Random Ramblings

Miss Ruby is enjoying her new-found status re: pampered (brat) pony from working pony.  Our normal morning routine starts out something like this: I arrive at barn, unlock tack room, walk over to wheel barrows, push wheel barrow over to Ruby's stall, open her stall door to allow her to graze in the barnyard while I clean her stall.  Heather usually arrives as I'm taking the wheel barrow over to the manure pile.  She loads up the hay cart with horsey breakfasts and starts pulling it around the barn.  Ruby starts walking to her stall by the time we get to her side of the barn.  Not this morning.  This morning, Ruby was grazing past the manure pile.  I called her, she didn't come (I didn't really expect her to - she knew breakfast was being served and she'd obviously decided that whatever she was already munching was too good to leave).  I grabbed her lead rope and started walking over to her, with the intent that I would lead her to her stall.  I approached her and when I was maybe 10 feet away, she turned her butt towards me to leave.  I couldn't believe it (though I chuckle now).  I swatted her on the butt with the lead rope, since she turned her butt to me.  Brat!  I took it personally, though I know I shouldn't have.   Horses will be horses, but hurt or not she will be punished when she's being disrespectful. 

Several people at the barn have offered to let me ride their horses while Ruby is injured.  This morning I thought I'd take Trigger for a spin.  Trigger is a 10 yo or so former Amish buggy horse.  He's basically a big pony with a bit of a pony-tude. 

Trigger before grooming, wondering why he isn't out in the pasture with his buddies.

It seemed like we were going to have problems from the start.  A few times while grooming, I looked over at a head turned towards me with mouth open...I reacted *ahem* appropriately to the threat and he stopped after making sure that I was, indeed, serious.  I saddled him up and took him to the round pen to see where his head was at.   He is either very rusty on round-pen commands or his owner and I do things very differently - I had to get really 'loud' with my body language and he wasn't responding to voice commands at all.  After 10 or 15 minutes, he began keeping an ear on me and I started thinking it was a good time to get his bridle when it started raining, dammit.  Not wanting to get his new saddle wet, I asked him to stop and took him back to the barn.  He didn't understand this turn of events.  He was very respectful when I let him out, waiting until he was 5 or 6 strides away before starting his freedom gallop out to join his buddies.  Maybe another day.

I picked up hay for Vegas today and will be on the hunt for her usual feed early next week.  The time is drawing near. 

And a funny that I saw the other day and enjoyed.  My husband gets this look from me quite often, though it's in reference to horse stuff instead of a new horse.