She nickered hello

Mara is starting very slowly to talk to me. Since it's summer and there are no real meals that I provide, I haven't heard her ask for food.

Tonight when I got home she wasn't at the gate (in sight) but she heard my car door slam and my footsteps and I heard her nicker a cheerful little neigh that clearly was a "Hey! you're back!"

It felt really good. She's also got a "Hollywood" horse voice. In comparison with Baasha's eunuch soprano, she has a commanding tenor. I should sell her voice-over services.

We had a great ride yesterday, testing the easyboots on the trail for the first time. But before that, my man agreed to take us for a "family walk" to check on the geocache by the reindeer farm across the street. OK not reindeer but something similarly impressive, lots of prongs on each antler, they all live behind a huge fence.

Mara was hyperventilating as we walked there, and for good reason - not one, but TWO carriages were approaching on the main road. Herr Braun's wife was in the first carriage pulled by two chestnut ponies, and Herr B himself was in the next, pulled by two drafty greys.

Mara lost all her manure as they approached, and since I'm such a good planner, I had her in the street for that. I try to never leave manure on a sidewalk.

The ponies bobbed their heads at her. Perhaps they'd never seen white biothane? No, it was Mara's shocked terror. She was petrified with fear. My man said, "Should we continue along?" and I said, "No, I want to stretch this experience out."

The ponies started to shy away a bit, into the oncoming traffic lane, simply because Mara was so intensely still. Then she couldn't help herself and she barged forward into my space. I yanked her back and she tried to control herself.

She tried to find more manure to expel, to expediate her escape. (Did you know there is an evolutionary reason for that? Lowering bodyweight gives the prey animal (and human) an easier time escaping.)

When the greys passed us, she was doubly horrified, and trembling in fear. Herr Braun shouted to my man, "A new experience huh?" and my man said, "Yah!"

The greys started veering off as well, and I made Mara take a step to show them she's not really a statue horse, she can move, she's OK. There were a lot of people (and a dog?) in that carriage. (You know how a horse will react to a hiker holding perfectly still, but as soon as the hiker moves, he's suddenly human again?)

Finally they passed and we continued. As we made our way down to the cache, I was thanking God that the reindeer were not all lying right there by the fence like they normally do. Mara did not need a new species right then.

We went to the cache, leaving oops, lots of tracks so it will be easier for the next seeker.

The cache is hidden on a very steep downslope, perhaps the steepest slope Mara had ever been on. She ran into a lot of branches. She finds standing still at my request on such an angle excurciating, but she is clearly calmed by me and my man doing cache maintenance. Our relaxed conversation about all the previous visitors to the spot forced her to settle.

On the way out, my man asked me why I didn't get on her, but I wasn't ready yet. She wasn't as calm as I wanted.

We parted ways, my man going home, and me going down to the watershed. Just getting out of the reindeer forest soothed her and she snorted/sprayed me full in the face. Nice. Good girl.

Then the fun began. On downhills I ran with her, and she pranced beside me. A trot out would never be a problem for her - I can tell she thinks, "Yes, let's run *together* like a herd!"

Finally I got on her and asked her to go up the big hill. It was so much fun! Except that my saddle rolls depending on which freaking diagonal I'm on. AGH. If I sit or two-point, it's ok. If I post, it rolls immediately. Of coruse I realize this means that if she spooks, I'm toast. That saddle will roll right off her bratwurst shape. I should have known - I still cannot get on her alone or without slope.

At the top it started downhill again and she started faltering. Apparently she's still not accustomed to slopes, and carrying a rider downhill is almost impossible in her head. I got off and then got on again when the footing was better and the slope wasn't as steep.

Lots of hikers passed us and I think they saw the fear in my face as I said, Guten Tag to them. I did have some mane in my hand at times. She seemed to be afraid of every stump and shadow.

After running down an exhilerating single track with her, full of roots and obstacles, I caught my breath. She sure loves running with me. I just prayed that I didn't fall down and feel her hooves on my back.

I found something to get on, and it took forever somehow for her to finally align and stand still for mounting. That needs some pratice still I guess. I am treating her after mounting if she stands still, cuz that is such a logical method to get them to stand still.

I found the steep rooty trail and told her to trot up it, encouraging her with my voice when she hesitated, "Let's go!" "Trot on" and "Yeah!" --- it was so fun. She was huffing and I was grinning. She broke into a canter and I felt my first canter on Mara. It was great fun, but I knew she was just tired and at that point cantering was easier. My rolling saddle was driving me crazy, but I'm a balanced enough rider to help my green wobbly horse up the hill.

At the top I jumped off, ran with her some more and we spied on the pony party horses. As I forced her to stand after our exhilerating climb, she fidgeted badly. Then I saw blood on her back leg and realized a horsefly had eaten a chunk of her.

I'd killed one as I tacked her up, and saw another which forced us to run away together - but it never works, horseflies follow on their mission.

Thank God today Kay's package arrived as I was at work - in a colleague's luggage cuz of the customs ban on meds -- a year's worth of equispot. I cannot thank her enough - this will save us from ticks, horseflies, and the gnats that eat the bellies of horses all Summer. I tested a little bit of it tonight on the inside of her right hind leg, to see if she's allergic. My vet said many horses are allergic to equispot (by Farnam) but if they're not, well, it's a great weapon in the arsenal. The top weapon, IMO. Thank you Kay! I just wish I could put it on myself: ) I hate finding ticks on me.

I was so happy when our ride was over and we still had 2 easyboots on.

I wanted to push my luck and see what else I could do.

Since Mara stands in rain happily as if it ....somehow...feels good? I thought, "If this horse hates baths, I'll eat my hat."

I put my hose on "shower" and aimed it at her. She just stood there. She put her nose into the spray a few times, like, "Yes, water!" It was great. I kept thinking how bloggers in CA and AZ don't have to worry - their horses probably crave water. But Baasha would rather die that put his nose into the hose spray willingly. Ironically, Mara is fastidious and will probably never need a real bath unless there is a medical reason. All that horse shampoo, I should give it away. *lol* What a great problem to have. A dirt colored princess of a horse.

I was excited to use my new horse water scraper thingy, cuz my Oster stick-type water scraper sucks.

Then I photographed her for a potential new saddle.

Then I soaked her hind feet at length, so I could rasp them. And for the first time, she gave me her hooves willingly and didn't decide when I was done. I rasped the outside flares down.

I gave her her vitamins and as usual, she ate half of them and left the rest for Bellis.

I am blogging all this cuz I need to track the good and the bad, and currently, it's pretty good.

I have, again, hope.