Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 247th Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 247th LESSON

There were no machines running near Des’ property this morning! I could see where they were, but they were far enough away that they could not be seen in action, and they could not be heard! The silence was golden, as the saying goes, and it was precious indeed! Along with the absence of machines, there was an absence of people as well, so there was absolutely nothing moving around us today except for the traffic on the new road which was uneventful.

Because it was cold this morning, and the wind was up a little bit, Flossie was feeling exceptionally good and I found that out immediately on our first lap around the track. When we came to the new road, she took me off the track, shaking her head. She did not balk, though, and I had an easy time getting her back onto the track and when I did, she quit tossing her head around. She only acted that way on the first lap, after that she was as good as the golden silence around us.

In fact, she was so good, I was able to get her into a nice slow canter. In both directions, on the track as well as on the circle. Did you hear me right? I said even on the circle I had her going in a nice slow canter. Her trot was slow, too, even on the track, where it would vary from time to time depending upon the location. She still wants to charge past the new road, but it’s nothing like it was when it was being built.

I’ve been working on slowing her canter for a long, long time, and it felt so good to finally get what I’ve been aiming for for so long! I was over the moon with joy! I couldn’t keep her going for long because it takes special muscles to canter slowly, and since I wasn’t expecting her to be able to go a full lap, I took what she had to offer and then I brought her back down to either a walk or trot.

This was the slowest I’ve ever been able to get her to go, especially on the circle. She’ll go nice and slow at other gaits on the circle, but not the canter. After two or three false starts on the wrong lead, I got her going correctly. My seat was so good! I loved the rhythm and was able to stay with it and would have kept it up if we had gone around a hundred times. This is what I aim for every time I mount a horse.

With my makeshift lip strap Flossie can’t grab the shank anymore, although she still tries from time-to-time. Not being able to grab the shank has helped to keep her calm when she would have otherwise chewed herself silly. Because it was a cold wind that blew on us today, I was able to work Flossie for a full hour without either of us getting over-heated.

I wondered where all the horses were this morning, so I asked Des and he said Gary sold all his horses except for one two-year-old gelding. Even his two ponies are gone now. I wondered why only Jack’s little pony was still hanging around. It turns out he won a race with him again on Saturday. I don’t know how many races he’s won altogether, but I know it’s quite a few now.

Des only has one horse left, now, too, and that’s the colt with the funny strip on his face. The other horse is a bleeder, so he’s going to send him back to the man who owns him, who lives in Rockhampton. Since Pat only has two mares on the property, this will leave only four Standardbreds and one pony at Dessyland now. Des told me Gary’s looking for another horse, though, so maybe there will be five before long.

When I went to the paddock to give Flossie and Bambi their carrots, Bambi saw me coming and when I called to her, she refused my invitation. I showed her the carrots, but she would have none of it. I wonder if she thought I was going to tack her up and get on her again. Can she be that set against it? Anyway, she let Flossie go around her, which is something she never, ever does! When she saw the coast was clear, she finally came to me, nose outstretched, ready for her treats.