Half Mown Meadow

The stubble and mown hay were fresh like tidal sand
When at low tide I walked by that standing lake-waved sea;
The surface of the grass wore such fluidity,
Melting of plane in plane, as seemed unknown on land.

Except from The Half-Mown Meadow by Edith Joy Scovell

Beautiful day this morning.  It's hard to believe that it's September already.  I keep thinking it's just August.  I went out and did barn chores this morning and hoping to get in an evening ride after I go into one job for a few minutes and then go out and do evening chores at the farm.  That's the hard part about working three jobs--trying to fit everything in!

I ground drove the Semi Feral Filly the other day and she was a champ.  She's a two year old and very different in personality than her dam (the grey).  While her dam is apprehensive and nervous, the filly takes most of life in stride.  I just put the harness on and off we went around the farm.  A little bit of coaxing to go down the aisleway, but she was happy go lucky about being outside and going into the outdoor arena and over some of the ground poles.   I think she is going to be a nice little filly once under saddle. 

I often wonder what the mare would be like if she had this much handling and work when younger.  Would she be more confident and self assured too?  

Here was the mare yesterday afternoon after our outdoor adventure.  

Get me out of here, she says

Update from this evening.  I did my normal running around to another job and then back to the barn.  Finished chores and then had time for a ride.  It ended up being very warm this evening, so we just stayed in the indoor arena and worked a bit on trying to be soft and ride into the corners.  Proper posture, looking where I am going, and then when she softened up at the walk, going into the trot.  The mare has a tendency to get amped up at the trot and going like a freight train and I have found since working on trying to be softer in the walk, her trot has been less like a crazy train and more like a comfortable jog trot. 

For all of her good behavior this evening, she was rewarded with a bath.  OK, probably not much of a reward as she isn't a fan of baths.  The water is fine, but rather the hose is more of a snake and she would rather die than stand on the slippery black rubber mats outside.  Fine, we just stand on the grass on the other side of the wash rack.  Works for me.

Onwards and upwards.