Five Mare Day

Five Mare Day

Post by e.. » Sat, 08 Sep 2012 22:06:08


I had a five mare morning!

First, I rode Belles, who was a bit snorty but reasonable under saddle--we did a loop of my property, then I trotted her up and down and up and down and up and down my hilly field since the mares were turned out in the ring pasture. JJ joined us and we looped back around the outside for the cool down. She was antsy for tacking and untacking and a monster when I was bringing her out. She wanted to go galloping back to the herd, but I thought that was a poor plan since JJ was riding and Sable was feeling alert. So we came out the gate, turned around, and she reared and then bucked in place. Got a correction, walked through the paddock to the pasture, and then another tantrum there. We were mannerly to the ring, where I turned her loose in the midst of the mares, b
ut she was PO'd by that point and went galloping and bucking off in a temper, sweeping Rain along with her. Dancer came up to me, so I grabbed her instead. Since Sable was also energized by the rumpus I grabbed a longe and whip on my way by the trailer and brought it to JJ so that she could work the Air Fern on the hillside some.

My stupid horse morning continued b/c I have a new girth with Dancer and tightened it a little differently--I had it down three holes from its final spot on the left, but put it on its eventual last hole on the right. This is the same tightness factor of how I did up the other girth, but more lopsided and apparently that triggered her girthing issue because she went up and over backwards. Sigh. She got up, shook it off while I repaired the broken cross ties, and then I finished tacking, walked her around and snugged it the last three holes up. Since Dance has had a longish break and this is her second ride back, I mostly walked her up and down my hills and then did a modest trot on the less steep bit of hill. JJ was getting on by the time Dance and I came out to hack.

JJ and Sable were relaxed and happy by that point, and JJ asked would I get on to trot Sable on the hill to help with her balance thing. As soon as I got her organized and showed her a better way to carry herself, she came into much better balance and movement. She's very willing and has agood try.

Then I put Dancer in to eat and slogged out for Dolly for her breakfast and Rain, who I took to the ring and longed a bit before getting on. We had a very nice trot and canter set, then hacked back to the barn.

I turned out Rain and Dancer, brought Belles and Moonlight in off the pasture (everyone else had retired to the shed by then) and got up on Lite for a hack around my outside fields and then we did some working out where the fence line could go in the woods.

A busy morning with horses. Today the fence guy is coming to walk where we are relocating some fence, so once that is done I'll sort out the weather and riding for the day.

Eileen Morgan
The Mare's Nest

 
 
 

Five Mare Day

Post by LandShar » Sun, 09 Sep 2012 01:31:43

Still makes me tired just reading it, Ei.

Ruth W.