Sunday, June 28, 2009

So hot.

I get out to the stable early - yesterday at 6:40 am, today at 8:00 am but sweat through my clothes anyway.

Yesterday, I think I taught Zwarte a bad thing. He learned that, while longeing, he could turn outward and change directions and I would lose control of him. So today, I decided we would back up a little bit, put the chain on his nose and do small, tight longes where I kept control. If he tried to pull away, his nose hurt. This seemed to give him the message and he didn't try running off again. It is a bad thing to have him running off with the longe rope wrapped around my ankle. This is entirely my fault.

I get joy from just looking at him. After his workout and rinse, I took him down to graze in the shade. He seems to be growing a little rump high again - but not as oddly as when he was a yearling. He also shows no ribs at all.

He has quit trying to bite me and actually seems affectionate. He quits eating to come over and hang out with me. Maybe he is hoping for a banana. This horse looooves bananas.

I have been thinking about long-lining him. This would actually be better than longeing. But Fred's wife was killed in May long-lining a horse. It is hard to fathom Fred being dead. And now his wife. How sad.

I remember they had a picture of Grandpa Anderson astride a beautiful black horse - probably when he went to Mexico to chase Pancho Villa. I'd love to have that picture.