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Snow Day

Having three horses means that all need to be exercised, even in the winter. December 11, 2008 was such a day.

I woke up sensing that the day’s plans would evolve as time progressed. A glance out the bedroom window verified this. There was a foot of fresh snow on the ground, and more was falling out of the sky. Pete told me that the plow truck had not been by, meaning that I was not going anywhere. I had planned to drive Rosebud, my Suzuki Swift, to Peak Fitness. There I’d work out with Paisley Meekins, my personal trainer. It was to be a strength training day.

I was disappointed because I enjoy working out, but reminded myself that being mentally flexible is as important as being physically flexible. I considered going cross country skiing, but seeing as the horses were restless, instead opted to work with them. The obligation aspect is both the up and the down side to horse ownership. I have days (of course) when I’d rather do other things, but I cannot, in all good conscience, let my horses go for long without exercise. Tinni and Raudi were overdue for a workout.

I first took Tinni out, and for a very good reason. Riding Tinni first makes it easier for me to next ride Raudi. Today was a case in point. I took him on the ride that I would next do on Raudi, and this made me feel that much more confident about this. As we did the loop, we focused on walk/trot/tolt transitions. He was, I could tell, feeling very good. This was a big change from a year ago, when he shuffled along, barely moving. Unbeknownst to us, he had pneumonia—Dr. Farris put him on antibiotics, and he recovered nicely. He has heaves, but has not coughed at all since last June. I attribute this to his diet, which includes fresh green hay, rice bran, and Hilton Herbs respiratory formula.

I took Tinni up what I called Jim’s road, crossed over to the bench trail, and then came home on Murphy Road. The footing was quite good. There were, at one point, two moose at the distance, and the snow was falling in large clumps off the spruce trees. Raudi would have little to be concerned about. My relationship with Tinni, an older gelding, is different than that of my relationship with Raudi, a younger mare. He is stoic and not one to show overt displays of affection. He does care about me, and shows it by watching out for me when I’m riding. Should I come off balance, or become anxious, he will slow down rather than speed up. Our favorite time together is actually our post ride walks. I always, when finishing up a ride, no matter how long or short, make it a point to get off, loosen the girth, and walk the remaining distance. Like human athletes, horses also need time to “warm down.” Today, together, we returned to the barn delighted to be in one another’s company.

I put Tinni away and took out Raudi. As with her predecessor, I groomed her carefully looking for lumps, bumps, and abrasions. There were none. Last year at this time, she danced around when I attempted to remove the ice dreadlocks. Today she ate quietly, and acted like this was no big deal. We rode the loop, going at a brisk trot most of the way. Raudi, five, is not yet tolting, and I’m not forcing it. It will be a great day when she does offer tolt, but for now, a nice, sustained trot is the next best thing. I can daydream when I’m riding Tinni, but have to keep my mind on business when riding Raudi. She’s green, and this is her first year of winter riding. She is not fazed by snowmobiles, trucks, plows, things that move. However, she is bothered when she sees things in places that were not there before. This past summer, Paul Turdock’s boat threw her for a loop, as did a large culvert. I got off her, gave the touch command, and when she put her nose to these objects, clicked my clicker, and gave her a treat.

I asked for a walk, and Raudi protested by putting her nose up in the air. I lowered my arms, and used my elbows to bring her head carriage into a lower position. And when she balked at her favorite balking spot, the phone box with the yellow pole, I squeezed my legs and did not release until she moved forward. This was actually the first time that I’ve consciously thought about using my legs for this purpose. Had I had a treat for me on hand, I would have popped it in my mouth.

I did the trail loop from the opposite direction this time, going up the bench trail and over to Jim’s road. I could tell by the animated way in which she was walking that Raudi was glad to be out off the beaten path. It felt altogether too short, this ride, but I did not go further because I did not want to put her away wet. The days are very short now, and the temperature drops as soon as the sun sets, which is around 4 p.m.

I also walked Raudi a ways down the road. Unlike Tinni, who is truly appreciative, Raudi just wants to go. She was bargy, so we worked on walk and whoa. Once we were back home, I put her away, cleaned the goat pen, and returned to the horse area. I could not help but notice that Siggi, head hanging over the fence, looked bored. We had about 45 minutes of daylight left. I grabbed his halter, put it on him, and took him for a walk. He noodled some, but appeared glad to have the opportunity to stretch his legs. And today we had an unexpected breakthrough. After three years of working at it, he was able to stay on his side of the road, on a loose line. Yes, he is now becoming a more balanced fellow. All-in-all, a great day. What I was to learn from this day was that there are benefits to being flexible and not adhering to a set plan.

Alys
Pete
Raudi
Form and Function
Gerjun's Decision
Bolting
Chafa Chafa
Clicker Training
Trailer Training
Lessons 1
Lessons 2
Lessons 3
Lessons 4
Maresville
Minus Eight
Snow Day
Siggi
Tinni
Bootleg
Rainbow
Jenna
Goats
Chickens