Cooler heads prevail

I'm feeling a lot more like myself these last few days.  While we had our guests here my back was so painful it was really a struggle at times.  I like to be an attentive hostess but as anyone who's had chronic pain of any kind will know it's hard to focus on other things!  I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time, and they dealt with the novelty and strangeness of house chickens very well.

I rode Oakley down the road yesterday morning with my neighbour and her nice Tennessee Walker.  Here she is with her bitless bridle and by the end of our ride I was wishing for a more aggressive bit for Oak. He was amazing all the way down the road until we got to an open field where the Hmong family runs a market garden.  At the end of many rows were plastic bags (I'm assuming to scare birds away?) and scattered throughout the field were many people in large hats, moving in a way I'm sure Oakley could not interpret.

His anxiety built up on the way home I think in part due to the bugs which were starting at his legs, but also because the girth seemed to be pinching him.  I used my Aussie saddle which fits him perfectly, is comfortable and safe for me but seems to have these girth issues.  The perfect fix I think would be to get a sheepskin girth cover...Exactly what I want for a seat pad for riding in winter. I will have to figure it out or I won't be able to use that saddle at all, since it's not fair to him to expect great behaviour if the gear is bothering him.  He had a few minor spooks on the way back, at things he'd already passed on the way out and had no problem with! But overall I think he did very well, and I think the relationship we've built kept him together.  He seemed happy to be back in the cool barn with Winston.  It was already pushing 28C by 10am, so a nice bath was in order, and it cooled both of us down. 

Last night the temperature dropped to 12 C, and we woke to a thunderstorm at 3 am.  Another reason I feel more like myself today!  These temperate conditions are so much better for all of us. Daisy duckling sprinted around on her ridiculously short legs when I let them out this morning, waving her not yet fully developed wings around. The brown thrasher is singing his cheery song.  Granny Rose tore into a wet pile of straw in her fierce high-kicking way.  I admire all of these creatures who greet the morning in this way, since it's usually such a challenge for a night person like me.

Winston accepts my morning greeting and nose kisses, but is impatient to get out of his stall.  He puts his head down for his fly mask so nicely but you can see he's fighting his excitement to get out to the pasture.  I open the large red gate as quickly as I can so Oak can bolt on my command as if he's a thoroughbred out of the gate.  I can't help it, it's awesome to watch.  Four strides into his acceleration he does a flying lead change and banks hard left, then accelerates again up the hill to the next turn on the way down to the pasture. Winny is slower out of the gate but picks it up when he can put his head down and engage that muscled quarter horse rear end on the uphill. This morning he was feeling so good there was head tossing and bucking involved, and then my inevitable woops and cheering.  

Last night : )

I start my workshop in Elk River tomorrow, so I have much to tend to today.