Sunday is our farmer's market day, as the Natural Food Co-op that we go to hosts one each Sunday from spring through fall. This is also where we normally have our CSA pickup, as the farm has a stand. As such, we tend to have to schedule everything around our farmer's market activities, especially as half an hour will be spent on Rick's weekly massage.
So, today we finished the farmer's market, and we went straight to the barn. I didn't intend to stay long as we had some almond milk and pepper jack cheese warming up in the trunk, but I wanted to be there. Why?
Yesterday, one of the other boarder's tried Peanut's bridle. She actually currently has my Strasser/Cook book on bits, and she was talking to me from atop her horse while he was messing with his bit non-stop, so I thought the time was right. I offered to let her try Peanut's, she accepted, and he really liked it. She was going to borrow it for a trail ride today so I gave her a crash course in how to work it - unfortunately after the horse was put away.
I started to think today that the crash course might not be enough as it can be a mess of straps to someone who isn't used to it, so I wanted to be there when she was tacking up so that I could help out.
Well, we got there and realized she was already on the trail. However, my bridle was still there, the fall day was beautiful, and Peanut was already standing at the fence staring at me. Hmmm... everything would be ok for a little longer in the trunk, right?
We rode out, and I used the SuberPanel as it was still attached to my saddle. I really felt the panel and felt a lot less connection, but probably still a good deal compared to a regular saddle. Peanut didn't curl up on the trails or else go diagonally the whole way, which was nice. Every time he tried a little speed he would only go a couple of steps like he couldn't maintain it. At a meadow, I asked for speed and got a mish-mash of ugly gaits. At that point, we ran into the other boarder and a neighbor who were heading back to the barn, so we all fell in line and travelled back.
Once we got back, I asked for a gait again, and got the lumpy, bumpy mish-mash again. I tried a few more times, and was eventually rewarded by what I think was the best gaiting he ever gave me. I was perfectly still and floating - it was glorious. At one point I snuck a peek at my shadow and saw it just sliding along. I praised him like crazy, and when we ran out of room I stopped him, immediately got off (well, my first try at a dismount was thwarted when his head shot down to graze and got me off-balance mid-dismount), and praised him and treated him. What a good boy!
After I untacked him, I must have pulled off about 20 deer ticks. I'm not exaggerating. I'd get them off, be happy, look again, and another one would appear. Repeat for about half an hour.
It turns out that the boarder was too intimidated to try my bridle after all. She tried to put it on, got lost in the straps, and pulled out her bridle.
In other news, I think Gene's winter diet - in addition to hay, naturally - will be 3.5 lbs of whole oats per day supplemented with the vitamin/minerals that Peanut is currently receiving. I need to contact the Co-op and see what they can do about bulk-ordering whole oats. I trust their quality a lot more than a feed store (plus they will be organic), but I am sure that I'll pay through the nose for them. Ow. My nose.
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