Hoof Blogs

Flossie's 251st Lesson

FLOSSIE'S 251st LESSON

Flossie was as steady as a metronome for me on the track this morning. Her trot is always steady, but today it was so rhythmical I was able to stand in the stirrups. I’ve been working on doing this for months, but today I actually did it. I held onto her mane so I couldn’t jerk her mouth and I stood for a good long time. I rode her that way off and on in both directions. The first time I asked for a canter, she got bronchy and did some crow hopping. Other than that she was good on the track and on the circle.

I had her canter one last time on the track in the direction she had been going when she did her crow hops before I rode her down the driveway to cool her out, just to give her a chance to redeem herself, and she picked up the canter as smooth as glass without any more antics.

I loved standing in the stirrups at the trot. It felt as though we were flying. It was a real thrill! I think I'll make it a part of my rides every week from now on.

Pat came down to work some horses on the jogger just as I had dismounted. I didn’t know he was around until he slammed the door on his truck just as I approached with Flossie in tow. He didn’t know we were there any more than we knew he was there and we all got a surprise. Flossie handled it well and barely responded.

I showed the crack in Flossie’s right front hoof to Pat while he was handy and he instantly pulled out his equipment and trimmed her hooves for me on the spot. It didn’t take long before her hooves were as good as new again!

Gary’s little filly, the new horse he bought recently, was turned out in the big paddock with Flossie and Bambi. Although Flossie gets along well with the youngster, Bambi will not tolerate her. She throws a temper whenever the young horse comes near. She kicks out at her, snorts loudly with a huge blast of air that you can almost see coming out of her nostrils, and she chases after her while making herself look as mean and as scary as possible. All that energy goes to waste, though, because the savvy filly just saunters past her as though she were nothing more than a sessile tree stump. It’s really comical.

I had tried feeding that filly carrots many times in the past when she was penned up in an outdoor stall, but she wouldn’t even take a sniff at them. However, while I was feeding Flossie and cantankerous Bambi, she managed to get a hold of one. I watched her toy around with it on the ground for a while but eventually she sniffed it and finally took a tentative nibble. She ended up eating the whole thing.

It was a heavenly morning, with a bright and sunny sky and just the perfect amount of chill in the air. The kind of day that doesn’t need anything more for comfort than a jacket. As the hours passed, the temperature rose a bit, but by then I was done with the saddle and enjoying the warmth.

I love this time of the year for many reasons, and one of them is the absence of bugs. Not only do I hate being bothered by them, but I hate to see them bothering the animals, too.

After today, now I have five more chances to ride before I fly to America. That is to say as long as the weather and my schedule cooperate.