Horses (Of Course)
I’ve been over reading George’s blog. He talks a lot about football so I guess it’s okay for me to talk about my personal hobby horse — horses. I’m back riding again thanks to the generosity of the lady who owns the barn where I used to board Pi. She has a neck injury and has been unable to ride so she has given me the use of two of her three horses. Rosie is an 18 hand Hanovarian mare who had a leg injury and is just coming back. I have to take it slow with her and build back up her strength, but she has been fun, if a typical mare. “No, I don’t want to do that. You can’t make me do that! Oh, I guess you know how to ride. Okay, I’ll go on the bit now and get in front of your leg.” The first time I rode her it took thirty minutes before we reached the submission stage. The second time it took ten minutes. The last time she came out, tried to stick her head in the air, felt my leg and half halt, and gave in.
But the really fun horse is Exact. He’s 20 years old. He’s pushing nineteen hands with hooves the size of dinner plates. They’ve been working at getting him clipped — until today he looked like a mammoth. In his prime this horse was short listed for the Olympic Team. He is an incredible Grand Prix horse. When you look at him you think “plow horse, the ground is going to shudder when he trots”, but no. Once you have him correctly on the bit he’s as light as a feather. Like all Grand Prix horses he has about 40,000 evasions to avoid working. “I don’t want to get straight. How about if I piaff instead? Okay, you didn’t like that, how about a passage?” “Oh, you lost your concentration, and you stopped pulling down through your lats. Well, watch me dump onto my forehand and pull you out of the saddle.” But he is so much fun, and he’s got such a great personality. The first day I brought him out we were enjoying 50 mile an hour winds and the entire barn and arena was shaking. So he was _very_ alert and had his head up, ears pricked, etc. So, I’m trying to get the reins over his head. Everybody watching got a big laugh. Joost, the groom, said I looked like a five year old next to this monster. Finally I jumped in the air, and threw the reins which miraculously went over his head and ears. Thank God for mounting blocks. Without one I’d never get onto this horse.
I’m riding a lot because Monday my coach and I are making a flying trip to CA to look for a new horse for me. I’m very excited, but nervous because I still haven’t sold Pi. Leap of faith. Leap of faith.
If my Steppi had lived he’d be the same age as Exact. While I’m having fun on the big boy I miss my horse so much. No matter what horse I find he/she will never totally replace the hole in my heart left by my Stepmeister. I guess I’m tired. It’s making me sad.
Melinda
October 21st, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Good luck getting the new horse!
October 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 am
Does Exact have Cushings? We’ve got one school horse at Pierce with it and he does look like a wooly mammoth with very, very long body hair. He seems to get clipped once a year, but only if he’s on drill team.
19 hands–you must be climbing a fence to get up on him.
I’m sorry we won’t see you this week, but I guess I wasn’t expecting you until next month. By then, the fires should be over and all horses back to their homes.