We walked off and around the paddock for about ten minutes. He was a little bratty.. annoyed by the bugs and heat, and I'm quite sure he did NOT want to be marching around the paddock.. he wanted to go out and explore! But, I wanted to take it slow and sat through his little tests of head-wiggles and hops, as well as his little duck and dives.
Eventually, I rode him back into the stall (for relief from the deer flies), then from his back, I reached over the stall door and unlatched the latch. We walked through the cramped inner barn and out to the driveway. From there, I rode him around back and we walked around the back yard and my newly opened up paths. Again, he tested me a few more times, wanting to see where I was at, but I nipped those in the bud and asked him to work with me. After about five minutes of that, we walked up the secondary driveway to the dirt road. We walked halfway to Dad's house, then we turned back for the barn. I intentionally wanted to keep it short, and I guess we rode only about 20 minutes all told. I didn't take any photos or videos yesterday, so nothing to show.
After a soapy, cool bath at the new outdoors cross ties, I rinsed him off and took him back out to the back yard for a few minutes of grazing. Then back into the barn, and later I brushed him back down again and coated him with more fly spray.
He got his pellets around 4:30 p.m., and he stuck around in the stall until dusk (when the bugs are less brutal.) I felt bad for him around 5:30 p.m., when it seemed as if his new reality was sinking in and he was really missing his herd buddies. He whinnied a bunch of times and trotted in and out of the stall a few times. So, I put on his halter and the long lunge line and took him back out for a little more hand grazing. Don was on the back porch getting the coals ready for dinner, and just this little routine seemed to calm him back down again. He went back into his stall a much more content pony.
This morning, I once again gave him his pellets by 8 a.m., and once again, he greeted me warmly and seemed very relaxed and comfortable. He is still laying down outside at night, which is fine with me, because I've intentionally left his bedding low (but banked high on the walls in case he ever gets cast again.) I knew today was going to be another very hot day, and later, a front is coming in, so it is supposed to get windy... so I wanted to get in a ride before the winds come.
At 9:30 a.m., I put on my jeans and newer paddock boots, as I decided I was going to revert back to my full chaps, as they have better grip. My old polyester breeches are just too darn slippery! Some day, I'll invest in some modern breeches with full seat gripping... but until then.. or until my riding legs get back stronger, I'll just use my full chaps.
He was very relaxed as I groomed and tacked him up. I think he was ready for some more exploring. Once again, I took him into the paddock over to the stump to mount, and he was much more agreeable today in our warm up walking around the paddock. After a few minutes, we walked into the stall and I dismounted again. I wanted to trade out my riding bat for a fly bat I've had for years (* funny story about how I got that fly bat, actually.. I had a gig with The Stalagmites at O'Brien's Pub in Alston, Ma, and after the show, when I was grabbing my gig bag from the back storage room off the stage, I found it there on the floor. It was probably used as a prop for one of those crazy "performance rock" bands.. I didn't think anyone would miss it.. so that's how I got that!)
I led Possum out of the stall and mounted him from the lip of the barn entrance. That worked not so great, as I jabbed him a little in the side with the toe of my boot, as well as skimmed the top of his bum with my right boot... DOH! He took it in stride, though. We walked around behind the house and around the back yard for a minute or two, then we headed out to the dirt road. A couple of times he stopped, knowing what was coming (the big hill!), but I gently convinced him to keep going. We walked all the way to the end of our road, where it comes to a dead end, and then we turned back around and went into a nice brisk trot back to the cross road. Then we settled into a walk and went almost all the way to Laughing Tree Farm. When I asked him to turn around, he sort of didn't want to! Just like last year, I remember.. he likes to explore. On the way back, we took a short detour up to the new house that isn't being lived in full time yet, and then we trotted a little more on some of the softer and sandier part of the road.
When we got to the hill, we dug in, and he is in much better shape now then last spring, let me tell you! Then, we took the path off of the road that goes through Dad's land and ends up at the back of his house. There is a big dip in the path, and I was prepared for him to try and buck, which he has been known to do, but he didn't.. and then he went into a canter, and though I didn't ask him, I let him go. We cantered all the way to Dad's back yard, and then walked back up to our back yard. I got to the barn and dismounted, untacked, washed the sweat off of him with a sponge and water, and then hand grazed for about 10 minutes. Back in the stall, more fly spray, then I let him go with a new flake of hay.
I cleaned the paddock and fluffed his stall, scrubbed out his water buckets and gave him fresh cold water, and now he seems very content. As am I.
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| Having a drink after today's ride. |
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