Thursday, December 23, 2010

Play Date

Well, I have to be honest, after the drain of holiday shopping, and dinners and engagement announcements (whee!), I was about two steps from bailing on the barn and just going to my good friend's house to plop on the couch and get in some quality veg time before she moves to NYC without me on Sunday.  (wah)

But, I stumbled onto Sarah's post and realized that when feeling stressed, always, ALWAYS go to the barn and groom your pony.  ALWAYS. 

So I did.  And I'm so glad I did, because P needed some play time, and apparently so did I.

I still didn't quite feel like riding.  A bad ride would have sent me over the edge, but I did feel like nuzzling, and grooming and playing. So I groomed the mare up and took her to the ring to get her kicks out and we played tag.

She's really good at tag.  She runs away from you, then turns around and runs back when you run the other way... It's fairly entertaining.  The only problem is that since I have a "limited" (zero, none, nada) cardio-capacity, and she has lots - she gets cranky when I get tired and stop chasing after her.  And by cranky I mean, she tries to chase me and if I don't run away and play then she turns around, gives a buck and runs off, only to try to entice me again. 

This, is what happens when I stop playing:


After we ran and chased, and I got tired, and the mare got her bucks out, we just walked around the ring to cool her out and I tried to document how good she is with her ground work even without a halter. 

You'll have to forgive my iPhone cameraman skills. They are poor at best.  Maybe better described as a drunk toddler running around on uneven ground...

But still, you get the idea...



Basically it was a nice day.  I finally organized my tack locker and re-wrapped all my polos and standing wraps... so things are at least a semblance of tidy.  As predicted, I left the barn feeling happier, calmer, and a little more loved.  If there's one thing this mare does well, its give hugs and wrap her big giant head around you.

It's a great feature. :)

Oh, she also tried to EAT my ring.  Not for you mare....  NOT, for you.

6 comments:

  1. Awww, I'm so glad you ended up going out to the barn after all:) What great video-tag is the best, and Pia is extra adorable with her play face on:)

    Hmmm, I've been remiss in playing with my pony as well. Will have to fix that:)

    Happy Holidays!!

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  2. Horse therapy is the best therapy!

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  3. That video is SO CUTE and she looks PHENOMENAL.

    Ozzy used to play tag like a pro. He'd even tag you by shaking his head at you, but never making contact. Bryce taught him and I'll never know how. He totally knew when he was 'it'.

    Glad you went to the barn to de-stress. It really is the best therapy.

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  4. Oh! You live in the Seattle-ish area. I am going there hopefully next month and I'd like to hit a tack store while I'm in the area. Any recommendations?

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  5. I had a purse I got from Timsboots.com and one of my horses loved to nibble the straps. I'm not sure why. I think he just wanted to be a pest. Your ring made me think of that, Lol.

    Beautiful horse!

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  6. SB - Sorry for the delay! Yes, My all time favorite tack shop is Olson's Tack in Bellevue. It's what I want every other tack store I go into to be. It is on the pricey side, but it's super cozy and had gorgeous everything. Plus the staff is super friendly and loves to chat for hours. :)

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