Friday 20 March 2009

I hope no-one had a camcorder......


There was a certain conversation the other day that was centered on how it's always the horse you consider to be most "yours" that can scare you the most. Well scare isn't the only thing they can do best, I can tell you that.
This morning started overcast but cleared to another gorgeous day. I spent a few minutes considering things and drew up a rough plan of stuff I could do during the week - just so I'm not boring us all senseless by doing the same old thing day after day. I lunged Holly in the sidereins for a change and then took Harvey out into the road where we watched some of the incredibly interesting and bizarre traffic that suddenly has to go up and down. I think every tractor in the area is out and about today along with cherry pickers and those things like big cages on the backs of trucks, Bless him he never flinched until the bright yellow crane came past and even then it was only a matter of two little steps backwards and a giraffe impersonation so I am really pleased with that lack of performance ( but also rather glad that I wasn't sitting on him at the time or you can guarantee it would have been panic stations.).
Fally has an odd little lump on his back - I'm not sure what it is but I suspect insect bite, it's already gone down some from where it was when I found it last night and he doesn't flinch if I prod at it but even so I didn't fancy the idea of putting the saddle on him today.
I considered and finally decided to lunge him for a few minutes before turning them all out.
This is where the "favorite horse" bit comes in. Fally is my soft spot as everyone will tell you. He gets away with stuff the others don't etc etc. Well, when it comes down to working with Fally the safest place is definately on his back - he's big and solid and can be bargey at times, he's also a grump and a grouch and an opinionated old ginger git. Just thinking of lunging him ( when there wasn't even anyone in the house let alone with me) got the adrenaline going and I was seriously considering phoning John and telling him what I was doing and if I don't phone back in half an hour then phone me. Glad I didn't do that actually - if I had I would probably be hiding under a rock right about now.......
Picture the scene - 17.2 chestnut shining in the sun, me with bright red hair ( and hard hat) and reflective jacket in a suddenly dusty lunging area. A light breeze and dogs barking in the distance. Picture 5 minutes of a very nice trot to the left, horse being very nice and amenable. Now picture a change of rein and somewhere approaching 20 minutes of the red haired flourescent person calling trot on, terrrrrrr- ot, cracking the lungewhip, attempting to chase or drag the horse, whipping the ground with the lunge whip ( making little puffs of dust pop up) waving the end of the lungeline around and making generally (usually) effective noises ( like whoosh, Go! Get-on, ch-ch-ch-ch etc) while the horse walks calmly around the circle.
And YES, I did say walk - that was most definately a walk not a trot or even a jog - a walk. He never even batted an eylid at any of the stuff I was doing !
I know I did more trotting than he did and the neighbours ( who's houses overlook the lunge area) were probably having hysterics the whole time - so if a video happens to turn up on Youtube or YBF that sounds anything like this please please send me the link - it might just be me !)
Anyway at the end of 20 minutes or so of this my arms were aching from waving things around and he was giving me this really patient look like, " Have we done this long enough yet, Mum ?" - well that was it, I just burst out laughing and threw my arms round his neck and we just stood there in the sun with me laughing helplessly with the sweat running down from under my hat ( no sweat on him though - oh no, HE was bone dry.)
After I turned them out I drove home and had numerous bouts of random laughter and giggling all the way - people must have thought I was crazy ( or maybe I am, maybe it has all just been too much))
Next time I think of lunging him I'll make sure I have a friend to assist.

2 comments:

  1. lol! I can't even count anymore the number of times I end up running around more than my girl does when I'm trying to do something with her. I remember the winter before I had her trained last year, I had myself hanging onto the lunge line, the barn owner with the whip and my hubby on the other side of my girl all trying to get her to go, without getting kicked. I still wasn't mad at her. You just have to give and exasperated laugh and move on. I still love my cranky girl. :)

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  2. It's nice to know I am not the only person that this sort of thing happens to !

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