Ani concedes, part 2

I was so thrilled to show someone, finally my private trail toward the village of Bechen, starting right here near my house, crossing only one street.

Almost immediately a car stopped us. "Hey, Frau W!" he said. He continued, "I found a shovel."

I said, "OH hi,  wasn't it funny last week, when the hikers asked me directions in your driveway!?" And how my animals both pooped in his driveway.

He said no worries.



Two things to note about this picture (taken about where the neighbor stopped his car to chat). 1. HUMIDITY, you can see it as a haze in the background, ugh! 2. You can see Mag's split lip - the little black piece hanging down is a part of his lip that will have to come off. Poor thing cannot take a treat from my hand without dropping it, and has a terrible time with hay.


You might be able to see how insecure Mag is here as I'm staring at him and filming. His walk became hesitant with all that pressure from me.

***

Meetup was in the middle, which was directly in the center of town. I led Mag through my village, with cars and pedestrians and kids and dogs - we stayed in the street unless a car was coming cuz this place is really tight. The town was here long before cars, so at times the street narrows between old slate sided buildings, the sidewalk disappearing, and cars must take turns to get through.

I finally got to our meetup place.

Ani wasn't there. I was thrilled that I was on time so I sat down at a bus stop with  Mag. He stood there calmly with me, he knows bus stops.  I sat there my sweaty back steaming up the glass wall.

I got bored so I led Mag into the street in a blocked-off lane where we'd be safe in traffic, and we waited there on Highway 101. Traffic surged by us, but no horse girl.

Mag was standing with me at a busy intersection with lines of cars waiting to cross, cars going 70KPH in front of our noses, and he stood like a statue. People were staring out their car windows at him, as he politely touched me with his messed up nose, "I'm good, right?" YES.


I glanced back at the traffic circle and saw a glimpse of horse. That's Mira!

I whirled around and took off jogging toward the traffic circle. Mag's hooves rang like bells on the sidewalk/street.

I saw no cars so I jogged right into the traffic circle's center. Ani stood with Mira in the parking lot next to it.

I looked around and saw a ginormous tractor waiting to enter the traffic circle. I politely stood motionless in the center. Nothing happened. What?

I heard a little honk.

I looked up, it was the tractor driver, telling me to leave the circle. OK then, but..OH!

Just like the city busses in this town, he drove directly through the center of it, I suppose because the circle is too small for big rigs.

 Hi Ani, where did you come from?

She said she had decided to ride through the center of the village (where I'd come from), and lots of kids ran up yelling, "Horsie!"

We started our descent back down into my valley.

At the old water mill/restaurant, we mounted, and started onto my trail.

LYTHA'S TRAIL!

I warned her first that it's complicated, it's not an official trail. That I would be dismounting from time to time, at fallen trees, for example. She said it's fine.

Then she surprised me.

She jumped off her horse several times, actually, every time there was an obstacle. I was glad, cuz following her kept Mag to a snail's pace. And I didn't enjoy the last time when Mag stumbled along dangerously.

She got back on and we started my favorite loop. It's a loop I'd found a couple years ago, and it was so gorgeous, so remote, I couldn't believe I was still near my home.

Ani agreed, "This is gorgeous, this is amazing!" She's starting to practice her English with me, but I stick to short, clear sentences with her.

Then we turned down a very technical trail, with a width only 12 inches max, and lots of  roots to trip down over. And a series of steps, out of both earth and tree roots, that the horses had to lurch down.

She jumped off her horse again, safety first. I jumped off too.

Halfway down Ani said, "STOP!"

I heard emotion in her voice I'd never heard before.

She said, "There is a hole here, and my horse will fall into it."

I know this hole. It's nasty, cuz the trail is so narrow and overgrown, you cannot see it. And I don't know how deep it is.

My last time here, with S2 and Chilly, they walked right over, and I carefully walked over it too.

Then Ani stepped over the hole, and Mira stepped into it with one forehoof.

I could see that the hole was about 8 inches deep. The mare stood perfectly still, her Renegade-clad hoof in that hole.

Ani said, "We have to go back, she'll break her leg!"

I said, "OK. Let's go back."

Now you know that once a horse has its hoof in the hole, the horse knows exactly where the hole is, and it's no longer a risk, if you are, in fact, on the ground, leading the horse. Or even riding, slowly.

But....Ani wanted us out of there.

But where could I go?

It was too narrow to turn a horse around, with blackberries on both sides, poking through my breeches.

I turned to Mag above me, and said, "BACK!"

He couldn't see up the hill behind him.

He couldn't see the steps and roots behind him.

He took a tiny step up and back and I praised him. That is how we managed it.

He would run into another landscape shelf/step, unable to back up, and then he'd try for me, lifting his hind legs up blind, to get over them.

I thought, "This is exactly why I practiced backing him over poles in the arena last Winter. Cuz what other use would there be, for that exercise?"

I think it was 15 meters, that Mag had to climb backwards over steps and roots. He did it.

At the top, I saw that Ani had managed to turn her mare around and lead her out without the drama I'd experienced. Ani is immune to horseflies (how!?) and apparently blackberries too.

Good boy Mag!

I climbed back on his back, where Ani led her mare out, she was stressed, I think.

I will never ask her to do anything that makes her uncomfortable. But now I was at a loss, I know no other alternative to get to my destination.

So we just went home. I accompanied her to another halfway point, gave her some of my ice water, and then I meandered slowly home.

I decided to take a break at a bench and see where Mag's tying-in-the-woods training is. He was perfect. I've never seen him test a rope/tree, he just stands there. This one is particularly good because there is a view of a horse pasture, a place for me to sit, and the tree has holly bushes on one side so the horse cannot circle the tree and get into trouble.


This image needs a caption I'm not clever enough to think up.







Oooh, horses!







His butt doesn't look tiny when it's the only thing in the photo *lol*

Yay, I'm starting to be able to trust that I can truly tie him anywhere.







And as soon as the horseflies are gone for the year, PICNIC!




I don't know why he decided he needed to sharpen his teeth on this tree. I shouldn't let him "graze" along the way but I made an exception cuz it was so cute. The vet assures me his teeth are fine, but he's always putting things in his mouth out of curiosity/mouth feel (?). The other day I had a roll of electric rope and threw it down on the paddock tiles. Mag went to it and picked the whole thing up and started playing with it, starting to unravel it. I took it away, "You are determined not to live to see your 10th birthday!"



Mm, beech, my third favorite edible tree, after birch and hazelnut. Can you see how the light through the leaves is turning his chest and tip of his mane green?




He acted ravenous, it had been 4 hours, so I took him to the grass and pointed clearly, saying, "EAT NOW." I love how my low-pixel camera setting washes out his grime and scars.

Upcoming product review: This Snugpax pommel pack is going into the trash THIS WEEK, after years of broken zippers and frayed edges. I love the slim design, but was able to find a similar Stowaway pack the other day in Germany!! I cannot wait to have it in my hands! Working zippers, imagine that!


I found the blood on the barn door thresh hold so I know how this keeps happening, lately. We tried to make the metal bar safer by attaching wood, but it's still not perfectly safe. His hooves were trimmed this week and I still think the toes are too long, but he doesn't need protection at the moment, even on gravel, so I should calm down and trust my trimmer.





Home, saying hi to my husband in his office.



Chickens!







I'd just given him a "half bath" - I'd washed his middle, his legs, and his mane. The tail I'd done this morning. I also trimmed it. Oh, and I tied him for the first time to our fence, to see how he'd react to being bathed there, and he was fine. He wanted to eat grass, but he didn't pull back.

S1 emailed me that she doesn't like Ani, that there is something weird about her. I replied I think she has social anxiety disorder, just like me, but that I'm not going to ask her about her past/her situation, if she doesn't offer. I had wondered why Ani always seemed confused when I mentioned S1, even though their horses live at the same barn, with adjacent paddocks!

S1 also said that Mira is too old to be going out on trail rides, that Ani pushes her too hard. I adamantly defended Ani's care of her mare, that she only walks, and walking is good for older, arthritic horses. She's not lame, and she never stumbles. I think stumbling or hesitating at the base of a hill would be the signs that she's being pushed too hard.  S1 calmed down and said she trusts my judgement, no worries.

How would you judge a horse being too old for walking-only trail rides? Lameness, obviously, but I would add stumbling and refusals. Anything else?