OUTDOORS!

Sat Mar 31, 2007

Coos is progressing SO well with his driving training! This past Wednesday I ground-drove him outside the barn, off into the fields and around the outdoor arena, he did SUPER! So today, after having ridden him to tucker him out, I hitched him up and we ended up driving outside! Never mind it was cloudy, 50 degrees, and WINDY!

He did even BETTER than Super!! We went all around Bob's front lawn (it's quite large), serpentined the trees, then off into the big empty pasture, which is very hilly...LOL...poor Coos had to haul my butt up and down hills...and he was WORKIN'! He'll have some new muscles before long I'm sure! My main problem was that it WAS dinner time, and he definitely showed more enthusiasm whenever we headed back towards the barn, LOL!

Bob was driving a tractor around with a manure spreader...Coos didn't care one bit. The Mares were going ape because this horse with a strange appendage was going by their pasture...he didn't care! We ended up back in the indoor arena, and he got driven some more, even ended up giving Bob's two tiny granddaughters rides in the cart! They loved it, and their Grandma was very impressed (how depressing...she's exactly the same age as me, LOL!). We even gave HER a ride, but that was a mistake...the woman's no lightweight, plus my weight, LOL...let's just say the cart wasn't balanced at all, but Coos pulled us around the arena twice (I didn't ask him to trot). What a trooper!!

What REALLY chuffs me though...I hitched him ALL BY MYSELF! Alone in the barn...all the teens and Grandchildren had gone out to the outdoor arena to ride, Bob was off on the tractor. What the hell, I know my hoss! I just tied him to a post, and was able to get the cart hooked up with NO problem whatsoever!!! My good horse, standing so nice and still!!

Can't count how many times I had to get in and out of the cart...opening gates, fixing strap adjustment (I noticed before driving out of the barn that I had the left trace OVER the left shaft loop! Yikes!), but Coos stood rock solid and was good as gold! He got a little fussy while I was opening the gate to the empty pasture, but other than that...very good!

LOL...when I was giving Bob's youngest granddaughter a ride in the cart, Coos cut it too close to the round pen in the arena, and we caught a wheel on the fence panel! He stopped before that though, and I had NO problem backing him up a few steps, angling him away from the round pen, and walking on! Impressed the hell out of Bob's wife, LOL! Impressed me too! What a good horse!

That was fun.