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!