planBE

It is possible to achieve an impossible goal, if you lose all sense of time. Six and a half years ago, Q entered my life as an untrained 2 going on 3 year old stud colt. We had a lot of groundwork to do, and unfortunately I was pushy about my objectives. I rushed many steps, ignoring Qs signs of no, or discomfort, until he put his foot down and broke something. With a grey horse, I needed to tackle washing his face. He wanted nothing to do with it, so I made it an issue every single time we went in the washstall during the summer of 2016. He never broke his tie, but he came close. And then he refused to go back in the washstall. I spent three months trying to get him back in. Lunge whips, backing up, helpers pushing behind … nope. He wanted nothing to do with that washstall. I spent the winter using the washstall as a grooming stall. No water, just lots of curry combing and snacks. 6 months later he was trotting to the washstall on his own. Then I pulled out the water, and his concern ...

I think, maybe, although I hate to jinx it, that perhaps Q has become my “steady eddy”. Yes, yes, there was that moment back in June when he was a hot tamale and I didn’t want to canter on trail because I couldn’t control his spooking trot. And, yes, he was a little bouncy on those recent days when the temperature dipped. But, boy, was he just a delight to ride today, on a 3 hour tour of a nearby sector. We paired up with a lovely pal C with her Lusitano cross mare just recently recovered from a laminitis episode that took a year to heal. The mare was obese, but now is looking mighty svelte as she dropped 200 pounds, and now has her hay weighed every day. Owners of easykeepers: keep the weight down. 👀  The mare was a bit looky/spooky and struggled to lead, but C kept trying, so Q and I switched around as she needed. And the Benevolent King was 100% there. As we cantered home, he was still very perky but totally tuned in. We trotted back on a side road, passed a noisy diesel truck ...

This summer has been generally lovely. Warm, sometimes hot, but manageable most days. We havent had a long severe drought, or prolonged period of hot humidity. Usually we would have 10-14 days in a row of heat wave. Its been sporadic days here and there. Q has been lethargic this last month, perking up when the temperature is low 20s. Ive taken advantage by cracking out the bareback pad quite a bit and doing lots of walking trails. Or I go early morning. And then a long cold shower. We just changed his haynet, to something smaller that the crew cant overstuff. He is still eating too much hay, and its hard to lose weight if you cant manage input. Work in progress. So we dance in the shade, looking for cover. Listening to cicadas, and smelling the wildflowers. Life is grand.

Its been a busy riding period, despite the “hot and humid” weather. In fact, the weather has been quite tolerable, and on days when it hits 30+C we ride early. And if we can’t, then we keep it short and quiet and stay under the canopy. Q is still chunky, and we are trying to rein in the hay but its a challenge with everything else going on in the barn. Meanwhile, we have upped the intensity of our rides by 50% and have created a new “Long Trot” section stringing several trails of good quality footing together to make for a 4 km circuit that we do in 17+ minutes. Tomorrow I plan to venture out alone to strike a new record pace as I have fellow boarders hot on my tail to beat the pace. 😂 My afternoons are spent lounging in my hammock and reading a book. Verity and Greenwich Park were speed reads. Im now reading Trevor Noah’s autobiography Born a Crime, which is skull bending. Favorite book of the summer goes to Isabel Allende “Island Under the Sea”. Brilliant cast of characters.