Clean Pony Time

Look! Gypsy is clean! Yes, you didn't think it could happen, but ha! I show you! This is right after a bath, and right before a roll...an evil attempt to thwart my clean plans. She was a suprisingly good girl for her bath. Yay. Then I rode her a day or so ago, and she was marvelous and good. Until I gave her a tiny challenge, and then I about came off her slippery little back. Trot and work in the front yard? Easy, cool. Walk down the road. Piece of cake. Walk in the little grassy patch next to the road. HOLY COW THATS SUICIDE!

Seriously, horse? Because we don't walk in other patches of grass? Apparently not. But we walk over there, and the psycho switch got flipped, she got incredibly barn sour and anxious. Like...feeling like a coiled wire about to explode and she prances in place. Okay, lets make this a wonderful training moment, I thought! We will go to the road where she wants to be, and work really hard there. Tight circles, trotting, tons of side passing and not fun things. Then we will walk to the grass and stand there and rest, right where she didn't want to be. I have seen and read of this method lots of times. Sounds pretty legit, right? I repeted this a few times, work on the road, rest in the grass. But the resting wasn't really resting. It was still prancing in place and be anxious and stupid. No matter how many times I worked on the road and rested in the grass. Then I was losing my temper. So I gave up. What wonderful horsemanship on my part. But it really felt like it was going nowhere. Gypsy did not mark her approval on that method. Now to think of a new one. Dismount and lead her around the grass patch, let her eat some, relax? Then get back on and ride home? Maybe that will be the next attempt. It has worked in the past. BOO to my lunatic horse.
But at least in this picture, she is beautiful and brushed and groomed and lovely. Crabby old lady.




And here is a very random picture of a baby duck I wanted to buy and take home, and let it live in a kiddy pool in my barn. Yes.