4th ride with Ani

Ani and I braved the horseflies again, and it wasn't easy. It's almost where you cannot even ride, because when we go out there, we become their favorite meal. I have two big welts on my shoulder from one, it's cruel how they normally will bite you from behind, where you cannot see them. How do they know this?

On the way to meet Ani I was leading Mag past a milk farm and for the first time, the cows were being milked. Or processed in some way that was very loud and we couldn't see into the barn, the windows were too high, but there was lots of machinery and people yelling and cows mooing.

Mag spooked and resembled my chestnut mare more than my grey gelding. His heart was pounding and he pooped, twice, he was so freaked. I almost couldn't keep him there, but managed it. We spent a while because I wanted to leave very slowly and he wanted to rush.

Then a German Shepherd came running out to us, circling us. I hate loose dogs, especially when there is no human in sight that might be an owner. The dog had a very friendly expression so I wasn't too worried, just annoyed that she was adding to our issues. Finally someone called her away from us, and she regretfully left.

Ani called me at that moment asking where I was. I told her to meet me at the cow farm but she didn't know I knew a shortcut there, so she was waiting at the main road a field away. Oh well, now she knows about it.

She said, "Let's get on" and after all that I wasn't thrilled about getting on Mag but Idid anyway.

I told her after last week I want to work on standing still and she agreed, so almost directly into our ride we stopped. Both horses stood there as long as we wanted. How odd.

I think I get it. Vorwartsdrang (the need to go forward, now) accumulates over a ride. How else were they so agreeable about stopping? Interesting. If I'm right, we can make it much easier on the horses by practicing immediately when we start riding.

I asked if we could stop in the creek and see if they would stand there, and they did. I still don't know what Mag will do in water and I was happy that he was splashing like crazy. And happier that the Easyboots stayed on after all that, when I hadn't gotten them very snug to begin with.

We had a lovely ride along that creek on her side of town, down in her valley. I want to learn those trails too even though they are a pain to get to, and even though that trail is hugely popular with hikers, bikers, and loose dog people. It's a veritable highway on weekends. But today we only saw one hiker.

Funnily Mira walks so slow the hiker eventually pulled away from us, walking faster than our horses.

I am so appreciative to Mira for her slow walk. I'm not sure if she's lazy or just careful, but it's perfect. She is teaching Mag to walk downhills in a controlled, steady fashion, better than I ever could! He tailgates because then he doesn't have to watch his feet as carefully, but he goes slow and that is a huge thing for me after all his rushing.

He's getting it!

Then I told Ani that I wanted to accompany her back to her barn and then I could get myself home alone. I thought it would be a nice thing to do for her, so she wouldn't have to escort me back up that hill and then back down it again into her valley. I also wanted to watch her routine.

She showed me a shortcut to the ostrich and bison farm next door to her barn, and soon we were on a busy road again, cars constantly passing us. The ostriches were out, but they were all perfectly still, staring at us, and Mag honestly did not see them. I wasn't sure I wanted him to. They are terrifying. Ani told me they scared her horse into a gallop right there on that street once.  Oh well, Mag will notice them another day. Perhaps I should be on the ground and not on a busy street with cars zooming by. (The street is 100kph but it's a one lane street and very curvy so not so safe to ride on. Oh, when I say one lane, I mean one lane for both directions, the cars have to pull off onto the shoulder to pass each other, like my street.)

At her place she offered Mag a bucket of water which he sipped from, and untacked Mira. Then she sponged her back, chest, and forelegs. I thought that was very sweet, her horse wasn't sweaty at all that I could see. (Mag just has a wet girth area.) S1's horse was right around the corner, in the other run-in, but I couldn't go say hi to him cuz I was holding Mag. Oh, I should have, he'd have been very surprised to see his other friend!

Then she gave Mira her bucket of mash and vitamins and it smelled wonderful. She put Mira in her daytime paddock/run-in to avoid the flies, with her mash, and Mag stood there fidgeting like a kid, "Me, me too, bucket!" Sorry Mag. I was drinking my ice water and he kept biting the bottle so I squirted it into his mouth and he seemed to like it. I said, "See, I'm a very nice person. I share."

Finally I went home. Our ride time was 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I'd spend another hour getting home on busy roads, so, leading.

I ran with him a ways because the horseflies were hunting us, but it was too hot and hilly to keep that up.

I'm happy with our ride today, very glad to have a horse like Mira to help Mag steady himself, and Ani is pretty nice too.