Stinker

Quiet Storm was a bit of a pain yesterday.

Actually, a big pain.

It all started when I decided to go out and get on Jet in the early morning before anyone else was out of bed. I'd been on her the night before, asking her to turn left and right and getting her used to me asking for things from on top of her. The following morning I mounted up again and this time encouraged her to step forward a little. We did some lovely turns and even got some figure eights.

Once finished with her, I brought Sunny into the paddock and saddled her. As I'd done a couple times before, I put my foot into the stirrup to get her used to the mounting motion, lifting myself up and laying across the saddle on my stomach. We've done that before, and she's beginning to accept it. This time I decided to push for a little more and ran my hand over her butt to give her the feel of a leg crossing over. I almost wanted to just do it, but instead resisted and let my hand reach down onto that sensitive right side instead. I moved the stirrup a bit, and that was enough to set off the fireworks. Out she shot from under me; leaving me in the dirt on my hands and knees with a twisted ankle and bruised, sore knee. I was pretty shaken as I made my way to the rail to just sit for a moment.

It stung, and my ankle was hurting. Not broken, I didn't think, just a bad twist. I shook it off and walked back to Sunny, who was now standing on the opposite side of the paddock with a dazed look on her face. I walked up to her and, despite the stiffness that was beginning to set it, bounced back up and down in the stirrup so we could end on an upnote instead of leaving her with images of me in the dust. She stood and tolerated my bouncing from both the left and right side, and I then turned her loose and fed her breakfast.

An hour later the farrier showed up. Cheryle was there to do Jet's first trim, and Quiet Storm needed to be done as well. My knee was swelling and getting stiff, my ankle was less than good. Darling started out holding Jet, but a friend came over to groom sheep with her, so I was then left with holding onto a two year old who wasn't so sure this pedicure idea was the best idea. But, she was good and aside from being on my feet longer than I probably should have been, both she and I were fine.

Then it was Quiet Storm's turn. This girl's been done before, so there shouldn't have been any problem. But...she's impatient. She doesn't like to be told what to do, either. And the fact that there was green grass beneath her feet didn't help matters at all. She pushed and turned and was acting like a spoiled brat. But the real stinker in her came out when she decided to reach out and strike with her front leg...and what did she connect with? My bad knee!

Let me tell you, I completely forgot that I could barely hobble as I sent her backwards faster than she's ever gone. Stinker. The word is too good for her! She was nearly as hard as Jet to get done, except with her it was just orneryness. I think we'll have to do her hoof work in the paddock where she's not distracted by green grass.

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