Ha. It was glass. The entire surface was frozen solid and was like glass with diamonds because last night we'd had hail that then froze - this morning for the second time ever I could not open my gate to feed my donkey.
Then the wind hit us hard and I turned into an icicle. As I had tacked Mag up, I let him eat beet pulp, and I noticed he was shivering in the barn while eating. Not good.
Mag walked on the "glass" and was so, so careful where he put his feet, even when Gabi and some kid walked by with 5 horses at once. He wanted to misbehave, but he knew he'd fall. I said to Jana as she walked by, "This is an ambulance trip waiting to happen." Except my German failed me and I didn't know how to translate that waiting to happen part.
We did our first session in the trailer with NO BUCKET. I saw Mag sniffing and then realizing no food. I had some treats in my pocket, and there was some beet pulp on the floor that he ate, but no bucket. I'd dreaded this day and as expected, Mag simply left the trailer but I corrected him and brought him right back in to "just hang out with me Mag, simply because I want you to. And have some treats." I backed myself away a few times to continue the leaving him part of the exercise. I quickly came back to comfort him - he really wants me at his head in there. We need to progress, I'm not sure how fast, how much I should push, but obviously he cannot rely on a feeding station forever in there.
Then Tanja said we could take a walk with our horses together on the trails, our second, and I'd been waiting for her to ask, so I sacrificed my chance to ride and went with her out onto the icy treacherous trails. Mag was fine and I realized how wonderful he is, again, seeing how bitchy her beloved Connemara Mia is. At one point she started bucking and kicking out - I think because of the bitter wind, but I was so scared Tanja would be injured!
Panting our way up the hill back to the barn - both Mag and I are not in hill shape - I noticed that he kept looking behind us and I thought it was a bicycle. But suddenly he spooked and Mia too, both of them rushing around blowing, tails high. Argo, the chestnut, was cantering up the hill toward us and had come into their view. Argo too, spooked, diving off the trail as he saw us. The thing is, Mag knew someone was coming....hm. Anyway Claudia apologized to me, especially, when she saw how upset Mag was, and Tanja apologized to Claudia for almost getting her dumped. All I could think was, "Wow, this walk was worth something. Mag saw his first horse come cantering from behind him on a trail - so now he knows that scenario exists."
I thanked Claudia for it later. As I was taking off Mag's pad in the stall, suddenly Mag rolled, with me in the stall, pad in my hands. OMGosh, there is not room in here for you to roll with me! Claudia was like, "That's too small!" I said, "Get up!" and he did, and he couldn't be blamed of course, but that may have been a first for me.
Again my chances of riding were thwarted by others in the arena and I feel this building pressure to get rides as often as possible in our short time there, but what can I do. I'll just stay prepared to ride and hope that it works out.
I'm starting to get really tired of being cold. My husband asked me why I wear a tshirt (and vest and hoodie) but I hate being sweaty while cleaning poop. But more often than not, I end up frozen solid by the end of my barn time. Especially on days like today where the wind is whipping us cruelly.
I'm feeling the pleasantness of building a partnership with Mag, even on days like today where we do so little for so long. Perhaps we're work colleagues. It's an interesting feeling to have this nearly every single day thing going on with him. And even if I'm not riding, that daily time together is making us partners.
No photos lately, sorry, This is from Summer again. Wow, for such an accident prone horse (regular facial injuries and permanent scars), he sure has a massive set of whiskers!
6 comments:
You are right- it's the daily work with him that will make the difference- not just the riding!
I dress in layers that breathe because I must be warm. Can you adjust so that you are there when the children are at school? I've also never heard of people working their horses to be kicked out so that horses can exercise!
Teresa, as I was leading Mag down the frozen concrete slope that connects paddocks with barn, I said out loud, "What is this, Nova Scotia!!!!"
The thing is, my husband and I have only one car. This is the reason Mag is in Wuppertal, not closer to home. We thought we could carpool together, him going to his school, and me up the hill to the stable every day. It seems to work, and I arrive at exactly 8 AM when the kids are in school. Unfortunately nearly no one is at the barn at that time to observe my rides. I'll have to work it out with some of the adults then. I love being there mornings when it's quiet, but I need someone around to see if I've died already.
Warmness: this has been on my mind a LOT lately because we've had sub 20F temps here for more than a week (it seems like longer). There was only one fall of sn*w, on New Year's Day, but it's still there, it can't melt. I have the usual solutions of wool (I am wearing two wool shirts plus wool socks right now, and I'm at work!), polarfleece, and hot tea, BUT ALSO there are these things: http://amzn.to/2hX56x9
I wrote about them after riding the 75-miler in pouring rain a few years ago. They are like the chemical handwarmers, but you strap them over your KIDNEYS, so your blood gets warm! Makes a huge difference for me--I get cold so easily, and these things really help.
Everything you do with Mag is making a difference. Any time you are anywhere near him, you teach him stuff. Hopefully, good stuff! :-)
For barn cleaning when it's at 3 degrees (tonight), it's carhart bib overalls & coat, along with a wool thing around my neck, wool socks, thermal muck boots, thin gloves along with lined leather gloves, and a Wool hat that covers my ears. I miss my old neighbor, we'd both laugh at each other as we each headed out to our barns!
One thing I kept in mind while using feed with Grace while trailer training was, we normally always have a hay net hanging when we travel. Sooooo, using feed isn't a big deal, my trainer agreed!
We warm our bits with a blow dry--it is great because it warms our hands at the same time. Winter isn't much fun for us in Northeast Ohio, either. We have an indoor arena we can use, but we are always having problems with the people that want to use it to just turn their horses out in it--when we want to ride. We can't wait to get back on the trail on a regular basis.
I love that picture. He has such a beautiful face.
I hear you on being cold. They rarely turn the heat on at work so even though I live in a warmer climate I'm cold all the time. In the winter I wear a long sleeve shirt, a jacket and a puffer vest all day. I never take my jackets off and will shiver all day some days. I'm seriously considering wearing long johns to work. In the summer they keep the air on so when it's 100f outside I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt and a jacket inside.... All summer!!!!! I shiver even in the summer. So yeah I'm always cold. It's so annoying. I'm very thankful it doesn't get that cold outside all winter here. I can't imagine living somewhere it's cold and snowing all winter. It was in the sixties Fahrenheit here in January! Love it!!
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