Monday 19 November 2012

Busy Week and Legitimate Worries (for a change)

I've got a pretty busy week this week, which doesn't bode well for Walker.  :S  He's got today off like usual, and tomorrow off as well because I have an appointment for my back at the time that I usually go to the barn on Tuesdays.  This would be fine except that I'm concerned about the rest of the week.  Wednesday is my lesson (more on that to come), and Thursday, a friend of mine wants to bring his niece out to meet Walker.  This is fine with me of course except that my time at the barn on Thursdays is very brief (maybe 30-45 minute ride kind of brief) right before he gets fed his supper and I lose his attention indefinitely.  I know that it will be a wasted ride because she is only 7 years old.  We will spend the first while probably just grooming Walker until he shines, while I teach her some ground rules about horses (since I don't think she's been around them before).  By the time I get him tacked up and lead her around for a few minutes on his back (that will be the extent of it, if even that), I will probably only have 15 minutes to hop on him myself and get him exercised. :(

It's so hard sometimes when you bring your non-horsey friends to the barn.  They just don't understand how a 30 minute ride actually means a 2 hour process by the time you catch your horse at the back of the field, groom him, tack him, lunge him if needed, ride him, groom him, rinse and repeat.  Not to mention that they don't appreciate any of the elaborate things that you do.  To them, a trot is equal to a canter, and a 2 foot jump is a joke.  One time, I brought a friend to the barn, and Walker went berserk. I was riding him at the jog, and he took off into a canter, bucking down the rail.  My friend just thought that that's what he was supposed to be doing (bucking!) and that I was still trotting.  Oh well.  Gotta love 'em.

As for my Wednesday night lesson, I actually have a legitimate concern (not just an overall dread!).  We've been still riding outside these days, but the footing is starting to get questionable.  There's this one section of the arena that pretty much freezes to concrete, and while the rest of the arena is fine, this part of it is pretty dangerous for the horses.  My instructor, with all her good intentions, has set up a lovely pole to demarcate this section and "stop" horses from going down there.  I mean, has she not seen me and Walker?  The pole was set up on Sunday.  That was the day that Walker cantered over the bridge, leapt over the pole, and landed in the concrete-like footing.  So... needless to say, my new big concern is that he is going to bolt during the lesson and end up with a broken leg.  And I don't want to be the baby who arrives at the barn and asks to ride a different horse because I can't successfully manage my own.  Urgh.  It's one of the few times I actually wish it would just snow already and take away my misery.

Hopefully next weekend will be pony-filled and that Walker will at least get some exercise on Wednesday and Thursday.

2 comments:

  1. I wouldn't worry too much! Does Walker have shoes on? The occasional trot over the hard ground shouldn't do him any damage; it would be repeated riding over it that might take a toll. If you manage to keep him out of the area 90% of the ride and go over it a few time when he's being silly, I think you'll be just fine. Think of it as a challenge - he'll have to listen to you about avoiding that area or face a spur puncture wound in his side. ;)

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    1. He had his shoes pulled a couple weeks ago. I'm not so concerned that the ground in general is frozen, it's how it has frozen that concerns me. It's like a death trap of ruts and hoof prints sunken in frozen mud. When I walk over it, I even feel like I could go over my ankle. He is not afraid of a spur puncture wound, lol - if only! I'm sure it will be fine since he clobbered over it a couple times on Sunday, tripping as he went, but I have this irrational fear that the clumsy pony will break his leg in a wild fit of excitement :s

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