so he's probably had enough of the human race for a while.
After that I spent a while walking several horses around the arena to warm them up for their lesson. With the dry weather the sand is getting a bit too soft and loose for comfort, but I got to practice asking the horses to walk faster or slower, and to weave amongst the obstacles for the hell of it. I know I was out there for a bit long, but it's hard to say no. In the end I was left walking the last riderless horse in the class. "You've lost your rider!" cried one of the little girls who was probably about 7. "No I haven't," I said, "My rider is invisible."
Actually my rider was a no-show, so we eventually just put the horse away again. C'est la vie.
Lesson learned today: Flash's name is ironic. At least he agreed to start moving again each time he stopped; I was spared the indignity of pulling helplessly on a lead rope.
There's a footpath along one side of the arena, the denizens of which provided the other lessons learned today (and as further evidence that the smaller the breed, the more dangerous they are): toy poodles--even silent ones--are much more scary than huge wolf-like german shepherds or excitable sheep dogs. Also, some prams make a hell of a lot of noise.
There's a two week break coming up, with only feeding and mucking out happening in the mornings :-(