I guess I should start with Friday, since it was our first ride post-Cowboy-Man (PCBM).
Friday, I sorta played hooky and went with my dad (/boss) up to our cabin in the San Juans. The cabin (as I usually recount) is my happy place, partially because its so isolated, but that isolation makes repairs and projects significantly more difficult to execute. Which is why we were going up... We had recently replaced our septic tank (another fine product offered by our family biz..) and it still needed some love, so up we went, on a gorgeous sunny Friday for some "hands on experience."
We had a very successful trip, accomplished our tasks, rewired the pump, back filled the tank and I even measured for some new curtains for the master bedroom and the bad-kids-room. We were back in town, with fresh clam chowder in hand in time to catch an afternoon ferry home so that I could still make it to the barn for a lesson.
Our lesson was good. P came out nicely PCBM, and aside from being a little hyper seemed to be in a good head space. She was softer in the poll than she usually is, but was in racehorse mode and just wanted to ZIP around the ring. I spent most of the time attempting a western jog and settling for a speedy working trot, but we got some decent transitions, ok bending, and managed to avoid any big fights in the process. Good ride. It was also the sixth day in a row the mare had been worked, so it was nice to see that her mental space was staying mostly positive!
Saturday started off with a fit of productivity as it saw me and The Boy out of bed by 6:30 in order to get fed, caffeinated and to the truck/trailer in time to hitch up, warm up and haul up to Denali's Mom's barn to fetch Miss D for her ride to the Spaaaaa(/vet).
I've said it before, but somehow the fun excitement/rush of trailering early in the morning for shows has stayed with me, so even if I'm not going to a show (or even hauling my horse...) checking over the trailer, double checking brakes, lights and everything else still elicits the same general happiness as it did when I was 12 and my pony was groomed within an inch of her life.
It was great to see D's Mom, and Miss D herself, all snazzed up and ready for her adventure. Miss mare was excellent and loaded like a dream. In fact, some frantic whinneying was the only sign that she wasn't totally thrilled with life away from the barn, but she hauled smoothly and got the the vet'sin one piece.
There was some significant drama at that point, but it's not my story so share, so I'll leave the details of our dropoff to D's Mom when she's ready. :)
After The Boy and I outlived our usefulness at the vet's we ambled back into the trailer and took off in search of brunch. After a couple of fails (long waits, difficult parking with the big rig and trailer..) we stumbled into a pancake house, stuffed our faces and warmed up a bit. Since we were out by the barn already, I graciously asked The Boy to accompany me to visit the mare for some pats and love time, which he graciously agreed to.
We had a great time. Miss P was all sorts of entertaining and playful so we threw her in the ring and played tag for about 20 minutes. 2 on 1 wasn't totally fair (The Boy was on my team), but I figure realistically it was 4 legs against 4 legs... so that's almost even...
P was adorable. She got all huffy and sweaty. The Boy got his exercise for the day, and I was THOROUGHLY entertained by all the antics. After P got plenty of brushings (note to self, teach Boy how to properly use a curry comb), treats, and pats, we snuggled her back up in her blankets and set off to put the trailer away.
Somewhere on our ride home I got motivated to SCRUB the trailer clean, so I got all suited up in the Boy's raingear, outfitted with the pressure washer and Went. To. Town.
We pulled the mats out, cleaned the floor, cleaned the mats, sprayed the inside, the outside, the bottom and the top. I know that my mom's derives intense joy from vaccuming, but apparently I derive intense joy from a supremely clean trailer. Wow. Just the thought of all my mats perfectly black and clean makes me smile. I'm certain that it isn't a normal response, but oh well...
Going to town... and attempting to NOT blast manure water in my face...
The final product... LOVE
It's the simple pleasures... I mean, it looks NEW
Afterward, we stayed at the shop and I helped The Boy with his hobby (really cool furniture). Specifically we worked on a dining room table he's making out of some salvaged doors for a really impressive women's shelter that's being built. He's a star.
Sunday was a recovery day. Lots of walking around our city and sampling variations of french onion soup, which apparently is a staple of my fall/winter diet.
For now, back to the grind. But at least I know I have a rested Mare, a sparkling clean trailer and a new episode of Glee coming up tomorrow...
Significant drama is one nice way to put it. You could also mention that I almost died, lol. I keep writing the entry in my head but I can't sit up long enough. Plus, not allowed caffine until the kidney starts working right. Boo. At least the drugs are good.
ReplyDeleteoh no what happened!? Ms Denali's Mom does NOT need anymore drama in her life!!! And by the sound of her post it sounds like she is HURT. Geez. I hope everything is ok!
ReplyDeleteYour weekend sounded fun! And girl, I am right there with you ab the cleaning. I pretty much admit to being OCD clean but I know the feeling of feeling so pleased with the turnout of the cleaned item :) so funny!
Glad Denali's Mom is OK - that was scary! Hope she heals up OK.
ReplyDeleteYou can come clean out my huge 4-horse trailer anytime you want!
While the cowboy may not have been the answer you were looking for, I think it's good to consider an option like him...for example, the Hungarian mare I was training who had some serious opinions of her own worked really well with a racehorse exercise rider. A kid who is maybe 18 (and comes from a family of 4 brothers who all ride -- swoon), unflappable and for all intents and purposes going to ride so unemotionally it would make you sick. I think when you are working on your horse it's hard not to let (female) emotions get in the way of our riding. I know I did. Seeing this kid hop on and get her moving out and forward and not even batting an eye at her greatest protests, helped her and I put OUR riding in perspective. And credit where credit is due, I've seen our exercise rider stay on 3 year old, over fit TB bursting out of their skin leaping across the arena, and the only thing uttered from him was a firm "stop" aloud, legs kicking the horse on and letting the horse move forward mentally. It's brilliant to watch someone who can ride like that -- and especially with an animal you've invested so much sweat equity into. Sometimes it helps just to get their bodies moving and their brains relaxed -- something I know I had a difficult time doing on her back.
ReplyDelete