Envoy and Casper off to Boarding School

AAACK! That is the worst. I do need to pull some manes and trim some bridle paths. Sigh... It's too humid right now, but I'll have to suit up soon.

No riding today. It was damp and miserable, and I was just sleepy. So, I cleaned and patted the boys, filled their hay nets, and went home.

If Casper is shedding that bad could spring be very far behind?
Don't know about horsehair in your bra, but I can tell you cat hair in your bra has got to be as annoying!

Trust me Fif, there is nothing more annoying than the coarse hair from when you've
trimmed a bridle path.

Tiny, sharp hairs that are ITCHY. Yuck!!

Today, Envoy met the killer kitty! We were happily trotting around in the arena, when a black kitty jumped onto the wall. Envoy slammed on the brakes, and wandered over to where the kitty was. Of course, his new friend jumped down and ran away. I was just impressed that my formerly spooky horse was CURIOUS and not afraid.

Good for him. Glad to hear that you didn't go over his head when
he hit the brakes.

Sit deep and sit DOWN!

Or as they say in less polite circles, "Get a deep seat and and a distant look"

hehehehe........glad you didn't suddenly get a lesson in flying Sue! Cute Envoy wanted to check out the black kitty. Too bad the black kitty didn't want to check out the formerly spooky horse.

No riding tonight. When I got to the barn, both Casper and Envoy still had full hay bags. My trainer said neither one seemed interested, and they had been a bit restless. Instant worry! They didn't look sick, and they were pooping/drinking normally. So, I decided to see if they were interested in hay from a different bale. BINGO. Two happy ponies were munching their new hay. So, the sad news is that I had to throw away an entire bale. The great news is that they just didn't like the food and are not sick. I did not ride because I thought a full day of a hungry tummy wasn't the way to begin a pleasant ride.

Sounds reasonable to me. Couldn't you just toss out for the
deer to eat?

It's next to the pile, so the deer can get it if they want it. They usually go and clean up the paddocks though. Silly deer. I guess I should have tossed it into the fallow pasture.

No matter, it will be put to good use.

Maybe there was something about that particular bale that didn't taste right......so they refused it. Glad it was just that and not something else. If the deer don't eat that rejected bale I'm sure some other little critters will. It will not go to waste. If by some chance nothing eats it....you can always chop it up into smaller pieces and use it as weed-killing mulch in the garden.

Well... They've been porking down on the rest of the hay, so it must have been that bale. Today, both boys just stayed in their houses. It is RAINING and windy. I know it isn't anything compared to our poor snowed-in friends, but the horses did think that it was pretty bad. Tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny. Who can tell?

Maybe you might not even want to chop it up into mulch. Critters are pretty good judges when things go wrong...burning that bale might be a good idea!

Hmmmmm....if the critters won't eat it maybe it would make a good garden "moat" all chopped up. Maybe the little critters won't cross it to eat the goodies inside.

There isn't anything wrong with it. The boys were munching slowly. It just isn't what they like. They are quite fussy about their hay. I think I've spoiled them by buying good stuff. When they get a bale that's a little stemmy or weedy, they turn their noses up. Silly ponies!

I rode Casper tonight. His heel still hurts, but he went along well in the soft footing walking only. He learned to stop when I closed my upper legs and tightened back muscles. And, he learned to go when I just pushed a little. No yanking reins and no thumping with heels. He's a good boy!

Yes, he is.

Smart too.

Today, he got to watch Envoy. I actually think that his watching has helped him a bit. He is much better about mounting and just being ridden. I guess seeing his friend work in the arena makes him know that nothing bad will happen.

That's interesting, still glad Casper is coming along so well. Has the new kid
moved in yet?

Casper was grumpy today. He laid his ears back at the trainer and at me. No aggressive stuff, just ears back. I wonder if the colder weather has him grumpy. I know I wish the warmer weather were here already!

Silly boy, maybe he got up on the wrong side of the stall.

Big head cold for me today. It looks like an easy day with the boys. I wonder if Casper felt it coming on and was giving me warnings rather than being grumpy. He does seem to tune in well to people. I'll have to give him special brushings (to remove the foal's worth of shed hair) today.