Let's Butt Heads, It's FUN!

Thu Jul 1, 2004

Finally felt good enough to go annoy Quzqo last night. It must be the moon though, because he was a pistol for sure!! Almost Tezluesque in his 'tude. Well, the main problem was that it was (his) dinner time (I did let him eat his grain first), and they're bringing in the first cutting of hay, so the indoor arena was FILLED with flatbed trailers piled/stacked with fragrant hay bales.

Yep, he had NO interest in being ridden, he kept veering towards the trailers, or towards the stack of bales at the far end of the arena, or towards the gate closest to his stall, with plenty of spinning and head-tossing and bolting and tail-swishing. GRRRGH!!!! I gave up quickly, and hauled his fleabit tuckus outside to the round pen, took the reins off, and RAN HIM RAGGED INTO THE GROUND out there. I was the Alpha Mare from HELL, and he'd better not forget it!! That, plus the 80 degree temps, plus the (now) deep sandy footing...he got a workout!! But he was full of piss & vinegar, he was galloping (at long last!!) round and round and round...I let him run until he didn't want to run any more, and then I MADE him run some more! He does have a purdy trot though, very floaty...actually it's nicer since he got his toes trimmed Monday (probably the weight of the shoes). Finally, when he stopped, he did the lowering-the head and smacking the lips thing that is horse for "I give up, you're the boss already"...and for the first time I actually got him sweaty!! (okay, was probably the 80 degrees that did that).

Took him out of the round pen and into the outdoor arena, which was pretty busy with people riding their equines, leading their equines, kids on little ponies, just a nice evening's activity (I can imagine Bob, the barn owner, looking out the bay window of his house and smiling with benign satisfaction, or else counting the moolah from all the boarders, snrk). I got on, and rode a totally different horse than what was inside the barn earlier! 180 degree difference! Okay, yes, he was actually POUTING! you could tell, LOL!!! Dragging along, with an "well, all right, if you inSIST" attitude! Yeah, I inSIST! We did a bit of trotting and he was VERY good about it, no nonsense at the gates, just going right along, no spooking or shying or head-tossing, just tuck the head, round the back, and off we go! Unfortunately by that time it was 8:30 at night and I DID have to go to work the next day, so we kind of cut that short, but it was interesting all the same.

Paying for it today, breathing in all that dust, *cough cough cough*, but it was worth it.

(And Cusco finally has a proper Arabian haircut...10" long bridlepath, looks NICE!)