"Just" an arena ride, but lots of nice interactions

Back in America had the honor of doing some endurance and CMO on a great horse named MC Rogue, or "Mac." He was wound up pretty tight but was always better when under saddle, somehow.

Today Mag was standing in the grooming stall shivering despite the fact that it's 7C, way above freezing. It reminded me of Mac, who would tremble before rides and in the trailer, in anticipation/stress. Today was a combination of Mag being cold and feeling stress, because I was not too pleased with him, at least not right away.

I felt bad when I realized I was probably partly to blame for his shivering. Needless to say I did not clean his hind hooves today because when he's shivering it's really hard for him to give me those hooves.

Backing up, an hour earlier, when I cleaned his paddock I didn't feel like having him on top of me or playing with the wheelbarrow so I raised up my tools and backed him away. "Stay back." He moved away from me and went to his favorite thing, the wheelbarrow, to chew on it. I said, "Stay away from both me AND the wheelbarrow." He walked to the other end of the paddock, dropped his head low, and stood there, "I'm banished!" What a pitiful sight. What a good boy for understanding my request and giving me space today to clean up.

It was pouring rain sunup til sundown today and I didn't know if Nina would agree to go out. But if not, maybe she'd ride with me in the indoor.

That's what happened and it was fine. I let Mag follow the Leitstute around as we talked, and then walk beside her a bit. They kept giving each other dirty looks so I was careful to not get too close. I did my spiraling in, legyielding out exercise a few times and Mag was great. He's much better balanced under a rider now.

He would look at that scary corner every time, unless the mare was with him, protecting him. I kept him bent every time we were alone down there.

Suddenly something spooked both of them but thank God I didn't fall off again. Nina said her mare spooked twice.  The initial spook and then another at Mag's spook.

Moritz's new lease girl brought him in to walk him around and I showed her where she'd forgotten his fleece cooler last time. She put it on him and then he rolled. It wasn't fastened, so when he got up, he saw the blanket lying on the ground and spooked, running backwards full speed. Mag was right there and not worried about it. How funny! I suppose having your own blanket fall off is worse than another's. Earlier in our warm up, I'd had this huge towel on his rump to keep him warm, under his cooler. He needs lots of warmth, and lots of things for sacking out. I purposefully let the towel fall off him a few times, and it was no problem. In fact he offered to stop the first time it fell, which is interesting.

After a while I'd had enough riding so I just parked Mag in the observer section as I sat on a bench. His butt was even with the gate so everytime the mare trotted/tolted by, he was within biting range, and she glared at him evilly each time, but he didn't. He had his face in my lap, his lead rope in his mouth, and he was still as a statue. It was if he was just enjoying the closeness and I told him how great he is, rubbing under his bridle.

***

With regard to chiropractic work, I was about to call, but then I realized Mag had kicked out at the wheelbarrow last week simply because it touched his hind legs. That was not a pain reaction, that was him protecting his hind legs. So far he's kicked when: 1.  I held up a hoof to photograph it 2. When I girthed up the surcingle 3. When the wheelbarrow touched his hind legs and 4. When the trimmer worked on him. It isn't always the precious LH, the first two times it was the RH. So....hm. As I've said I can sack him out no problem with ropes and carrot sticks back there. Of course a chiro session would never hurt, it just makes me wonder.

***

Oh, and I must talk about Willy. He cracks me up! He uses Guten Tag like Hawaiians use Aloha. For hello and goodbye. *lol* The other day we were on a collision course with our wheelbarrows and he said, "Rechts hat vorfahrt!" (the car on the right always has the right of way in Germany even if you are driving straight and not turning) He asked me about this law, if it exists in America. I said "No! I had to learn it, and it was hard to learn." Then he came very close to my wheelbarrow with his and said, "Hey, lack kaputt!" and he cracked himself up. I think he said, "Fender bender, paint damage!"

Paint, on the wheelbarrows. *lol* Today I thanked him for cleaning Mag's water-bathtub and he said, "Oh, your horse made *snort snort* when I dumped the water, but then I got him playing in it. You know, your horse is not afraid of water!" Yes I do: )

Willy is really good at making horse noises.

This morning I arrived to a huge mess in the stall because I had put a lot of straw in there, trying to get Mag to finally lay down to sleep. I am not skilled at removing poop from straw, so I just started shoveling it out. On the third wheelbarrow full I was guilty about the waste and hoped that Willy didn't see. But he did.

"Did you just dump out THREE wheelbarrow loads?" Um...ummmm..

"Hey! Don't criticize the way I work!" I tried to defend myself but I know it's considered wasteful, what I do. I know no one else cleans stalls like I do, they just get the obvious poop and leave the rest and I sift through the entire thing every day. I have an advanced sifting method, I do.

As I sifted, Willy came over, "What are you looking for?"

"Pieces."

"Pieces of what, horse?"

I found one tiny manure bit, "That! That is what I look for!"

He said, "One piece. You found one piece. I remember when I was a boy in Poland, my parents took me out to find mushrooms. I finally found one. I ran to my father and said, 'One!' and he said, 'I also have one! One bucket full!'"

Willy laughed and laughed. I asked him if he still knows how to find mushrooms in the woods. He said in Wuppertal there aren't so many. I told him where I live the woods are impossibly full with mushroom people in fall, but I wouldn't know how to find the right ones.

He told me how when he was a boy, his father plowed the fields with their 5 horses. And then in 1972, he bought his first tractor. And sold 2 horses. And his mother asked, "Why not all the horses?" And his father replied, "I like to scratch on them from time to time." 

I enjoy my time there so much, quiet mornings with only Willy, and then he'll leave at some point to go have breakfast (and say "Guten Tag" meaning "bye for now"). Then I'll sit down with a cup of tea and listen to the rain and just enjoy.

When we were done riding today I took Mag back to the barn and found it full of kids and ponies and a loud, loud Gabi saying, "Don't every brush the horses' manes, you'll just rip them out and the poor horses will have nothing left against the flies of Summer!" I smiled cuz I never touch Mag's mane or tail with a brush, unless it's a special occasion and I've already washed them and dried them.

One little kid greeted me with a smile and "Hallo" and I felt so  happy for her that she gets to grow up with a knowledge of horses. She was so little I don't know if it was her choice, but at least she has the chance to decide if horses are the thing for her or not. Her mother nodded hello to me too as I carefully kept Mag out of their way.

I'm getting so much out of this experience, but I realize the idea that I don't have to stay there is an important point. I can leave at any time. I just am so far from ready to leave!





As always in February, I dream of Summer. A day like this, where my animals are not standing in mud, like most of the year.