Taking It Easy

It may be a little bit ridiculous, but I haven't ridden since before vacation. 

The SFM has certainly enjoyed her vacation.  Lots of green grass, a gelding to heckle, and her daughter to boss around.

My expensive pets this afternoon

My goal: Ride both horses Monday.

For real. 

If it's not like 90 degrees and 99.9% humidity.  

I can do hot.  I can even ride in hot, but the humidity just makes every pore ooze ick.  I also haven't felt very well since the horse show and that's sapped the bit of non-existent energy I have.

However, I did do barn chores today and that seemed to go fine.  I helped a friend with clipping her young foal (yahoo!  he's a spunky one!) and then decided I should probably do something besides pretend to own some expensive field art.

I grabbed the SFF, brushed her down, gave her a light bath, and decided to go see if I could find something in the arena to play with.  There are lots of objects but the first one I found was a pool noodle.

Now the SFF has seen a pool noodle as a young weanling, but I don't really think she's seen one since.  I had her walk over it, look at it, wear it, and poked her in the butt with it.  As long as it wasn't moving too quickly, she seemed cool with the endeavor.  But then I think she got a little bored, as she went ahead and was trying to take giant chomps out of it and stomp it to death.

Point taken.

So I put the pool noodle away.

I then found the hula hoop.  She has definitely seen a hula hoop before, but hasn't always been thrilled about the noise that it makes.  I can't hear the noise, but I assure you, my horses do.  

We practiced dragging it around.  I like to drag and object in front of the horse and have them "chase" it a bit to gain confidence.  Eventually I would like to actually have her drag it, but for now, chasing is fun.

She caught the hula hoop and wanted to stomp it and gnaw on it.  What kind of beaver are you, horse??  

I also went ahead and decided to put the hula hoop on and off of her.  The SFF isn't thrilled with things by her ears, whether it be reins being slipped overhead, a flymask, clippers, whatever.  But today's thing was a hula hoop.  I rubbed the hoop on her, let her sniff it, and then went to go put it up.  She wasn't thrilled with the idea, but let the Crazy Human do whatever and I was able to put it on and off pretty easily.  

Pool noodle vanquished and the hula hoop not as interesting, I called it a day and put her back outside.

From show ring to hula hoops, I am glad that my little Arabian filly seems happy to take it in stride.  Poor horse.  Doesn't know her owner is really a bit of a weirdo.  :)