Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 148th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 148th LESSON

Under a dark and stormy sky I rode Flossie this morning. I usually walk her around the
track one full turn to warm her up before I start working her, but she wouldn't have any of
that today. She must not have wanted another boring, do-nothing ride like the one she got
on Friday last week because she started out at a nice trot. When we came to the muddy area
near the road, I kept her going because I could see it wouldn't be a problem. I just
wouldn't let her canter through it, so I'd bring her down to a trot and then pick up the
canter again on the other side. Although she has always picked up a canter from both a
pace, or a walk, in the past, she has never picked up the canter from a trot before until
today. Twice. The first time she just put it on herself to start cantering.

She positioned herself around the corners, taking the turns at a nice bend, all on her own.
She used to take herself off the gait by throwing her shoulder to the inside, but I taught
her to bend and she seems to like taking the turns that way. It's a lot easier keeping her
in the middle of the track that way, too, and controlling her speed. She flies around like
she has wings and is as steady as they come. The grass was dry enough to get some circling
in today. Again, she puts herself on the bit and gets a nice wet mouth. For the fun of it,
I had her cantering around the paddock. It was so fun situating myself in the saddle so I
could stay with her every stride.

When we were finished with the track, I cooled her out by taking her down the driveway
towards the road where we could stand and watch the goats grazing in their paddock across
the street. When I dismounted, I couldn't get over how muddy she was! Her belly and legs
were covered in mud, as were my stirrups, my pants, and my boots. It reminded me of the
time I had come down to ride after a long rain. I could tell she had been rolling because
she was covered from the tips of her ears to the bottoms of her hooves in mud, but this time
it was my own fault she was so dirty! It took a while, but I groomed every inch of mud off
her body before I left.

Des said he's going to have Bambi bred again this year to the same stallion he had her bred
to last time. (BamBam's father). He's really rapt with BamBam. (That's in his own
words). He said the colt starts like an "Old Stager" (also his own words) and came in
second during a trial race recently. His only vice is his biting, but then, I guess that's
what you get with a stallion.

Des has a son who has two daughters who want to ride Flossie. Des can't walk her around,
though, and his son is afraid of horses, so I told him to let me know when they're due for a
visit and I'll make it a point to come down and give them a ride.

Riding was so satisfying today. I wanted to jump up, click my heels together, and shout for
joy. The clouds, although they had appeared to be brewing up a storm, only gave a little
spit for about three minutes, then promptly began to clear up. Before long there was a
beautiful sunny day shining down on us with all its golden glory.