Too much zoom

Despite being only 2C out, I took Mag up to the fancy arena to lunge him in their sand pen, which is half under water so I was soaking wet for the last few hours (and have sand splotches on my face cuz of the freak outs).

Mag fruck out again, with no roof-firing people, no horses passing by, no reason at all, he just started galloping full blast around me, kicking and bucking and neighing several times.

I get it now. He just wants to run. Which I know he does on his own by the look of my pasture, and the fact he has mud all over his belly and splattered all over his legs and tail every morning.

I stood in the center, looking at the ground, telling him "Whatever, do what you want" as he went on and on.

When finished, like last time, I asked him to canter politely, and he did.

Then I gave him free time, then TP came out and talked to me and Mag cuddled up to us. She was cracking up that he drinks from all the puddles in the roundpen. She shouted to her husband, "Mag's fixing our flooding problem!"

I had a terrible time getting him to their place when a garbage truck passed us, followed by that same tractor with trailer as his last freak out. Again he spun around me and took a few leaps where again I thought I might lose him. I think the garbage truck and tractor had both slowed down, because they remember us from last week.

I was so stressed about losing him on that street I decided to lead him home on his lunge line (the end tied up safely so I wouldn't get tangled up and dragged). That seemed to work, or, as TP said, "Now that he's ran himself out, he'll be good all the way home."

She also told me I should put the line in his mouth to distract him from being naughty. I said, "So, when I see a tractor coming, I should put the line in his mouth?" "Yah!" Hrm. It took her quite some time to get the rope in his mouth when she demonstrated how, so I wonder how I'd do it fast in a stressful situation. No, I don't think I'll be trying that. A longer rope and gloves is in order though!

She also told me her Arabian had lumps on his back and the vet told her to use an ethanol (liniment) after each ride, or several times a day, and it worked. Since that is the next step my vet recommends, I'll give it a try. I also want to try epson salt compresses because I know they help with circulation, and cannot hurt. (No one knows what I'm talking about when I mention epson salts here - they're just not used. And liniment like Absorbine does not exist, not that I can find.)

She said as long as I'm using a 100% wool saddle pad, I should be able to ride.

With all this rambunctious behavior I'm not keen on getting on him again, not until I've switched his daily mash from 100% beet pulp to 50/50 beet pulp hay pellets. I may have been giving him a sugar rush (and crash) every day.....we'll see. Magnesium is also an option, though I've never seen results with it, and never heard of it being more effective than a placebo. (My vet recommended it as well.)

Almost home a little girl was waiting for the (big bad) bus and Mag was grazing by the bus stop. She was drumming a loud plastic item and I asked her what it is. She said it's a booster seat. For the bus? Yah, "Oh, so you can see out the windows?" "Yah." I wondered why would you need a booster seat on a bus, with no seat belts? Anyway, Mag reached out and licked it, of course, and would have destroyed it given a chance.

Then the two old ladies walked by, and said, "What are are you doing out here without a scarf?" I nodded, "That would have been smart. And my feet are soaked." I like how Frau Harkemann always says, "Here is 'not-my-name' and her horse!" Everyone in this neighborhood calls me by the name on my passport, cuz they can't say the common abbreviation. It's cute but also annoying.