Naughty Pants!

 Daniel Floyd Breaux! No sir!!!

 

I might have been a little cranky earlier today but I'm definitely cranky now. I worked a half day today and got home around 2 pm with lunch for me and Mike. After I ate, I chilled out for a bit and then decided to go ride. I caught Dan and we tacked up. I decided to ride at home because of timing. And diesel prices. ($6.19-49/gallon these days!!!!). I put on his new pad and he looks smashing in it! I almost rode in it, to give it a test drive, but... I knew it would be dusty in the arena so I decided to save it for a trail ride break-in. Which, in retrospect, I'm glad I did because now I can't blame it for his awful behavior. 

Instead of going straight to the arena, we headed to the lake as our warm up. Luckily the neighbors dogs have been locked up or penned up or something because they haven't been coming at us the last few times we tried, so yay. We got to the lake and a golf cart was coming by. Dan froze but was good and we just watched them pass. They said "he's so cool". And I told them their puppy was adorable! So then I thought.. you know... let's go flat in the field next to the tennis courts. That way we can do some dressage without having to finagle around the obstacles and deal with the dust. So we did. He almost felt a bit lame. I don't know if it's because of having the nails replaced on the one shoe... or if his stifle is bothering him. But it was so subtle. And he was a bit tense. So we kept riding and he was being a bit of a brat. Not bad, just not soft and relaxed and he felt a little bit like he was going to be naughty. We did some trotting and then I asked for the canter. He was fine going to the left. So then I debated going to the right because he was escalating. But dammit.. I'm not a chicken. So, after a bit more trotting, we tried a right lead canter. He was silly and bolted into it and then was cross cantering so I brought him back down and resettled. Then I asked again, and...the fool stuck his head down between his toes and went to crow hopping/bronc bucking. Luckily, I've gotten better at sitting those kind of bucks out and he isn't as sneaky as Funny about it. But... it's a bit more scary without a bit because I've got no real leverage to get his head up. And of course he went skittering up the hill, crossed the road (thank God no cars were coming) and into the yard of the house on the corner. I finally got him stopped. I was yelling at him and calling him names. Once I got him stopped I jumped off and just screamed at him and whacked him with my dressage whip. Hard. I was pissed!! Skittering across the concrete road with four steel shoes in a bosal is scary. And we got lucky there wasn't any traffic! And then I noticed my finger was throbbing and pouring blood. Somehow I must have sliced some skin off at the nail bed. I was still pissed so I backed his butt up and then we walked over to a little concrete stand that I was going to use to get back on. I stopped and backed him up a few more times. I was fuming mad. I got back on and we headed back to the field. I trotted some more and did lots of transitions and halts and backing up. I debated cantering again, but decided it just wasn't worth it. Which, kind of pisses me off. Like... am I losing my nerve?? Am I going to be afraid to canter him in the open now? I'm almost wondering if I need to take him to ashland in the bit with the plan of cantering him in the field and maybe trying to break this habit. 

 

We headed back to the arena because we were damn sure going to canter in the arena. And we got back there and it was super dusty. See you jackass... you could have had a nice ride without the dust, but no.. you had to go a bit a jerkface and ruin it. We trotted and then picked up the right lead canter and of course, he was perfect. Ass! He knows exactly when he can take advantage. 

 

We did a bit more trotting and transitions and cantering and then we did the obstacles. I was a bit more strict than maybe I should have been, but... if you can try to bronc me off, you can sit your butt and do some tight circles on your hind end. We had some good obstacles and got better in the pen, after I had to get after him some for being a slug. At one point in the drums, he lost his right hind completely. It got left WAY behind and he felt ouchy for a step or two, but then I let him have a minute and he bounced right back. And really, I didn't feel any lameness after his broncing spree earlier. So yay. We got some nice canter and then played with the garocha pole a few more times to give me some practice. And because I was still a little mad at him. My finger was smartin'! And because I had hopped off to move the plastic barrel farther out because I was thinking it was too close. I just left him "parked" while I did it and then he wandered off. And then he took off cantering. Smartly, he only did one length of the arena and then let me catch him. So... I'm sorry dude. I really don't have much empathy for you today. I don't feel bad asking you to trot the bull line a few more times for my sake. 

 

He did get hosed off and he still got his carrot. A big fat one too. But he also got told that he was currently not my favorite child! And that he better be careful and watch himself because he was pissing me off! But I also told him I still loved him. Sigh... 

 

Practicing again

 Dan and I are playing  a delicate balance of taking it easy and not stressing his stifle too much and prepping for regionals so we can at least be somewhat competitive. So today we practiced. I tacked him up and got on at the roundpen and headed up to the arena.

 

Unfortunately, as soon as I got on, Jean's baby horse started screaming frantically and racing about. Which got the girls riled up, who started racing. And that meant Dan got riled up. He started prancing and threatening to bolt. And then he bucked. And then he reared! I was yelling at him to knock it up, because... not as much fun in a bosal! And I didn't want him to hurt himself. He kept at it because they other horses kept at it. I finally managed to get him still enough to jump off and then he was still trying to bolt and reared up at me. I managed to walk him up to the top of the hill without losing him or getting hurt and once we got up there, the baby horse had calmed down and the girls settled, so Dan settled too. Good gravy! 

We got in the arena and all was well, so I got back on. He was fine so we walked a bit and worked on our marching walk and then did some trotting. I spent about ten minutes just working on our dressage. A nice forward trot with good bend/flexion and then good prompt and forward transitions. After that we added in some obstacles. He was doing pretty well. But I did have to get after him in the pen for being sluggish. I did play with it a bit and I think if I track left first, it helps loosen him up for the harder right bend. I have to make sure I come far enough out before my turn on the haunches so we aren't angled going back in. But if I go in and track left first.. come out, and then turn on the haunches left, then go back to the right, it seems to work the best. We had a one or two good runs through.

I played with running the whole course. The first run through was awful. Well, not awful, but not good at all. The second run through was much better and even quite decent. If I can figure out how to start the darn double slaloms, it's so much better. I have to make sure he's marching into the walk and make sure I use my leg in the reinback so it's "marchy". Our gates were pretty decent today. I do have to be careful that I don't overdo the "prompt" transitions and make sure my timing is good for the jug. I kept stopping a step or two too forward. Or I was too far away and had to reach too far. 

He was great at the pole. Me, not so much. I didn't drop it today but bounced it out of the barrel. Ugh... But, I also managed to spear my bellboot once which feels fairly impressive. And he didn't get fast or runny, so yay. 

We cantered a tiny bit because it was still pretty humid out and he was puffing, even with his haircut. Poor guy. The right lead canter was awful to start.. he was bracing with his underneck. But, once I got him to soften, it was quite nice. We finished with a tiny bit more trot work and a halt and he was good.

Tonight I went ahead and shockwaved both stifles, the right neck base and mid cervicals and then both sacroiliac joints and his lumbosacral joint. I've noticed that suddenly his neck looks very puny again and he's standing with his hind feet one behind the other. (Like Marvin). I'm not sure if it's because of his stifle (which is pretty effusive feeling) or because of his SI joints, or ??? I'm not sure Kelli has figured it out with Marvin either. Maybe it's all of the things. But he used to stand fairly square behind. And he's back to resting that right hind all the time. So, he'll get his second legend tomorrow and today we shocked. So... fingres crossed. If it helps, I'm guessing I'll repeat it next week too. 

Sassy butt!

 Daniel was NAUGHTY today!! 

 

We met up with Sharon and Baylor and went for a nice long hack. I did a "dress rehearsal" and put on one of our outfits to see if it was going to work for regionals. Sharon, Kelli and Cindy all liked it. I'm not 100% convinced but... I don't know what to do to make it better and honestly, I've spent WAY TOO MUCH money on "outfits" already and keep getting mismatched pieces that don't work in one big outfit. So... I'm just going to have to accept it and move on. But Sharon got some photos for me and she liked it in person too. It was too hot to wear long sleeves so I took my shirt off and just rode in my tank top for the actual ride. 

 

We had a good ride and hit some trails we haven't done in awhile. We trotted some too. Sharon wanted to be in front for a bit because Baylor was creeping up on Dan. So I let her. And then Baylor was walking slow and Dan was creeping up on him. Which was fine.. until we trotted. Dan kept putting his head down and bucking. Sir.. just stop! You are old enough to know better and just.. stop! You can't always have it your way! I was frustrated with him and Sharon offered to let us lead again, but... you've got to learn Dan! So we kept at it. And it was very little trotting. But at the end we did some more and we had to duck under a tree branch and Dan... took advantage and as I ducked onto his neck, he put his head down and bucked, which threw the horn into my boobs! Argh!! It didn't hurt that bad but it did hurt. And tonight I had a red rub mark from it. But we survived. I was mad enough though that as Sharon trotted off I made him halt and back up.. and then trot... and then he kept wanting to run to catch up, so we were jigging sideways. But I'm sorry sir.. you can't have it your way all the time. This isn't Burger King!! 

 

So we were pretty much finished riding at that point as we were trotting up the backside of the stadium arena and ended up back in the parking lot. I told Sharon that I needed to go in the arena briefly because he couldn't end on that. But also, I had already mentioned (even before he was naughty) that I wanted to go run through my test just once if the arena was open. So we did that. He was a little sad he had to leave his friend, but he was good. And there were no shenanigans. So we ran through the test once or twice and did a tiny bit of additional work. I added two canters and then we were done. I did make him do another solo trail ride just around pyteradactyl lake and he trotted quite politely and softly. 

 

Twit! But we did have fun otherwise. 

 

Spider Season

It's SPIDER SEASON! They were out in full force! Or no one has been on the trails recently. Or both. 

 

Dan and I had a fun ride though. We met Sharon for a hack and just had a chill ride. It's so hot again. Ugh... And now spiders AND humidity. Doh! The ponies got some snacking with their hacking and Sharon and I had fun talking and walking. I did most of the dewebbing as Dan and I led most of the way. I did end up with two spiders hitch hiking a ride. Unless it was the same one twice. Maybe. It looked similar.