OK, so no new pictures, but I I do have video of my and Woody’s last ride.
Matt came to see me this weekend and because he’s the shizzle came out to the barn and took video of our brief ride. Our rides have been brief lately because that’s how Woody rolls. Keep it short and sweet and he keeps his feet on the ground. Of course we now realize that his “displays” are related to his stifles, cause holy crap are those some slippery stifles.
So to help with said stifles, I introduced Woody to some cavaletti. He was suspicious at first, but he’s a good egg, and on our first (in hand) approach, he snorted, stood stock still, and then pressed his head into my chest, sighed, and then followed me over…
Here’s a video of Woody making those poles his bitch
He’s such a good boy. He makes me smile.
We didn’t do too much that day. I did try to canter (just to see if he could), but his stifles were just bothering him too much. Matt’s commentary indicates that we may have taken a digger, we didn’t… not really. Woody did, however, stumble while we were cantering (on the wrong lead) and there may have been a little bit of slippage… towards the fence. There may have been some life flashage…but all was well.
The rest of the video includes some cuteness of Woody stretching. He tries so hard. Right at end of the first part of the video I patted him and got off. We had a good day.
The second part I asked Matt to zoom in on Woody’s stifles so I could see them… and, yeah, they’re slippy-slidey. Matt said the time before when we walked over the pole it looked like he kind of drug his hind leg over it… which he didn’t do this go around, but you can still see that we’ve got some hill work to do.
So that’s what’s up. Our weather is supposed to be shite this week, but every day that it’s not raining I’m going to go out and hand walk Woody up the hills in his pasture. Eventually he’ll settle enough that I can ride him in the fields, but for the time being I’ll let him realize that being alone isn’t the end of the world. And if he wants to fly around me like a kite whilst figuring that out? So be it. Once he DOES figure it out, then I’ll strap myself in. In the meantime, I’ll get some exercise … Although I think my stifles are fine.
So as I mentioned on my blog yesterday, Woody was given the A-OK by the vet. So Monday night I adjusted the tree on my super fantastic Albion dressage saddle and went to work…
And proceeded to almost get thrown in the dirt.
Woody was really good for like 20 minutes, and I was getting ready to call it quits. Note to you, gentle reader, when you think it’s time to call it quits, it usually is.
I made the (poor) decision to cool Woody out by walking him around for about another 5 minutes. See, lately I’ve been ending our rides rather abruptly. Not abrasively mind you, but if Woody has held it together for a certain period of time, or if he has done something particularly fantastic I’ve pretty much told him good boy, given him a pat, and jumped off before he had the opportunity to do something less than good*.
*Woody’s usual repitoire of “less than good” behaviors include, but are not at the moment limited too: Severe and prolific head shaking, flipping, and/or tossing, a series of mini rears which transform into leaps, and Rucks (Woody’s special talent of bucking with his head straight up in the air… like a rear-buck hybrid).
So anyway, I’m walking around happy as you please and then Woody started the head tossing and the jigging and the speediness. This turned into a LOVELY bucking/rearing/twisting fit. It didn’t last long, but it lasted long enough that I couldn’t end the ride there. So I walked him for a minute and then put him on the longe line.
Now this is where I sing Allie’s praises; everyone with an OTTB should have one. All day yesterday I was looking through the camera lens, which appeared to make it impossible for me to see what was RIGHT in front of my face. I called Allie this morning to give her the Woody update, and before I even finished telling her about the longing display she said “Oh, his stifles are bothering him, that’s typical for a LOT of OTTBs”
Then I thought back to the videos I took and felt 1) like an idiot for not seeing it right away, and 2) bad for laughing at Woody when he couldn’t roll. I mean it’s kinda funny, and he’s obviously not in TERRIBLE discomfort, but still. The boy does love to roll.
So here is the video of Woody TRYING (and failing) to roll. While I appreciated not having to curry him for 20 minutes this afternoon, I still feel bad. I’d rather have a happy dirty horse than a clean one that hurts. Also, as the video is titled, this is why I end up being at the barn for like 4 hours. I screw around and before I know it, it’s like midnight.
So yesterday, after my talk with Allie, I headed out to the barn to introduce Woody to the world of poles, cavaletti, and hills. Now, the hills require some exercise on my part. See, Walking Woody in a big open field is not, at this point in time, a terrific idea.
Woody and I are still getting to know each other, and I have not, as of yet, figured out what sets him off. He’s got a trigger, and when that thing is pulled being in a big open field would be like the worst carnival ride ever. The problem is, there is NO telling when it’s going to flip. Also, since I don’t know him very well yet, I don’t know how far these manifestations of surreal athletic ability will escalate.
That’s what’s hard about getting to know a horse. See, it’s not the bucking and tantruming that I have a problem with, it’s not knowing what his limit is. I’ve always told myself “Ride what’s happening now, not what you think MAY happen next.” Which is all fine and well if you have a general idea of what may happen next. With Woody, I don’t know that yet. I may have seen the extent of his ‘excitability’ or it may be the tip of the iceberg.
Plus, I’ve always followed the school of thought that giving them the opportunity to succeed is the best course of action. So why would I WANT to put him in a anxiety provoking environment if I don’t have to. So we’ll do our cavaletti work in the paddock, and I’ll hand walk him up and down the hills; which I did yesterday.
That was not without suspense either. I decided to leave him tacked up for our walk, cause we were still working, and it seemed like as good an idea as any. That was until, at least, I got to the very top part of the back field, Woody lost sight of his girlfriends and hollered. This was a kin to saying “here kitty-kitty-kitty” to a bunch of saber-toothed tigers.
I then had a flash-forward of the mares stampeding, woody getting away from me and running amok around the 40 acre field, tacked up while slowly and methodically tearing my brand new bridle to pieces. Luckily, the mares, upon arrival just gave Woody a reason to rear and squeal and he was quickly gotten back under control.
So, this entry is long enough, I’ll write about our cavalletti experience later today or tomorrow. He was a good boy. Confused, but by the end of our (short) ride, he was walking over a white 4×4 easily, and even trotted over it a time or two.
And because I’m always out at the barn by myself, you will have to deal with yet another “day in the life” video of Woody and I. I was given some free Corta-flex at Rolex. Woody thinks it tastes like crap. Then I added a bute to the mix to see if that would help during our next couple of rides, and you would have thought I covered his food in hydrochloric acid.
So This past Thursday the vet came out to give Sir Woods a once over. With the head shaking and the bucking and the hey-hey, we figured a check on the teeth, the back, and just a good once over would be in order. Like I said in my last post, there’s no use getting into a serious discussion with a horse if they are tweaked somewhere. As my momma says when she runs into someone who isn’t behaving like they should “Well, maybe they’re just doin’ the best they can with what they’ve got.” Not a bad motto to live by.
Anyhoo, Much to our surprise, but to the delight of CANTER’s checkbook, Woody’s teeth were in fine form. My vet is also an AMAZING chiro so she gave him a once over, and it turns out he was out in his SI, which I saw her adjust. Totally Cool. After that a rabies was given and a coggins was taken and we called it a day. Well except for the pictures of course.
Now, as I mentioned i HATE having my picture taken. Because of this I have devised certain strategies to give pictures scale even without a human in them. This strategy had previously been missing in my blog entries. Allow me to introduce Bo Duke.
My brother gave me Bo, and he is a welcome addition to any photo. Here he is saying, “I give Woody the General Lee Thumbs Up!!”
Bo slowly introduces himself to the herd.
He doesn’t remain undiscovered for long. Woody’s girlfriend finds his southern ways charming.
Bo moves in and hopes that Woody finds him at least partially appealing
I’m afraid Bo may have moved too fast… he appears to be invading Woody’s personal space. Woody offers a poorly aimed kick… like a warning shot across the bow.
I introduced Bo to Woody’s Cat. She wanted nothing to do with him, and as shown in this picture, judged him quite harshly.
Bo laid down and had a good cry.
This same day, Erin was out at the barn with me so I tried to set Woody up for a decent Conformation shot… I partially succeeded. Woody was tired of being fussed with, and this was the best we got.
This won’t suffice for THE before shot (of before and after comparison fame that must be done with all CANTER ponies). He’s looking pretty good here. Eating 40 acres of lush hay field is good for the soul of an OTTB. Never fear, I do have a picture that will suffice. It was taken on day 3 or 4 at the farm and It’s pretty pitiful.
But I think this is my favorite.
I don’t know where Woody’s sweet face went, but it’s apparent in this shot he’d very much like to bite the hand that feeds him.
We’ll end on this picture… it’s important to end on a good note. I mean who couldn’t want to love this face.
So I went out and rode last night, and I’ll post about that this evening. I spoke with Allie, and we’re pretty certain Sir Woods Stifle is popping and or locking (So You Think You Can Dance, Season 4 here we come), which we’ll work through. I have a video of him trying to roll after our ride and it’s both hilarious and pitiful.
I have no ‘new’ pictures of woody, and I feel the need to lead with pictures (they’re like the crack of the horse world). So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a series of pictures of me, in New Orleans, on a mechanical bull.
I first must apologize for my slackerness as of late. I will blame the bird flu, and the weather, and going to Rolex. But I am back and typing away.
So, I don’t really have any new pictures to share, but I do have updates. Although our weather has been SHITE the past few weeks (Seriously, like 50 and rainy almost every other day) I have been spending some quality time with Sir Woods. In this quality time We (And that is the royal We, meaning Allie and I) have come to the conclusion that Woody is in dire need of getting his teeth done. Luckily, my vet (who is a super star) is also an AMAZING Chiropractor. She did all of Ozzy’s work, and she never ceases to amaze me.
Anyway, Woody’s temper tantrums escalated to a point last week that pretty much solidified my impression that they were a reaction to something and not the means to an end. While we don’t have video, Sue was there to witness said escalation and said we were both pretty impressive. That was good to hear on my end, because it had been QUITE some time since I had to remember what to do when a horse rears up twice in a row and lands like a rubber ball. That was never Ozzy’s bag… he was more the ”I’m going to turn around and put your boot in your mouth and show you that I COULD bite your toes off… so how about you don’t jab me with that spur again, OK?” type.
So, as I said, it actually came back to me quite nicely: lean forward, don’t pull, and kick ‘em forward. All of which I did, and all of which Woody responded to appropriately. He moved forward, I rode him through it, and we ended on a good note.
I noticed he only started the head tossing and turning and teeth gnashing when he had the bridle on. Otherwise, he pretty much just stands there with his cute on, still as a pea (where that comparison came from I’ve no idea. I mean I guess as vegetables go, peas COULD be pretty active. I mean they’re round, so they could roll. And frozen ones thrown on the floor could really cause some damage. Like little green delicious ball bearings. I wonder if ninjas use frozen peas?)
I digress… All which lends itself to the theory that it’s something physical (teeth). Like I said, he’s a sweet good boy who doesn’t seem to have an oppositional bone in his body, but who will let you know if something ain’t quite right.
The next day I took these videos. Note the OTTB running amok! He’s CRAAAAAZZEEEEEEE.
*Disclaimer* as my dear friend Lisa Bell pointed out to me today when she called me an left me a voice mail message saying “Lisa, you’re such a idiot, maybe he’s flipping his head because you’re cutting it in half with a snaffle” I realized I posted the videos taken before I lowered the bit… cause I’m good like that. I did lower the bit and once it WASN’T giving him a transorbital lobotomy the results were pretty much the same
So my vet is coming out tomorrow to take care of his teeth and give him a once over. Then I’ll have a place to start. I rode him yesterday, and he was OK, there were no displays while I was riding him, but I longed him first (windy+45 degrees+not being ridden for a week = longe. I’m learning to get over my hate for the longe) and there were some fireworks. Some behavioral, and some that seemed sticky. I only rode him for about 5 minutes. We trotted and bent and called it quits before he had a chance to make a mistake.
I want to keep working him, but I don’t want to fight with him until I find out if he’s physically OK. It just doesn’t make any sense to ask him a questions when the only answer he can provide is “I Hurt.” That’s not a good answer for anyone. Horses that don’t feel good aren’t being jerks, or recalcitrant, or stubborn, they’re communicating the only way they have, and to punish them for “talking” to us is a pretty crappy way to start a relationship if you ask me. There is a functionality to behavior/symptoms, it’s our jobs to figure out what purpose they serve.
Now, once Christy comes out, gives me the low down, fixes his teeth and gives me the go ahead that he’s physically OK to ride? Those feet come up off the ground one more time and Woody’s going find out everything my last OTTB had to teach me ;) Specifically, I’m a lover, but I’ll not waste a second in teaching what is and is not an acceptable response to being asked to do something that falls lower than “hang out with my bitches” on his hierarchy of needs pyramid.
I’ll try to post on Friday, but it’s a busy weekend! On a Non-horsey note I graduate this weekend. After my daddy died 4 years ago, I went back to school and have just finished the 3rd and final year of my graduate program. From Media Director in the advertising industry to School Psychologist in four short years… OK, they seem to have been the longest 4 years of my life. I lost daddy, I lost Ozzy, but I’m here and doing my best to kick some ass. So on Saturday, have a drink and hope I don’t take a digger walking across the stage.
And a preface. While this blog is mostly about Woody, I will occasionally talk about Ozzy and that grieving process. It’s kind of part and parcel for me. I hope y’all will oblige.
So today, despite me being patient zero for the first bird to human transmission of the avian flu, I went out to the barn. Matt was in town so I had someone to video… how could I not.
First, let me say that I don’t know if retraining an OTTB is an emotional roller coaster for everyone ( I would imagine it’s not) or if it’s just particularly taxing for me because Ozzy was the antithesis of an OTTB in many ways, and I still miss him at a level that takes my breath away.
Even as a 2 year old, there was NEVER anything to take into consideration but the task at hand. Teaching him to bend, all you had to focus on was, well… teaching him to bend. You didn’t need to worry about herd anxiety, the elements, intrinsic insecurity; all you had to do was tell him what you wanted him to do. It was like you were in a vacuum. Nothing else mattered.
This is NOT how Woody rolls, and I would imagine it’s not how the majority of horses roll, much less JUST turned 4 OTTBs. That is not to say that that level of sensitivity is a bad thing, I dare say for an event horse a certain amount of it is a fantastic thing. I always joked that Ozzy lacked a certain sense of urgency (please excuse the outfit, it was the first Rec event after 6 years off, and I hadn’t found the time to correct my youthful enthusiasm…)that at times would have been useful. I’m just saying it’s different, and I’m still pretty tweaked over losing Ozzy so I am hyper-vigilant to these differences. The differences are good though, anything else and It’d be too easy to compare a new horse to Oz, and that wouldn’t be fair to anyone.
So anyway, today Matt headed out with my hunched over groaning self to pluck Sir Woods out of the field. His girlfriend Bunny was vexed, but Woody came willingly per usual. After a VIGOROUS grooming session we tacked up and headed up to the Ring of Solitude.
We started with a Longe… of course.
Guess who he’s hollering to here… really, take a guess
Why am I making this face… I’m going to guess because my stomach felt like an alien was going to pounce out of it at any second. Woody looks like he’s having sympathy pains.
And of course the video
Then, I climbed aboard (from the ground, should that deserve a mention). I will admit, that I was not 100% today, and I had some reservation about that. But as I said, I had someone to document our ride so a girl’s got to do what girl’s got to do for the sake of a blog.
He looks perfectly innocent here, and for the most part he is. Again, I look like I just sucked on a lemon… cause I’m hot like that.
Not only do we get someone to video the ride, but the commentary is free.
Apparently when I do stuff on purpose I get it wrong the first time ;) And yes, when I get stuff wrong I like to LOOK DOWN to confirm just how wrong I am… because I’m 12.
Now, here is Woody showing his ass. But really, he’s only showing a teeny piece of his ass, cause this is nowhere NEAR the fit he is capable of pitching.
OTTBs, some are trained. Some? Not so much. Woody likes to switch between his multiple personalities.
And the other side of Sybil? Mr. I like to stretch way down into contact and move like a rock star.
So that was today. He had one pretty significant meltdown (which we didn’t get on tape), but after that I had him walking (relatively) quietly on a loose(ish) rein and we ended on a good note.
I also had a good lesson today. As I said, I’m not going to lie, I missed Ozzy like hell today. I missed my solid citizen that I could give Matt lessons on and spoon when I needed it. However, once I looked through the grief I was able to see all of the fantastic things that Woody will be able to teach me. It takes a release on my part; requires me to let go of what was, and while that’s hard, it’s also healthy. It makes me focus on the good things about Ozzy and not just on what I’ve lost. I just hope that I’m able to do as well by Woody as Ozzy did by me.
P.S. Despite what the videos show, we did travel to the right today… I promise.
After Woody’s display during our last ride I decided he would be a bit more teachable if I longed him the next few times we worked. As I said earlier, he wasn’t nasty or even REALLY dangerous, but he did get a little spastic. I like to assign tv/movie characters to the animals in my life. For example, my cat Kiwi is Stewie from The family Guy. We’re still trying to figure out who EXACTLY Woody is, but Allie made the fantastic suggestion that he his Farmer Ted from Sixteen Candles… right down to the red hair (But MUCH better looking).
I was out of town this past weekend, and as I type this I am laying in bed with the flu, so Woody has been worked once since Thursday, but he was a good boy. I longed him on Monday, and minus one explosion (to which I was completely incapable of assigning a cause), he was lovely. I didn’t get any video from that day but I did get some from our first longing session.
I was really looking forward to getting on him today, but since I have what appears to be The Bird Flu that won’t be happening. I think I should probably have all of my faculties about me when I throw a leg over him next time. Seeing as I almost passed out when I put my dogs outside a minute ago, that is obviously not the case. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be better.
Oh, and Woody was SO filthy on Monday I had to actually give him a quick bath before I worked him. His ability to acquire mud over every square inch of his body is the stuff of legend.
And Woodford thinks it can be, at times, a little overwhelming.
So yesterday I decided it was time to take Woods out of his little paddock while I was riding him. We warmed up in the paddock first, and he was a super star. I actually saw an outside corner of an inside eye, and at one point after about 10 minutes of bending and changing direction (mostly at the walk) Woody was actually trotting around with his nose on the ground and stretching into the bit. He was relaxed and forward and willing.
Then I went on our little journey. As you can see in the picture above there’s a lot to see up there on the hill where the ring is, and Woody wasn’t ready to take it all in, or at least that was my theory yesterday. My friend Patricia has an OTTB who has a little bit of a anxiety attack when he is taken somewhere new if there’s too much scenery to absorb. So they try to park their trailer at the bottom of a hill or some place without a view. My hypothesis was based on n=1, but it was a good a place to start as any.
So the trip up to the ring was short lived, if I had stayed up there very longer my other hypothesis tells me I would have been flung over hill and dale and landed over yonder where Woody is staring in the above picture.
So through some head flipping and prancing and hopping and jigging we headed back towards the paddock and spent the next 30 minutes walking in ever expanding circles getting farther from the paddock and closer to the ring. Woods was good, alternating between very relaxed and then (seemingly) suddenly switching to ”gottagogottagogottago.” But we ended on a good note and after we had untacked went on a little walk up to the ring.
Woody checked out the old XC fence…
So today I decided we were going to start off in the paddock (where he was fantastic) and instead of heading straight up to the ring we’d do our slightly larger circle/wandering with a purpose up in the general direction. He was a little tense at first (as displayed by the jigging and cantering in place) but eventually calmed down… only to randomly go Wheeeeeeeeeee! again. Depending on the display I’d either send him forward (pre-explosion wheee) or sit a little deeper and ask him to bend a little and get his brain working (tiny jig).
This worked until we got up into the ring. Once we got up in the ring I learned something about Woody. He can pitch a fit like I haven’t seen in quite some time. He would walk along la la la, and then realize he’d been away from his girlfriends for too long and would express his loneliness with a rather impressive and continuous cycle of crow hops, leaps forwards and head flips. There was nothing mean or nefarious about the fits, they were just Woody telling me how he felt about what was going on, and that he’d rather be somewhere else… but nefarious or not, Woody needs to learn that certain channels of communications are not OK.
So I calmed him down from his first tango, made him walk and take a deep breath and then I got off him and hand walked him around the ring. It was then I realized Woody was not overwhelmed, he would just rather be close to his ladies. So, since he was trying to eat grass and resting his head on my chest, I climbed back aboard - from the ground; he didn’t move an inch and was nice and quiet… for about 2 minutes.
I was TWO seconds from calling it a day and was even walking around on the buckle, bending and all chillaxing and then WHEEEEE! Another manifestation.
He’s not rude in that he does give me warning so there’s that, which is nice.
This one was even MORE impressive than the first and for a minute I thought “I’m significantly older that the last time I took a digger off a TB.” But I got him settled down again, and we once again were at least moving forward in something that is generally considered one of the traditional gaits (mostly walk)
So then, I got off again and longed his ass for a good 20 minutes. Granted I wasn’t prepared to longe, so my circle was only as long as my reins (I unattached the rein from the outside bit), but I wanted him to work and I wanted to be the one making him do so.
Now, chances are Woody wouldn’t have escalated to a point where I would have gotten hurt, but that wasn’t really even the point by this time. He was throwing a fit, and it was obvious that he was not as willing to do so when I was on the ground, and therefore more teachable. Meanwhile, it’s pretty important that I do let him know, that despite my goofy and laid back demeanor, I am indeed the boss of him.
So my plan is to teach Woody just that, AND to teach him that the ring, although out of eyesight from the Heathers, is a place to work and to listen and that’s that. I’m going to start doing this by longing him for our next couple of workouts. That way he gets up in the ring, starts to acclimate, I get to boss him around, all the while not having to don safety goggles and bubble wrap to do so.
So today was a good day, we were both challenged and we both learned something… next time we’ll go from there.
We ended on a good note with him trotting on a nice circle around me with his nose on the ground. After this I took him back to the barn and gave him a good curry, his dinner, and turned him back out.
Have I mentioned that Woodford is a filthy filthy horse? I groom that horse for at least 20-30 minutes everyday before I ride because he rolls with such enthusiasm.
Here’s Woody after our ride and another 10 minute grooming before I turned him out.
As you can see in this video, he wasted no time
Hopefully we’ll have good weather again tomorrow (goes out like a lamb, my ass) and I”ll get some video of me longing Sir Woods.
This day at the barn was so chock full of good stuff I don’t know where to start, I mean besides with that picture, cause if you have a picture like that you’d be insane not to lead with it.
First, My mom came out to the barn with me, which ALWAYS makes me happy. She’s the bees knees, AND she took pictures AND video. She’s the bestest.
Second, I will update you on Woodford’s social status, for it has taken QUITE a turn. It turns out Heather #1, the HEAD Heather, has decided that Woody is her boyfriend.
Now, I understand that this is because she is in heat, and the second that she is not she will reject him like I was rejected by my 8th grade heart-throb (he asked me out on April Fool’s Day… I’m not kidding. And to make it worse? I didn’t know he was. Kidding that is). But for the time being they are in love. I almost had a heart attack when my mom and I pulled up to the barn and saw Woody in the run in.
Turns out there needn’t be any concern.
The mare is the dam of the other TB mare in the field. She hurt her knee years ago when she got cast in her stall. Woody sees past her handicap.
The big grey is not all about The Woods just yet, but I now feel more comfortable that they’ll sort it all out… at least as long as Bunny stays in heat for the rest of her life.
When I brought him in and put him in his stall (and far from his girlfriend) he showed his ass a bit. Circling in his stall, hollering, telling me the sky was falling. So When I took him out, I had a chain on just in case. Now I don’t know if it was BECAUSE of the chain or not, but as soon as I clicked the lead rope on, Woody settled right down as if to say “Oh, OK. You’re here now so I’ll stop with the theatrics.” He didn’t make another peep.
We then began the tacking up process which of course was completely non-eventful. Woody does make faces though, which is totally funny. Although you can see the tail end of a lip wiggle, this is not his funny face, this is his “Holy Crap I’m one cute pony” face.
Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE having my picture taken and I will hide behind anything available… Including Woody’s face.
Now We’ll get on with the riding. My plan honestly was just to spend most of the ride working at the walk and start the bending process, and maybe trot a little bit.
Yeah, Woods is an over achiever. He was such a good soul not only did we walk, trot AND canter, but he Cantered on BOTH leads… and they were the CORRECT ones. He was of course unbalanced and both ziggy and zaggy, and I am certain he’ll forget both leads and only cross canter or Tranter next week, but he was amazing TODAY! The only way to show you is well, to show you!
To the left, to the left The first Wooo you hear is when I almost ran over the cat in the very beginning (even after a couple of “KITTY!” exclamations), and the second one is when we almost ran into the fence. Woody remained unfazed.
I did stand still for a couple of pictures after our fabulous ride.
Psst… Woody, You’re Super-Cute
The Beach is THAT way!
I was just a little happy… Truthfully, I was happier than I’d been in quite some time. Horses are amazing.
He desperately needs a new bridle. All my others (which I have finally found in pieces) are Ozzy sized… which was decidedly far from Cob, which is what Mr. Facesocute needs. Something to shop for at Rolex!
Today Woody and I continued, what was supposed to be, the beautification process. Most of this involved more pulling of his mane. I have come to a very important realization.
Like plucking my eyebrows, I am not to be trusted when pulling a horse’s mane. See, when I pluck my own eyebrows, I sort of space out and get hypnotized by the methodical de-hairing process. One time a friend said to me “Lisa, did you pluck your eyebrows last night.” I replied, “why yes, friend, I did. Why do you ask?” To which he replied “Because they’re FREAKING me out.” And true enough, the look I’d given myself was of someone who was 1) very surprised, and 2) plucked their eyebrows with a deep seeded hatred for them. It looked like I had one single hair traveling over my eyeball.
Pulling manes is not unlike this. I pull, and i even up, and I pull and I space out and before I know it, my tolerant and mighty steed has a haircut that people in the military would look at and exclaim “Crap, that’s a short crop dude! Who thought that was a good idea?”
And today was no different. I’m currently telling myself that once he’s given a good bath and his mane is clean it will fall in a less “My mom was drunk when she gave me this haircut in the dark” fashion. Right? That’s what’s going to happen, right?
I give you exhibit A
I’d say that it’s a work in progress, but I fear if I progress anymore he’ll have a hairline of one wispy hair that traverses down his neck. (not unlike my eyebrows before i learned my lesson). I will say that it is not QUITE as uneven as it looks, the wind was blowing pretty hard and … and… and….
Woody is still in his special classroom all by himself. He has moments where he looks sound for all intents and purposes, and then later that day he’ll be lame at the walk. Today was a good day so I put his bridle on and walked him to the ring to give him a looksy. There was lots of looking, and a little snorting. The ring has some XC jumps in the fence line. One had fallen down only to leave it’s two tires leaning up against the fence post. This was something something Woody was not so sure about.
Woods pleased me with his reaction. He snorted, backed up a step or two and then stood still. I let him relax and slowly walked him forward towards the Tires of Terror. When he got tense I’d stop for a minute and let him chill again (but not back up). In about 1 minute he walked himself the final 5 feet up to the tires and sniffed them. That I like. I’d much rather a horse voice their displeasure but choose to check it out instead of run in the other direction. No matter how long it takes, the want to move forward and check it out is ALWAYS a good thing.
Then I checked to see if he knew how to longe. I don’t know if he has been taught before or not, but if he hasn’t then he’s a quick study. Within about 2 minutes I had him walking on a 10-15 meter circle around me. He was much better to the right than to the left, but the fact that I could get him around the circle at all was more than I was expecting. He even trotted a step or two without dramatics. He was a little off at the trot, but not too bad. Woody, yet again, impresses me with his attitude.
After this he of course got a multitude of treats. I really am creating a monster.
Then I gave him the aforementioned Hairdo and turned him back out in his paddock. Woody has his own cat and she followed us to turn him out. His first night on the farm this cute pusskit apparently slept in his stall with him.
I did get Woody to trot a bit in his paddock to see how he was moving. Not sound, but not awful either. Considering he wasn’t too hip about walking two days ago, I’d say he’s doing pretty well. Here’s a video.
And here is why getting a video of Woody is difficult when I’m by myself . here’s the direct link.
So that was today. If Woody’s moderately sound this week I’ll get on him and just work on walking WHILE bending. It’s a tall order, but I think he can handle it.
But i did (of course) take some more pictures when I went out to see His Gimpiness yesterday. He’s still really sore, but remains in good spirits. He has the sweetest attitude.
So without further delay.
And the only picture that comes close to a confo shot that I’ve gotten. It’s hard to get a side shot when he’s constantly walking right for me. The mane is, obviously, a work in progress.
We then began the tacking up process which of course was completely non-eventful. Woody does make faces though, which is totally funny. Although you can see the tail end of a lip wiggle, this is not his funny face, this is his “Holy Crap I’m one cute pony” face.
Allie Conrad
Lisa DeHart
