More productiveness....

I helped Robert briefly with tearing the wall out next to Star so we could hook up water there. ("New things? Star will love this!") He was up there most of the day, but the plumbing there is done. Various horses were variously displeased about the ladder, Robert being on the ladder, and general loud banging noises.

Since we're supposed to get a new working student tomorrow, we need a nice easy horse. Papillon fits the bill but she hasn't been ridden in a month or two. I turned her out and chased her around the arena, then fit a new bridle to her. It doesn't really fit- the throatlatch is too tight. But it works for what we need to do with her, at least for one ride. As soon as I pulled out the bridle she started tossing her head around and when I pulled the reins out she dropped her head so we could go go go! She's a funny girl.

While Robert was on the ladder, I swept the aisle and tried to figure out what to do next. I knew I wanted to do Niki, so I checked in her stall and oh hey, she was out in her run and soaking wet. I put her in her stall and attempted to towel her off. We had a discussion about this. She is not a fan of things behind her flanks, probably stemming from the crupper business, and it took about five minutes to convince her that I was not doing anything but annoying her. At least she was never agressive- just evasive. She will, however, stand pretty happily with a towel draped over her entire head. That was cute.

We grabbed Luca and freelunged him in the arena, then tacked him up and lunged him for maybe five? minutes. Put his bridle on and off we went! We didn't walk for very long, went straight to trotting (it's like loping off, but for wimps). Did that both directions, then did a short canter down one side and called it quits. He was a tired pony but a good one.

Niki was after that. She was a little more active and antsy than usual, but stood while I got on, and stood patiently while I wiggled around, with just a "wtf?" look. I started steering (belatedly letting Robert know. Oops. I guess it's useful to know if the rider's turning the horse away or if the horse is turning away.) and she just shrugged and said okay, I know how to do this. We hit a rough patch where she turned and I got a little off balanced and she threw her head up and stopped. I apologized and she turned and sniffed my leg and we went off again. Robert was only holding the very end of the leadrope, and basically had no control. I was really pleased she figured out that I was in charge, and she should move even if the person holding the lead didn't.

Actually rode Papillon- she was as sound as she ever is. We walked and trotted fairly merrily both directions for quite some time. I was enjoying the unbroken mare, then realized that I should take it easy if I wanted her to stay unbroken. It was raining pretty hard and the bobtailed cat had taken refuge between the walls of the arena and the sand. Papillon was VERY interested when she saw the cat, but didn't actually chase it. I was a little disappointed.

I had twenty minutes til feed so not really time to work a horse. So instead, I took the five bazillion bridles I'd stored in the tack room with all the horses, and Lil's dressage saddle, and restored them to their rightful places in the hay barn tack room. I also cleaned off the bridle hooks outside the tack room, which is where Star, Niki, Colonel, Keno, Reno, and Papillon's bridles are.

I was thinking about how at this time, two years ago, we had no sound riding horses. Gillian was working on Papillon, and I was about to start with Colonel, but no one to ride. Damn. We've come a long way.

I fed, and Star refused to come into her stall. She had been doing the Arab-traumatized thing for the entire day, apparently, due to the ladder and the banging. She was absolutely SOAKED. I felt bad for her because she'd be standing in the stall the rest of the night and I didn't want her to get too cold (even if it was her own fault). I grabbed a towel and OMG that was terrifying. I pointed out to her, several times, that it was exactly like a saddle pad, and that she'd had her native costume on just fine, but apparently those were not acceptable excuses. Eventually she understood that she wasn't going to stop being harassed until she stood for it, but she wasn't happy.

Robert gave me a ride to Clackamas Town Center, which was nice. Back on Thursday!