The Mind of the Beast
Jun. 7th, 2004 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinghorseThe weekend ended up being a bit slow on the work front--I needed a brain break. Read some proofs, wrote a bit, but mostly vegged. The Sopranos is done for another couple of years (with another one of its blackly funny conclusions). The Dead Zone is up for the season. I PVRed that and will watch it later.
The horses continue to amuse. Yesterday Ephiny demonstrated yet again that if she hadn't been a keeper the day her daddy delivered the X chromosome to her mom instead of the Y, I would want to keep her for herself. I was cleaning various assortments of feet at lunch, and she got cranky about a back foot--sharp, hard threat-kick not meant to connect (and it didn't by a foot) but it was a clear alpha-mare "Don't Bug Me" signal. Absolutely not allowable toward one's human.
I went and got the halter and the whip for a Come-to-Jesus session. She took the halter perfectly cheerfully, then we had a short discussion about back feet, humans, what to do when we're concerned about our balance (she's all legs and nothing much on top--kind of like a board on edge), and a simple routine: "Shift (your other foot over to balance), Lift (your foot on this side)." Took her two seconds to get it. I told her, truthfully, that she's the best Terrible Two I've had yet.
Kid has a good mind. Very very dominant, and she will take charge as a matter of course, but she's quite reasonable and civilized when she's reminded that she has to be. She's a pretty good teenager and will be a great adult. Her brother who was supposed to be my filly (but is staying at Charlie Horse as heir apparent to their now retired dad) is called Sir--he has the same regal personality. Ephiny is Queen.
Later on I went out to hose off horses--when it gets over 100, that can be a good idea. Nobody came for the hose. Keed wasn't moving at all. He was next to the fence, which is always an alarm signal.
Yep.
Both front shoes were inextricably locked into the bottom wire of the fence, which he had pulled down six inches to ground level. He used to surgically remove his shoes by this method, but in the past year he's been told that no shoes equals no riding, so he just stands there, sometimes for an hour or more, until I come and cut him out. I don't know what deep need hooking his shoes through the fence fulfills in this horse, but he has to do it. He can't not do it. It makes me nuts.
It's time I think to put hot wire along that fence line at knee height, and hope he doesn't try hooking his (steel) shoe through that.
He had a trail ride this morning, which made him happy. Then Capria got a longe. Capria does not handle heat well. She was born in Flagstaff and never learned to drink enough water here in the lower deserts. I've been feeding her in her water barrel, which helps, but she still looks a bit pinched. This morning however she looked OK, and I hosed her off and then longed her, which seemed to work. She was happy. It was 90 degrees by then, so no more work for horses--Pook and Camilla will have to wait until evening. Meanwhile, of course, there's Work to do.
The horses continue to amuse. Yesterday Ephiny demonstrated yet again that if she hadn't been a keeper the day her daddy delivered the X chromosome to her mom instead of the Y, I would want to keep her for herself. I was cleaning various assortments of feet at lunch, and she got cranky about a back foot--sharp, hard threat-kick not meant to connect (and it didn't by a foot) but it was a clear alpha-mare "Don't Bug Me" signal. Absolutely not allowable toward one's human.
I went and got the halter and the whip for a Come-to-Jesus session. She took the halter perfectly cheerfully, then we had a short discussion about back feet, humans, what to do when we're concerned about our balance (she's all legs and nothing much on top--kind of like a board on edge), and a simple routine: "Shift (your other foot over to balance), Lift (your foot on this side)." Took her two seconds to get it. I told her, truthfully, that she's the best Terrible Two I've had yet.
Kid has a good mind. Very very dominant, and she will take charge as a matter of course, but she's quite reasonable and civilized when she's reminded that she has to be. She's a pretty good teenager and will be a great adult. Her brother who was supposed to be my filly (but is staying at Charlie Horse as heir apparent to their now retired dad) is called Sir--he has the same regal personality. Ephiny is Queen.
Later on I went out to hose off horses--when it gets over 100, that can be a good idea. Nobody came for the hose. Keed wasn't moving at all. He was next to the fence, which is always an alarm signal.
Yep.
Both front shoes were inextricably locked into the bottom wire of the fence, which he had pulled down six inches to ground level. He used to surgically remove his shoes by this method, but in the past year he's been told that no shoes equals no riding, so he just stands there, sometimes for an hour or more, until I come and cut him out. I don't know what deep need hooking his shoes through the fence fulfills in this horse, but he has to do it. He can't not do it. It makes me nuts.
It's time I think to put hot wire along that fence line at knee height, and hope he doesn't try hooking his (steel) shoe through that.
He had a trail ride this morning, which made him happy. Then Capria got a longe. Capria does not handle heat well. She was born in Flagstaff and never learned to drink enough water here in the lower deserts. I've been feeding her in her water barrel, which helps, but she still looks a bit pinched. This morning however she looked OK, and I hosed her off and then longed her, which seemed to work. She was happy. It was 90 degrees by then, so no more work for horses--Pook and Camilla will have to wait until evening. Meanwhile, of course, there's Work to do.
