It's a Girl Thang, Baby!

I just finished reading Pony Girl's post on mares, and had to smile.

I've only adopted mares here. Oh, sure, I adopted Steve Holt! and Sandy, but they were assigned to me and of course they were difficult to part with after spending 90 days with them. I'd never have selected a gelding to train for myself though, and while I love them both...they're not girls. Girls have something that boys haven't got. Some magical little spark deep down.

Snotty? Cranky? Difficult? Yup, some times. But there's a cunning character that goes along with it. The boys can be goofy and playful and fun...but the girls will take care of you. There's an autopilot with a mare that I've not found in the geldings. Let them mother you, and they will. They'll tell you where you should be standing, where you oughtn't be sitting, and basically boss you every which way. But when the chips are down, they'll out perform and out think a gelding any day of the week.

Tika has most definitely told me where to go on more than one occasion. She's pinned her ears and flashed her teeth, and the girl definitely knows how to give some lip! But I've also experienced those tender moments...moments when I've wondered, as she's shielded me from the blowing wind with her neck curved around my body, does she miss her foal? Because theres no mistaking that maternal instinct as she moves in close and wraps herself around you.

Yes, I'm definitely a mare lover. Give me Mare-itude any day. Or as we call it around here, Tika-tude!

Ditch Visitor

Let's just say the day didn't work out like I'd hoped.

When I got up in the morning, I called the weather hotline to see what was up with the schools. While the temps were high, the ground was ice, and as it turned out, buses were delayed by an hour. Darling would be happy with an extra hour of sleep.

While I normally would drive her around the corner on these dark, cold mornings, she walked to the bus stop on late arrival days, and this morning was no exception. Once she left the house I got busy with my routine. Feed horses, come inside and check email, read a few blogs, post on facebook. And in the middle of my routine I received a text message from Darling.

"How long do I need to stay down here and wait?"

What? She was still at the bus stop? I told her to come home, thank you. The bus ought to have picked her up 20 minutes ago. All we could figure is that her driver was running early. I took one look a the roads and decided Darling could have an ice day. I do not drive on slick as snot, icy roads, thank you.

The morning slipped into afternoon before I knew it, and it was raining a sleet like substance when I went outside to clean stalls. I figured it was too nasty to do much work with Tika, but that I'd pull her blanket off and brush her once I finished my chores.

While loading up my wheelbarrow, I heard a big thud from out near the house. I peeked out the window of Tika's stall, thinking I'd see the UPS truck or something, as it'd sounded like a door. But there was nothing but a pick up slowly driving past out on the road. Silly guy, driving on the ice...

I went back to picking, then started out towards the compost pile. THUD. What the heck? I looked out toward the road. While there are few leaves left on trees at this point, we've still got a brushy barrier up between us and the road, so I wasn't sure what I was seeing. Was that the roof of a car? Or was I simply seeing a snow covered patch on the other side of the road?

I set the wheelbarrow down and walked closer. Sure enough, there was a car in the ditch, laying neatly on it's side at a 45 degree angle. The young driver had just climbed out and was attempting to call a tow truck. I asked if he was okay, and yes, he was. Did he need anything? No, but thank you, just trying to get the truck to pull him out.

I went back to cleaning. Once done, I thought I'd put on some hot water and offer the ditch visitor a hot chocolate. With the water on, I ventured back outside to see if he'd like a cup, but he declined...though he said perhaps his girlfriend would. What? You've got a passenger in there? Well, get her out of that lopsided car and come inside to wait for the truck.

So my afternoon was spent entertaining a quiet college couple, learning all about them, and trying to put them at ease as they sat inside a stranger's house. By the time the tow truck came, I'd lost my desire to stand outside in the rain with my horse. Besides, she was looking way to snug as a bug in a rug inside that blanket of hers. I surely didn't want to remove my coat, and I doubt she wanted to remove hers!

Western Saddle and a Video

The snowfall continued throughout the day yesterday. Not much, and it really didn't amount to anything. Perhaps just shy of an inch? But this morning, as the air warms and the snow melts, our world has turned to ice. How is it ice can form in 40 degree weather? The ground is still hard and cold from the past two weeks of dreadful temps, and the melted snow turns instantly to ice.

But yesterday, with no ice and only a little bit of snow, Tika and I picked up the training level a notch. She'd stood so nicely for the English saddle that I decided it was okay to bring out the Western one. I wasn't too sure what she'd do about the stirrup and fender flopping over her back. For that matter, I wasn't sure what she'd do about my lifting it up into the air alongside of her, but she was fine. A little apprehensive, but not stark raving mad. So up into the air it went and quietly onto her back. The cinch was...a cinch! She's gotten used to my reaching beneath her belly and stood right there for me to tighten it up without making any attempt to move away.

Don't mind me...I look like a dork. I really shouldn't watch myself in videos. I'm bouncing up and down alongside of her...but not big bounces because I don't know that she's ready for big. And I'm trying to rock the saddle without banging into it...and it looks downright dorkie, lol! But hey, dorky is as dorky does, eh? And really, Tika didn't seem to mind that much.

Once finished with our little exersice in dorkiness, I slipped the bridle onto her and we worked a bit at giving to pressure. She does okay to the left, but struggles to the right. Guess I know what our lesson plan is for today, then, don't I? That is, if the ice melts...

Now, all you face bookers...Mustang U is hosting a giveaway, so you'd better trot on over there to see what it is!