Ride #11

So, today I met Flambé at the barn at about ten to ride. Usually, Sunday morning about 10:30 is the perfect time to get on your horse and it’s also the time when most of Amanda’s army (like Dumbledore but with horses) is there to ride. This morning, there was a group jump lesson filled with young riders on big horses and questionable steering. They were also using the entirety of the indoor arena. I wish there was some way to predict or know when she was going to be using the indoor that way, because we would schedule around the lesson.

Flambé and I saddled, peed, and led our horses to the indoor. I held Kat while Flambé got on, then walked with them a couple of feet until Kat settled, and then I got on Ashke. We started our walk. An hour later we were still walking the outer ring of the indoor, because the jumping lesson had progressed to actually jumping jumps and we didn’t want to get ran into. We spent a little time walking over ground poles in the “trail” section the BO has set up at the farthest end of the indoor. Flambé was a bit hesitant at first, thinking that Kat would have issues, but by the time we were through wandering through them, Kat was doing even the slightly raised, very close together for a Friesian poles. Then we went back to walking. We thought they were done, but then a single rider on a miniature horse came out and they started all over again. I had Flambé capture this moment. It was literally the only time we didn’t walk for our hour long ride.

I asked Amanda, who was walking across the arena, to tell me what I was doing wrong on that lead change.

Then he nailed it.

I said, “Oh, he just needs Amanda to be watching.”

I untacked him at that point and then pulled out the clippers. I need to keep him clipped because he gets itchy under the blanket if he isn’t. He has been rubbing his shoulders and his tail dock so I figured it was time.

This is the unclipped side. You can see the hair from the clipped side.

I also trimmed up the long guard hairs on his cheeks and under his jaw line. I hate when those get super long because it brings up the ghosts of years past (his guard hairs were the only thing keeping him warm when I first saw him in Texas. I was about 75% of the way done on the first side when the cold front and winds came through the area. The wind was gusting over 40 mph and rattling the roof, which made Ashke nervous. He started to dance a little bit at the end of his lead, which only gives him about 2’ of room to move. I asked him why he was dancing and told him to stand still. While I was oiling the clippers, he snorted at me, then sank down into the gentlest Levade, without tightening the lead rope. He did that twice and then I asked him to keep all four on the floor. He acquiescenced.

I gave him a good brushing and got out all of the dirt that had been trapped under the hair, gave him some carrots and grain, then called it a day.

I really do love it when his hair is short. And see the nice clean jawline. 

Someone who will remain nameless kind of chopped up the hair on his other cheek, but it will grow back, amiright?