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dancinghorseI think my life needs a timeout. Toodamnmuch going on. Taminy-cat is in the pet hospital: he hasn't been getting better and the vet wants to keep him and try different things on him. Poor thing. He hates the vet so much. He has however had his abscess drained and that has got to help. I'm supposed to call at noon tomorrow and see what's what. Only problem is, if he's OK to bring home, I have the horse vet coming at two-ish (which means anywhere from noon to 6 or beyond) to give spring shots, which means that I may not make it to get the cat before the vet's office closes.
These things always run into conflicts. It never fails.
The ISP Wars are currently rumbling away with two ISP's, a major apology plus two free months from the old one for the rudeness of its tech, and a whole lotta fun today with Windows XP stupid security crap and smtp ports so I can access my sff.net addresses. Finally got that figured out just now. I am Not a computer genius. Not Even Close.
The weekend was Hectic. Lessons Saturday morning, lovely potluck at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
janni and lnhammer's that evening, at which windrose (with gazpacho!) and casacorona were also in attendance. Sunday was Mother's Day, plus cat getting very sick and worrying me seriously day. I fell over at 8:30 last night (nightowl here usually can't fall asleep until midnight) and had to spend today running cat to vet and fighting with computers.
Lessons were rather unfocused for assorted reasons. Ze keed had a very nice round of Teacher Torture, working on using his back and stretching over the topline. I rode Capria again--she volunteered, came out half an hour early and was all set to start. She's a sweetie. The Boots in their second outing were almost broken in--just a little too tall still--and felt much more functional. They're so well measured; they're not even painful to get off and on, which believe me for brand-new riding boots is a miracle.
At any rate I was not doing well and had a rare, nearly unprecedented attack of "I can't do this." Joni, bless her, persevered, and we had a decent session. More work on keeping a steady contact, maintaining consistent and quiet seat aids, and Not Overstating The Case. My hands were steadier. Capria was happier. We survived.
Got to practice that with Pook tonight. He's even tougher than she is, and even more sensitive, and even less willing to cut me any slack. So riding smaller circles and trotting in balance was an achievement. It's still hard to keep his trot together, since it's so big and he's so green. But we're working on it. I'm realizing the "boot leg" is just what I need for him--I'm too wiggly with the lower leg and my left knee tends to point outward. Will wear them next time it's his turn.
He was awfully studdy tonight. While I was moving horses around and getting him ready to saddle up, he sneaked out behind me and took off purposefully (in his null-G passage) to Assert His Masculinity in Ephiny's direction--passing by the Evil Gelding and another mare, neither of whom was setting off the gauges. She's in standing heat, says the Pookometer, though like many Lipp mares she's totally silent about it (and she's just a baby so she doesn't know what it is anyway). When I caught up with him, he was in full rampant mode and ready to do the stamp-trumpet-BREED! dance. Smacked a handy dressage whip on the fence and he backed off two crisp steps (all the space would allow) and turned neatly and trotted to the grooming rail, where he stood like a rock for me to tie him and get to work. Instant lowering of the flags and stowing of the cannon. "Yes, Ma'am!" And he was perfectly behaved for the entire groom-saddle-warm up-ride sequence.
And that is why he gets to keep the optional equipment.
These things always run into conflicts. It never fails.
The ISP Wars are currently rumbling away with two ISP's, a major apology plus two free months from the old one for the rudeness of its tech, and a whole lotta fun today with Windows XP stupid security crap and smtp ports so I can access my sff.net addresses. Finally got that figured out just now. I am Not a computer genius. Not Even Close.
The weekend was Hectic. Lessons Saturday morning, lovely potluck at
janni and lnhammer's that evening, at which windrose (with gazpacho!) and casacorona were also in attendance. Sunday was Mother's Day, plus cat getting very sick and worrying me seriously day. I fell over at 8:30 last night (nightowl here usually can't fall asleep until midnight) and had to spend today running cat to vet and fighting with computers.Lessons were rather unfocused for assorted reasons. Ze keed had a very nice round of Teacher Torture, working on using his back and stretching over the topline. I rode Capria again--she volunteered, came out half an hour early and was all set to start. She's a sweetie. The Boots in their second outing were almost broken in--just a little too tall still--and felt much more functional. They're so well measured; they're not even painful to get off and on, which believe me for brand-new riding boots is a miracle.
At any rate I was not doing well and had a rare, nearly unprecedented attack of "I can't do this." Joni, bless her, persevered, and we had a decent session. More work on keeping a steady contact, maintaining consistent and quiet seat aids, and Not Overstating The Case. My hands were steadier. Capria was happier. We survived.
Got to practice that with Pook tonight. He's even tougher than she is, and even more sensitive, and even less willing to cut me any slack. So riding smaller circles and trotting in balance was an achievement. It's still hard to keep his trot together, since it's so big and he's so green. But we're working on it. I'm realizing the "boot leg" is just what I need for him--I'm too wiggly with the lower leg and my left knee tends to point outward. Will wear them next time it's his turn.
He was awfully studdy tonight. While I was moving horses around and getting him ready to saddle up, he sneaked out behind me and took off purposefully (in his null-G passage) to Assert His Masculinity in Ephiny's direction--passing by the Evil Gelding and another mare, neither of whom was setting off the gauges. She's in standing heat, says the Pookometer, though like many Lipp mares she's totally silent about it (and she's just a baby so she doesn't know what it is anyway). When I caught up with him, he was in full rampant mode and ready to do the stamp-trumpet-BREED! dance. Smacked a handy dressage whip on the fence and he backed off two crisp steps (all the space would allow) and turned neatly and trotted to the grooming rail, where he stood like a rock for me to tie him and get to work. Instant lowering of the flags and stowing of the cannon. "Yes, Ma'am!" And he was perfectly behaved for the entire groom-saddle-warm up-ride sequence.
And that is why he gets to keep the optional equipment.
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Unlock and Unload
Date: 2004-05-10 09:15 pm (UTC)Re: Unlock and Unload
Date: 2004-05-11 07:38 am (UTC)---L.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 07:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-11 07:39 am (UTC)---L.
Optional?
Date: 2004-05-11 12:18 pm (UTC)I hope Taminy is home safe and the bank account can recover soon.
And...have I misunderstood all this time, or is Pook not your stud? I didn't know stallions used for breeding had "optional equipment". Or do you mean you want a lovely riding companion, and he could be shipped off to someone else to play stud, or snipped, in a blink, if he wasn't so well-mannered?
Explain the statutory rape laws of Dancing Horse Farm to him... %^) Or did you?
Re: Optional?
Date: 2004-05-11 12:38 pm (UTC)And...have I misunderstood all this time, or is Pook not your stud? I didn't know stallions used for breeding had "optional equipment". Or do you mean you want a lovely riding companion, and he could be shipped off to someone else to play stud, or snipped, in a blink, if he wasn't so well-mannered?
Pooka is the farm stallion. Or as he prefers it to be expressed, Farm Stallion!!! The optional equipment consists of two objects that, in the event of severely bad behavior, can be removed.
This is often referred to as "brain surgery."
Since he appears to have an actual two-track brain--not at all common in stallions--and a real willingness to behave like a civilized person, he gets to keep all the working parts. Which is just as well, because if I did call the vet, I'd be fighting off a lynch mob. ;> Pooka has a lot of fans.
Seriously however, he is a beautiful example of a stallion--wonderful conformation and type, breathtaking movement, and (which is most important) a great temperament. The last test, so far, he's passed: whether he can pass all of this on. He's been doing just that.
As for Ephiny, she's just a baby. He doesn't get to make a Pooklet with her for another three years. It is nice to see that they like each other. Pook is not a horse who will breed a mare if he dislikes her, or if she hates him. Some stallions are like that.
Meanwhile, for that baby, the line forms here. And goes around the block. And down the road. And halfway to Tombstone. 8)
Re: Optional?
Date: 2004-05-11 10:46 pm (UTC)I have no doubt the line for a Pooklet would be immense. How long does it take for you to be able to let them go?
The real reason you want a NYTB and the $$$ that goes with it--a herd of Pooklets!
Re: Optional?
Date: 2004-05-12 02:19 pm (UTC)They can leave at weaning--four to six months--or whenever the owner is ready.
I really do have as many horses as I can handle. Would like/need two more mares for da Pook, but that's it.
And that is the real reason I want that bestseller. (Well, that and a truck and trailer so I can haul his nibs to shows.)
Re: Optional?
Date: 2004-05-12 10:29 pm (UTC)Let's try for BSellers this decade--I could certainly come up with a plan for the money.... %^)
Kitty update
Date: 2004-05-11 12:25 pm (UTC)Just talked to the vet. Taminy's fever is down and his appetite is up. His wound needs to be cleaned. She wants to keep him another day. "Unless you can clean the wound yourself." I arranged to pick him up tomorrow morning, but if the horse vet gets here on time for shots (highly unlikely, but you never know), I might opt to go and get him this evening. We'll see. I miss my big old pillow cat.
Re: Kitty update
Date: 2004-05-11 07:30 pm (UTC)Re: Kitty update
Date: 2004-05-12 12:45 am (UTC)Katie
no subject
Date: 2004-05-12 10:32 am (UTC)Day off today, have to get a LOT of errands done.