Twice Angel and I have walked out with a halter, practicing her leading manners. It can be an amusing game, as I creep forward, stop, take two steps, hustle forward, stop, turn left, veer right, and she is supposed to follow me on a loose lead, never getting ahead, nor falling behind. I have not gotten back on, because my side still hurts enough that I would be hampered up there.
Yesterday morning she was feeling racey, so I chased her sedately around the paddock, since she didn't want to be caught. If a horse doesn't stand still when you come up to her with a halter, then you move her around until she decides that standing still the first time was a good option. But when Angel is feeling giddy, then bouncing is always her favorite option. So she hops, rears, canters, does her moves, all in the mud, and finishes off by rearing and tipping over on her butt in the mud. She was not hurt, but somewhat chastened, and I was horrified. Is she going to do that with me on her?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
World's worst job interview line
"nope, no brain damage. .... um, .. who am I talking to?" This was uttered by me on picking up the phone and being asked "any brain damage?" by a friend who was offering me a chance to work with him on a project while I am laid off.
It turns out he had had quite a chat with me while I was waiting for the ambulance. He had called to suggest the project, but I had said I was dazed and awaiting the ambulance and wouldn't be able to discuss it just then. I had finally hung up, saying "I should go check on those guys [the ambulance], they should be here by now". So he called me back on Sunday, and didn't identify himself, thinking that I had caller ID and remembered our conversation on Wednesday. I had completely forgotten.
Strangely enough, he is still interested in having me work with him.
It turns out he had had quite a chat with me while I was waiting for the ambulance. He had called to suggest the project, but I had said I was dazed and awaiting the ambulance and wouldn't be able to discuss it just then. I had finally hung up, saying "I should go check on those guys [the ambulance], they should be here by now". So he called me back on Sunday, and didn't identify himself, thinking that I had caller ID and remembered our conversation on Wednesday. I had completely forgotten.
Strangely enough, he is still interested in having me work with him.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Fall from grace
On Wednesday I got thrown off and I don't remember it. I went out with Angel, she was doing well on the road, and I decided to go in the field where we have historically had troubles, but lately I have had lessons there and she has done pretty well. I mean, I have not even fallen off at all! So we went to the front end of the field, presumably less exciting than the back end. We did little circles. She did great. Then, I remember going up in the air, not seeing much. Mind you, I was still on my horse, but she was rearing. When she came back down, and I was still on, I shouted angrily at her but did a few more circles so she didn't get the idea that rearing would get us out of the field.
And after that, I remember being home, wandering around talking to my son, and the ambulance coming, and chatting with the ambulance people, and then hours and hours in the emergency room. They tested my memory by asking the date, and I was great at the month and day, but could not think of the year for the life of me. I spent a long time puzzling on that, and was pretty smug when I got the answer. They kept surprising me by telling me things about my horse that I couldn't imagine how they had discovered, only to be reminded that I had told them myself. The short version of this story is that I had a concussion, obviously. I had no headache.
I cannot remember the fall, I cannot remember how I got home, I cannot remember untacking the ungrateful Angel, or calling the ambulance. Apparently I chatted with an ex-coworker for a while, before telling him I had to hang up to go check on the ambulance, because "those guys ought to be here by now".
The only lasting result is a great pain in my side, and a great suspicion of myself. I started making apple sauce without cutting up the apples first. "Brain damage", I hissed. I headed in the wrong direction to get water in the barn. "Brain damage, see?"
And I am left with a jaundiced view of Angel and less confidence in my own judgment.
And after that, I remember being home, wandering around talking to my son, and the ambulance coming, and chatting with the ambulance people, and then hours and hours in the emergency room. They tested my memory by asking the date, and I was great at the month and day, but could not think of the year for the life of me. I spent a long time puzzling on that, and was pretty smug when I got the answer. They kept surprising me by telling me things about my horse that I couldn't imagine how they had discovered, only to be reminded that I had told them myself. The short version of this story is that I had a concussion, obviously. I had no headache.
I cannot remember the fall, I cannot remember how I got home, I cannot remember untacking the ungrateful Angel, or calling the ambulance. Apparently I chatted with an ex-coworker for a while, before telling him I had to hang up to go check on the ambulance, because "those guys ought to be here by now".
The only lasting result is a great pain in my side, and a great suspicion of myself. I started making apple sauce without cutting up the apples first. "Brain damage", I hissed. I headed in the wrong direction to get water in the barn. "Brain damage, see?"
And I am left with a jaundiced view of Angel and less confidence in my own judgment.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
not quite a kick in the eye
This afternoon we tried going out on a lead and halter walk. Angel was to stay level with me, stop when I did, speed up when I did. On the road, she did pretty well. We made a good game of it, I would creep forward two steps, then stop, then walk fast, then walk slow, then trot, then stop, and she kept right next to me. It was very gratifying.
Then I thought I would try taking her in my yard, where she had been rearing like a jack in the box over the weekend, to see if her newly-rememberedgood behavior on the lead would be maintained in the apparently challenging environment of the yard. She started to graze then walk, faster and faster, and before many minutes had gone by, she was prancing, and then circling me at a fast trot on the ten-foot lead, and as she got bouncier, she whicked out a fast kick with her hind leg, which is all very nice when she is 15 feet away, but that foot went whizzing awfully close to my face, according to my eyes. So I hauled her in and took her out to the road and we walked up and down with somewhat less cooing than the first session. She went back to being good. We will have to try that cocaine-like yard again, with a plan. Some sort of plan.
Then I thought I would try taking her in my yard, where she had been rearing like a jack in the box over the weekend, to see if her newly-rememberedgood behavior on the lead would be maintained in the apparently challenging environment of the yard. She started to graze then walk, faster and faster, and before many minutes had gone by, she was prancing, and then circling me at a fast trot on the ten-foot lead, and as she got bouncier, she whicked out a fast kick with her hind leg, which is all very nice when she is 15 feet away, but that foot went whizzing awfully close to my face, according to my eyes. So I hauled her in and took her out to the road and we walked up and down with somewhat less cooing than the first session. She went back to being good. We will have to try that cocaine-like yard again, with a plan. Some sort of plan.
On the roads: trot out, walk back
Angel and I went out on the roads yesterday. I went out with the halter and she showed me balletic moves expressing that she would like to run and bounce in the paddock before I caught her. So I chased her and she pounced and reared and tried desperately to roll in the muddiest patch of the paddock, before eventually she made the mistake, or choice, of going in her stall, and I blocked the doorway. This is probably not recommended behavior with a hotted-up horse, but she is always respectful enough not to push me out of the way when I do this. I put the lead on and the halter, and she became the other horse, calm and sensible.
She doesn't like going out by herself, so her walk out is slow and mincing. Yesterday I tried working on my leg pressure, zigging and zagging all over the road, as a distraction, and we made somewhat better time down the road. We circled and zagged our way to the dirt road, and she perked up at the view of the long straightaway. So we trotted, but very slowly and very tensely, with lots of tight breathing on her part. Since what she would rather do is race home once we get to the end of the dirt road, and what I have been doing is asking her to keep to a trot, I decided yesterday to make her walk all the way home on a loose rein, interspersed with turns and occasional trotting outward, particularly when she couldn't control her jig. This worked pretty well, and when she was unable to stay at a walk, we would turn around and head away again, at a walk or trot, and zig and zag using my leg. She was pretty sensitive, I was pretty impressed. She got it, and tried to stay at a walk but found it very hard and walked as fast as she possibly could. Loose rein, though. I realized that somehow we have got a pattern where when she is motivated, if I have any tension at all on the rein, she jigs or trots, and I have to loose the rein to get a walk. I am not sure what I am doing with my seat, although I am trying to sit deep.
She doesn't like going out by herself, so her walk out is slow and mincing. Yesterday I tried working on my leg pressure, zigging and zagging all over the road, as a distraction, and we made somewhat better time down the road. We circled and zagged our way to the dirt road, and she perked up at the view of the long straightaway. So we trotted, but very slowly and very tensely, with lots of tight breathing on her part. Since what she would rather do is race home once we get to the end of the dirt road, and what I have been doing is asking her to keep to a trot, I decided yesterday to make her walk all the way home on a loose rein, interspersed with turns and occasional trotting outward, particularly when she couldn't control her jig. This worked pretty well, and when she was unable to stay at a walk, we would turn around and head away again, at a walk or trot, and zig and zag using my leg. She was pretty sensitive, I was pretty impressed. She got it, and tried to stay at a walk but found it very hard and walked as fast as she possibly could. Loose rein, though. I realized that somehow we have got a pattern where when she is motivated, if I have any tension at all on the rein, she jigs or trots, and I have to loose the rein to get a walk. I am not sure what I am doing with my seat, although I am trying to sit deep.
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