I get wetter than Mag

I really don't like being at the barn in the evening! It wasn't just the 4PM kids' lesson and then the 5 PM adults' lesson, it was the darkening sky and I'm not a night person, when it comes to working a horse. I was there from 3 til 6 and literally NO boarder showed up to ride. Just the lessons which I am not allowed to disturb. I am not even allowed to tie my horse in the tie area, I must use my stall, which I hate cuz it's tiny.

I was grouchy to find my door shut again, blocking Mag from using his paddock. I pay one euro per day extra for that. Bettina had both her horses in the barn  (at 3 PM due to potentially inclement weather) and I knew she'd shut Mag's door because Ducky is 30 and must be protected from a draft.

In Germany, people honestly believe that drafts cause illness in people and their pets. She found me and said, "I had to shut your door because the wind was blowing all your bedding away." (Huh? It was exactly where I left it the day before, in the way I leave it so I know nothing was replaced.) I just gave her a look of disappointment, and sighed. She said, "Your horse was trying to get out of the wind, the wind was pushing the plastic curtains into his stall and hitting him!" I said, "That's good for him to learn." (Oh, I'm such a nasty cruel American!) She was stunned that I could be so heartless, that my stall is not cozy, warm, nor airtight. Note that Ducky, Alexej, and Mag all wear Winter blankets all the time, so none of them are suffering. (I feel like yelling, "THEY ARE *IN A BARN*!!! but I won't.)  I understand having a 30 year old horse though, I said, "My horse is not Ducky, he can handle it." She said, "OK it's only 4 more weeks." Right.

Then she said she was taking her two horses for a walk and I said, "Can I come along?" No hard feelings, see?

I followed her enormous bay horses and noted that Ducky had a stud chain over his nose. Why on earth...she said, "Wait til we turn for home, you'll see."

Sure enough, to my amazement, her 30 year old one-eyed Standie started prancing sideways like a horse at the track. I said, "He thinks he's at the track again!" and "Your right arm must be really strong." Then I saw that she was asking Alex to quit dragging on her left arm and I laughed, "He's the anchor. Ducky's the ship." *lol*

Dude if you can't get your 30 year old to walk politely on a lead, well....I guess it's not a priority for you, and never was.

Back at the barn a door suddenly opened, cuz the barn is also a home with two families (three?) living there, above and beside the stalls. Mag spooked and Bettina's horses did too. It was just Ingrid popping out of her house, and she felt so bad for scaring Mag. I stopped Mag right there and pet his face, "It's fine, these things happen."

Later Bettina seemed peeved, "Did Ingrid have a plastic sack? Often she does." I said, "No, she just popped out."

I let Mag eat his beet pulp in his stall because the place was so busy with kids, some of them very new to horses. Mag was agitated because he didn't understand why he was in his stall at the wrong time of day, and eating in the wrong place. No matter that Ducky and Alexej were right there in their stalls, Mag was upset. I sighed, if someone shows up to ride, I will, but I don't like his behavior. Also, with his sketchiness about his hind legs, I absolutely cannot clean his hooves in the stall, because I'll hit a concrete wall with my head if he kicks out.

But no one showed up. Ugh. I put the lunging cavesson on, telling Mag, "If you're gonna act like this, you can work." For a half hour we tried to improve our lunging technique, I realize that I have only one month to get it as good as I can. Which means 4 clear gaits, lowering his head when I ask, and bending in on the circle if possible. Oh, and cantering 6 times around each direction. I got the canter, the w/t/j/c, and the bend to the left but to the right he doesn't bend as well (even though he canters better that direction). So I made the circle smaller and smaller until I had the whip touching his shoulder and his neck finally bent toward me. I guess we'll work on this until he has the muscles to bend on the line. I want to see a tiny bit of his forehead, that's how I know he's bending. Funnily he kept thinking I wanted his head down instead of the bend, and kept giving me what he thought I wanted, but there was a lot of activity out there so he was also watching the door.

Done, I let him loose and cleaned up and suddenly Willy let all the horses loose to run to their stalls. Oh boy. Mag ran to the door and stuck his head over to see them all trot by, and then he went prancing off, unable to control himself. I said, "Don't you want to watch? I do!" Mag was torn, he wanted to watch, but he had to move! Glad I wasn't on him, and I wondered if I had been, if I'd have gotten a warning. When I was new there, I got the warning.

Mag was respectful but distracted as I took him to the barn. As we arrived and we saw all the horses in their stalls eating their grain, Mag let out a rumbling stallion call, "I'm HERE!" tail up over his back. Ohhhh boy. It wasn't a scream, it was that thundery noise. Oh, Mag. I couldn't punish him because there is nothing wrong with that, but I really don't like evenings at the barn. Tanja told me when I asked recently, "Yes, Mag's always like this in the evening."

Perhaps it's cuz he's not PART of the herd coming in - he's always brought separately on a lead line. I don't know what is going on in his head but it's not bad, it's just not ideal, so I'll ignore it. Not like the problem will persist in his normal life in the country.

***

Jana, from my husband's high school, was pushing a wheelbarrow by us and I greeted her. "So, this is what it's like in the evening!?" She nodded, probably confused. Then we turned to see two lesson kids running full speed toward the school horse paddock and the beautiful pony Flecky waltzed out, loose. Flecky is the super-model of ponies. Arabian head, mane down to his foreleg. He's got a complicated relationship with Mag though; he squeals and strikes whenever we visit him.  Then Willy joined the action, and Jana's mom, who was there for the adult lesson, and Gabi too. I said, "Look Jana, it's 5 to 1. Who will win?" Willy had Flecky's thick, long mane in his hand and he pulled and pulled. The pony was surrounded, and Mag watched, thrilled, "This never happens!" and then Gabi started yelling, and her voice alone was enough to crush Flecky's spirit. The pretty pony walked back into his paddock. Jana and I grinned at each other.

***

I almost forgot the water story. This barn has a horsey water training thing. It's a concrete-lined trench that is about a meter wide and about 5 meters long, gently deepening to about 2.5 feet in the middle, I think, I've not stood there yet.  I noticed for the first time today it was full to the brim with rain water. I started poking around with a rake, seeing how slippery it was. It has rubber stall mats underneath, for some reason. Strange considering no horse in this barn has rubber stall mats - they all have concrete. Someone put a lot of effort into making this water training device.

Willy said, "What are you doing? Wanna go for a swim?" I said, "I wanna take my horse in."

I ran to get Mag, who was nickering at me to hurry. I took him right to it and Mag said NO FREAKING WAY and even reared up when I asked again. I looked at it from his eyes and saw that since it was a long, deep, pitch black water filled trench, it did look more intimidating than a babbling brook or even rushing stream. The water was so black. I stomped the water, splashing around. Mag put his nose in and licked it. Yup, water. But no way was he putting a hoof in. Ugh. Willy said, "Try the other side" so I did and suddenly found myself inside a rose bush, thorns up and down my leg. I jumped out yelling, OW OW OW! and Willy said, "Oh, the rose bush!" Very funny. Mag was convinced it was less safe than before.

I said, "Willy, this is gonna take some time. I just want one of his hooves in. So.....I'll work on it.

I was in that freaking water, feeling it seep into the sides of my not-waterproof paddock boots. Mag was very close and then finally put a hoof in. Then it slipped in the moss/algae and he jumped back. Sorry Mag, it doesn't just look like a horse killer, it's slick and will suck you in.

Willy came back and said, "Do you want to put my rubber boots on?" "No, they're not tall enough! What I need is Summer, shorts and sandals."

Then Willy came back with a bucket of mash for one of Gabi's elderly ponies and he stood next to me holding out a handful of the mash for Mag. Mag stretched himself out as far as possible without getting in the water. In fact, his legs were trembling with the effort of stretching his head and neck but keeping his legs far behind. It was hilarious. Finally he put a hoof halfway in and I said, "Willy, it's enough." Willy insisted and offered Mag a little mash and then kept him stretching for more. Whatever, if Willy wants to keep playing, I'll play.  Willy laughed at Mag and said, "Your neck is VERY LONG!" It was funny, Mag was stretching himself out as long as possible to reach Willy's hand and not get wet. Finally Mag had two hooves in the water and Willy gave him the rest of the handful. I laughed and thanked him.

Later at the barn, so dark out, Willy came over and pointed at Mag, "Why does your horse have two clean hooves and two dirty hooves?"

Ha, ha, very funny: )

Mag's gonna have to adapt to my new schedule with him, if I am there in the afternoons, evenings this month.

I apologized to him, "Mag, I don't like it either. I don't like being here now. But I hope we can both adapt." I can say things like that to him aloud and not worry anyone will understand. I love that. No one speaks English.




Tomorrow the chiropractor comes and I'm anxious to learn that about my horse: ) I haven't told her I have a new horse so she will be surprised, oh, and charge more because the initial consultation is much more expensive.