Hi, I'm Ev. I'm training to become a horsewoman. These are my adventures and misadventures. I'm green as hell, but so far, so good. I'm now learning from Bo (and sometimes his wife DeDe) at D&D Ranch in Pope Valley. I am extremely lucky to have this opportunity, I feel quite blessed, and I feel that they, and horses, have really turned my life around.
Solomon is my baby- a big old flea bitten grey Appendix gelding who is very kind and way too smart! I love him so very much. He is a rescue and was meant to be co-owned rehabbed, and maybe rehomed to a good home. He turned out to be over 25 years old with injuries that ultimately do not make him riding sound, so he is retired.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Jerk!

Solomon got wormed today. Took about 20 minutes.
Then he had his eyes flused.
Then he got intensive full body tick and fly spray.
For all that, he was deceptively calm the entire walk up to the pasture. I was too complacent and foolhardy. I will admit this. I took off his halter before he had gone all the way through the gate. He always goes through the gate.
Well, except for today. Today he got this look that I knew was trouble, and sure enough, he went galloping off down the bridle path.
Towards the trailers.
The grain room.
The 100k dressage horses.
The covered arena with several riders.
As I latched the pasture gate (wasn't going to let the other horses out) he was charging down the road. He turned a corner around the trailers, out of sight, and visions popped into my mind, ones that cost more money than all my assets combined ending in my BO shooting me out behind the shed. Also I was worried that he'd get his fool self hurt, more worried about that than anything.
But a second later he came back around and started rolling in the dirt of the path. He rolled until I got too close (walking calmly, not running,) and then he jumped up, sniffed my hand, and took off again, running one way, running the other way, giving me a snort as he passed, and then cantering back up to me, whereupon I threw a rope over his neck and the game was over in his mind. He quietly let me halter him and take him back to the pasture, where I did NOT release him immediately as I normally do, but instead we had to stand perfectly still for a good 10 minutes. THEN I let him go.
It was clear that he thought it was just the funniest, most entertainng thing ever.
Up the road came the on-site trainer, who smirked at me and asked "are we having fun yet?" Hah.
"Er, you saw that eh?"
"Yep, all of it. That horse is trouble, girl."

So we might need to work a little on who is dominant and in charge. And maybe we'll work on "come here" and "stand" more as well, heh. Honestly I'd love for us to be able to just take walks with him running around loose (but with no road access) with me, but that is dangerous at a big boarding facility.

The BO is going to hear about this and she is going to KILL me. :/

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