Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Nov 26, 2007

Jingle All The Way!

Although my horse is neither bob-tailed nor lean and lank, Coos and I had a GREAT time Sunday driving up and down the roads, showing off our new SLEIGH BELLS!

I'd ordered a set of brass shaft bells from Smucker's Harness Shop. & they arrived last week. I've got them zip-tied to the front of my cart, and I also ordered a bright RED fleecy saddle pad for the harness saddle, so not only did we sound great, we looked snappy too!

Coos got introduced to the potentially scary bells last week, he got to sniff them and enjoyed peppermints. I walked around him & behind him, ringing the bells, & he kept an ear on them but didn't worry, just one more strange thing his monkey is up to!

By yesterday the roads were dry pavement, most of the weekend's snow had melted, and the shoulders were mostly bare dirt with some slushy snow, no ice. Of course it was coldern' a well-digger's boot bottoms out, but oh well.

He was SOOOO mellow, I'd have sworn Bob was lacing the hay with marijuana. And he was in a very friendly, cuddly mood (for once), probably grateful I wasn't accompanied by half a dozen screaming kids! Heck, he even let me put the (warmed) crupper on without clamping his tail between his butt-cheeks and accepted the bit with a minimum of fuss!

Got the cart on him without much trouble, even with the bells chiming behind him as I did so. Lead him out the barn and up the icy hill to the side yard and thought I could get in the cart there. HA! As soon as I left his head and walked back to the cart (still holding the reins of course) the little shit started walking off and turning back towards the barn! I had to rush back to his head and grab the reins and turn him back AWAY from the barn, and lead him down the hill to the outdoor arena. I had him pointing away from the barn & this time managed to get in the cart, and he actually stood still for a few seconds before starting to back up and attempt to turn (towards the barn). He got reins slapped on his butt for his trouble but I think all that thick fur muffled the impact, and he crouched back in the traces like he was going to rear up. This time I popped him on the butt with the whip and gave him a loud "WALK!" and he did, off into the side pasture. I figured to do a little warm-up and equipment check there, to make sure everything was adjusted & buckled.

Thankfully that was uneventful & we soon headed out onto the road. Sunday afternoon is usually slow traffic-wise, and yesterday even moreso, probably due to it being November (no tourist traffic!).

It was SO cool to be driving down the road, listening to "jingle jingle dingle jingle" & "clip clop clip clop" "Snorrrrt", LOL! Couldn't hear much else because we had 10-20mph winds and the wind in the pine trees was deafening...hard to hear traffic coming up behind us, but even when a car or truck did whiz by, Coos didn't give it a second thought!

We got onto the secondary residential road with almost NO traffic, and since it was residential, little worry about deer hunters. Okay, yes, I was also kind of hoping little children would be playing and hear the jingle bells and come running thinking Santa was on the road, LOL, but no, that didn't happen. We did set off a pack of St. Bernards barking in their kennels though, and freaked out the small herd of TWHs down the road. I got Coos trotting a few times and boy, did THAT make a racket, LOL, but a nice jingly racket!

He spooked at a blowing leaf, and coming back he spooked dramatically at a wet spot on the pavement, but other than that he was gooder than gold!

On the return trip one of the St. Bernards had gotten loose and started running across the lawn towards us...oh shit...I had my 6 foot long driving whip & I know that's how you deal with dogs, but thankfully he stopped about 100 feet from us and turned back. I was ready for him, lol!

Mercy it was freakin' COLD though, especially coming back as we were driving INto the wind! I tried to pull over and stop so I could button my coat, but nope, SOMEbody felt the slack in the reins and started walking off and turning south on his own, the little shit, so I forgot about buttoning the coat & had to steer the horse back on to our side of the road! I can see what we're going to have to work on; stopping! He didn't want to stop at the intersection where we had to make a left turn, and started crouching in the traces again. Thankfully no cars were coming, so we were able to continue, but I'm going to have to work on that as well. He's really developed some attitudes during his "vacation" this summer as he's like that under saddle as well.

By the time we got back to the barn I was chilled to the bone, even going into the unheated barn felt "warm" since it was out of that damned wind! Coos was yawwwning as I untacked him, & I tucked him into his stall with a huge WARM bran mash (with carrots and apples and dried molasses!), one happy horse!

During the winter there'll be days where it'll be clear and bright and the roads will be dry, so it's kind of nice to know that on those days I could just take him for a drive to get "out", no matter if the trails are under 3 feet of snow! Looking forward to that, though I might figure out something to use for a lap robe! There's a reason those old-timey sleigh riders used 'em! You get COLD down there, especially when you're trotting! Major wind chill, lol!

My Amazing Brat

Tue Nov 6, 2007

Quzqo was in full Quzqo Mode tonight! MISERABLE weather, high-30's, sleet/rain/snow, high winds, wet horse, thankfully he was inside by the time I got there tonight, but they hadn't been fed and he let me know what he thought about THAT! I tried to mollify him with a peppermint and a handful of hay, but we know how well THAT went over!

He was in total No-Touchee form, rolling his eyes, tossing his head, wiggling and pawing. Yes, of course I planned to ride him! It's Tuesday!

My friend with the crippled Paint mare was there, test-riding the NEW Paint mare that Bob found for her (I see a pattern with that man). HUGE mare, only 3 yrs old, green broke, minimal sabino, but a VERY cool sorrel dun color...the body is sort of a caramel golden brown with dorsal stripe, but the mane and tail are creamy flaxen! Very interesting! Can't say what color her legs are as they're pretty much white, with a big white apron face and some big belly splotches. HUGE horse though, my friend looks tiny riding her, lol!

As for her "old" mare, she's got her at her home, on some sort of joint supplements, and she says she sees improvement in her condition & plans to just give her the winter off. She also got a second and third opinion and those vets don't think her knee/hip tendon is ripped apart or even torn, and considering the first vet didn't even X-ray, well, she's going the supplement route. Time will tell!

ANYway, back to Mr. Bratty-pants; got him saddled with the treeless saddle & put on the bitless bridle, but I had spurs on so I figured I'd get SOMEthing done tonight. Trouble was, Coos decided there was no way I was going to be allowed to get on his back! He'd wait for me to get up on the mounting block, and swing his butt away, or back up, or back up and swing his butt away! Rolling his eyes and holding his head waaaay high up! Little shit! Brought him back to the tack room, he probably was thinking "hooray! I won! Now I get to eat!!" (it didn't help that Bob was wheeling the grain cart around just then). Put his halter on over the bridle, got the lunge line and whip, and back to the arena and CHASED HIS WET BUTT!! Yeehaaaaw, that little booger can RUN when he wants ta! He cantered and high-stepped through the soft footing round and round and round and high-headed (no flagging tail since it's still broken, dammit), rolly-eyed and all, and if he started to slow I swooshed the whip and he'd jump forward again!

Both directions, TWICE, until he was trotting nicely and rounded with his head lowered.

Amazingly, when I got him to the mounting block, he stood rock still and patiently waited for me to get on (damn, that hurt my ankle though!), THEN he walked off without me asking him to, lol!

Oh, mercy, was he full of beans! Where was that energy Saturday on our trail ride? No, there's nothing wrong with his shoulder now! He was a trottin' fool, and if we got to a corner, he'd tuck his butt and head off into a canter, whether I asked him to or not! Loved it! It's so darned RARE that that horse WANTS to canter, I was definitely going to let him, lol! Love that sweet, balanced, rocking-chair canter he can get into! Too darned bad I can't use the bitless bridle in the show ring!

He was SO good after I chased the hell out of him with the whip, I think there's a lesson in there somewhere! Rode for maybe 40 minutes, my ankle didn't mind at all (other than the mounting block!). It minds NOW, of course, but not while I was riding. I think the stirrups have a lot to do with it.

I left him with an amazing amount of hay (Bob must think he's a bigger horse than he appears, lol, I swear there were 3 flakes in his hay rack!). When he wants to be a brat, he can be a helluva brat, but when he decides to behave, he can be SO good!

No Pain, No Gain

Sun Nov 4, 2007

Went on a trail ride yesterday!! Temps in the mid-40's, mostly cloudy, a
light breeze, barely any leaves left on the trees. Bob was FINALLY in
the process of fixing the gate to the Bad Boyz pasture. He'd been busy
these past few weeks rebuilding the fences to that area, with HUGE
telephone-pole-sized fence posts (because they ARE cut-up telephone
poles!) & wooden boards, all to replace the livestock fence panels they
had been using for years. Nice, working gates would make me happy!

Quzqo was in a funny mood, a little "high strung", a little "snotty", a
little "attitudinal". Like, what else is new!

Dragged out my trail saddle, that I haven't used since early September,
tied my hunter orange sweatshirt to the back ('tis the season), got the
old Crabby Appleton tacked up, and even got him bridled without too much
drama queen antics! Didn't feel like bothering with my spurs, and I
figured I'd lead him down to the outdoor arena and pick up my whip I
dropped last weekend.

Of course the whip was nowhere to be found! I've seen equipment left out
there for WEEKS undisturbed (in fact they're using somebody's purple
lunge line to tie shut the gate to the round pen!), but do you think my
innocent little whip, left by a jump standard, could be left alone for 6
days? Noooo!

So, off we went, no spurs, no whip, but at least a Kimberwicke in his
mouth! I had that much going for me!

OH, the drama! A study in barn sourness!! Hell no, he won't go! The
Emperor did NOT want to go on a trail ride! The Emperor wanted to go
back to the barn and be fed treats! We got to the corner of the property
where he usually throws his hissies, and I thought I'd be clever by
cutting across the hayfield, thereby avoiding the exact spot he usually
wads up his panties. But no, he's too smart for that, and even before we
got to the trail across the field, he jammed on the brakes and started
to spin 180 degrees to go back! No spurs or whip, all I could do is haul
his face around and slap him HARD in the rear with the end of my reins
(split reins, thankfully). He went the direction I wanted, but very
slowly, hesitantly, repeatedly starting to balk, with me constantly
giving him heel pressure heel pressure heel pressure! Yeah, my ankle was
not happy, but it would get a LOT unhappier!

We made it up the hill and across the field to the road,
he started a little bit of stopping but I kept him moving forward. Got
to contend with not one but TWO power company trucks coming down the
narrow dirt road, thankfully the horse was too worried about the ditch
to pay that much mind to the huge red and white trucks trundling past us.

Cut through the woods and promptly got lost! The trails had been altered
due to all the logging they did in 2006, and with all the leaves on
the ground, I couldn't even SEE the trails. Quzqo decided to walk OVER a
pair of small saplings rather than go around them (like I wanted), and
one of them apparently snapped him someplace sensitive, he jammed
on the brakes, flung himself backwards and 180 degrees! O, my ankle did
not appreciate THAT either!

We ended up making our way down the huge clear-cut swash through the
woods which was an annoying landscape of small hummocks and dips and
ground-out stumps, until we made it to the paved road. Not as pretty
(especially with the 3/4 rotted dead deer in the ditch, bleah!), but at
least I wouldn't get lost.

The horse didn't WANT to go down the road, he wanted to go BACK, and the
little shit started acting up right on the shoulder of the road,
side-stepping backwards into the right hand lane! Of course cars were
coming, and luckily a white horse is very visible, so I heard them
slowing as I heeled him back to the side of the road where he sulkily
shuffled along the way I wanted him.

Our next argument was where we would cross the road to get back onto the
trail. He wanted to go back, and started side-passing down the pavement
even while I had his head cranked in the other direction (those trainers
are right; you don't want to control the head, you want to control the
FEET, and at that moment, I didn't have that!)

Of course I won in the end, and scrambled him right up a grassy bank
(about 30 feet away from the trail I'd aimed for initially) and Mr.
Crabby switched his tail the whole time, and had his own ideas about
which trail to take. If I'd had my spurs and whip, I know he wouldn't
have been quite so full of his own ideas, but oh well.

Got to the next dirt road and we did some trotting until the pain became
excruciating (yep, good time to stop posting, when the ankle pain is
"excruciating"), then more walking, and we tried cantering a bit, which
didn't hurt my ankle one bit, but either the horse was sore and didn't
want to canter on the hard-packed dirt, or else he was being a petulant
little snot...I'm leaning towards the latter.

Saw another dead, half-devoured deer in the ditch, lovely lovely. Coos
was worried about it (I imagine he could smell it even if I couldn't),
but no further issues. Into the woods for a nice, relaxing, slow,
funereal shuffling walk. I swear, even with my limp, I could walk faster
than that horse! I bet he was a civil servant in a previous life!

Made it one of my favorite stream crossings and we just relaxed there a
few minutes. I fed the horse apple slices & just enjoyed the quiet and
the burbling of the stream. When we finally turned around I expected a
different horse!

Wrong! Same ole' shuffling mope even on the trip home! The few times I
tried to trot him he'd only oblige me for a few yards before shutting
down again. Truthfully, the way my ankle was screaming, I wasn't much
for trotting anyway. Maybe I should have used my English saddle, but I
don't know if I would have stayed on during that sapling-spook-fit!

Heading back along the paved road I noticed a real estate sign in front
of that patch of woods with the clear-cut swath we'd come through! Hey,
that's great, that means the original owner (who bought it from the
State of Michigan, grrr) won't be making a subdivision after all!! And
the way Michigan's economy sucks, I doubt it'll sell any time soon
either!! When I got home I looked it up on the web...lol...42 acres of
hardwoods...$550,000.00!!! YOW! I do doubt it'll sell any time soon!!

We got back to the barn 2 hrs & 45 minutes after we'd left, a trail ride
that used to take me and Tezlu 2 hours, if that.

Today it's sunny and dry. Today I think I'll drive!

Whip It! Whip It Good!

Sat Nov 3, 2007

Stopped at the barn last night on my way home from work, & the horses
were still outside. Not wanting to be trampled by that big stupid
chestnut gelding again, I took out my LONG quasi-driving whip (it's
yellow fiberglass, around 4 feet long, got it on eBay along with my real
driving whip). Bob still hadn't fixed the gate "for real" (although he
told me he was going to). Instead the top is tied to the post with a
lead rope (instead of being set on its hinge like it should be). It was
also crowded with geldings on both sides. Coos was standing a bit to the
side as usual and saw me coming.

I had two ponies and a QH in my way, so I took the whip and just whipped
it (duuh) through the air, and it made a WONDERFUL high-pitched whipping
sound. Those horses turned tail and RAN back up into their pasture, heh
heh. The horses on the other side of the gate backed away from the gate
sort of worried-like. I managed to get the gate open, and closed, they
started crowding in again...WHOOOOSH goes the whip! Again, I was just
whipping the air, never got near actual horseflesh, and those geldings
all turned and hurried away. Quzqo flinched a bit, but again was "you
don't mean that for ME, right?" and stayed put, lol!

Got him haltered, the horses started crowding back up...and again I went
after them with the whip, even hit one (not THAT hard) in the chest (he
was wearing a blanket, so it didn't hurt him, it just made a good loud
noise!), those guys turned tail and RAN! LOL! Cleared 'em out totally!!
Coos was a little worried, but when I got him on the other side of the
gate I let him sniff the handle and rewarded him with a piece of apple.
He, of all horses, should be used to whips by now, what with all the
whip-based clicker-training I've done!

That was nice though...horse-free maneuvering through the gate
area...kinda refreshing!

Oh, I found out why that chestnut gelding is such an ill-mannered lump.
He's owned by Bob's wife! She rides maybe once a month and doesn't do
ANY day-to-day handling of the horses. No wonder he has no manners! Grrgh!

Today appears to be dawning a clear, sunny day. Hopefully there's a nice
trail ride in my future...assuming nobody comes up lame like last week!