It's Saturday afternoon and I am sitting at my computer. Truth is, I've been sitting here pretty much all day long. I just don't feel like doing much else. My left shoulder blade is very tender to the touch, my left side is achy, my left little finger along with the edge of that hand is also achy and my legs are sore as well. I had another horseback riding lesson yesterday and that accounts for my legs. As for the rest of it, therein lies a tale.
I had a very good lesson. My instructor is intuitive and bright and can immediately see what I am doing wrong and offer advice on how to correct it. I've come a long way in just six lessons. The whole lesson went off without a hitch. It's the what-came-after that is the problem.
My lesson was scheduled for one o'clock and I had arrived at noon to groom Mr. D (short for Diablo, but he's actually a sweet, 22 year old gentleman). I had cleaned his feet and was about to saddle him with the assistance of a young woman who is visiting here from Germany on a work/study program, when my instructor arrived and we got right to it. An hour later, she told me she needed to leave for a vet appointment with her dog and asked if I was okay to do the after-riding grooming of Mr. D by myself. I said sure, after all I had done the first grooming solo. It all went just fine. So feeling full of myself and enjoying the grooming, I asked the young German woman if I might groom another of the horses. She told me to work on Pan.
I had groomed Pan on one other occasion when, finishing with Mr. D and turning D out into the pasture, Pan had come into the stall and wanted some attention. He had stood quietly without a halter or cross ties as had D and let me do a thorough grooming on him. So I'm guessing now that was a whole other ball of wax compared to him not necessarily wanting the attention. Yesterday, he was out in the pasture with the other horses and I had to take a halter and lead to bring him into the stall.
I walked up to him talking to him all the while and he stood nice and still. I put my hand on his left shoulder and patted and rubbed him a bit. That was all okay. I rubbed his nose and let him breathe my breath. More okay. Then I tried to put the halter on him. Not okay.
Aside from me being clumsy and inexperienced, he kept taking the chin strap in his mouth. I'd pull it out, get ready to slide it over his nose again, at which point I'd have to flip the strap up over his head (the buckle is on the left side, you always work on the left side of a horse), but then he would toss his head and try to take it in his mouth again. When a horse tosses his head, there is no way short little me is going to be able to keep that halter in place. Add the fact that he was constantly backing away from me and you can see how it might be difficult.
After an interminable time, I finally got the darn thing on him and walked him to the stall. I decided to leave the halter on him even though he had stood quietly for me previously and I began on his neck. But apparently one of the other horses had bitten him in the neck and it was very sensitive. So he pulled away from me and we started a "dance" all over the stall. I brought him back around and soothed him as best I could and started working on his back end. Well that's the wrong way to go about it and apparently even a two year old horse knows that and he started dancing with me again. The young German woman returned at this point and suggested that I tie him to the rail. The stalls are not the kind in a barn with wooden sides. They are made of square, tubular steel posts and rails. She said he was accustomed to that, so I tied him up to one side "wall" and attempted to continue.
Well, all that did was bring the two of us closer to the wall and he had apparently decided to let me know how he really felt about the whole thing. I had been trying not to let him get me between him and the wall, but he was too quick. Suddenly, he shoved his left shoulder into my chest and threw me back into the fence where my left shoulder blade very painfully connected with a rail. Then he proceeded to use his hindquarters to pin me to the wall. But I thought, no way! And I put both my hands on his left flank and pushed with all my might. I actually managed to push him off of me. Then I let him know in no uncertain terms (yeah right, tone of voice means so much to horses not) that he was just plain rude.
I looked over at the young German woman and told her that I was sorry; that I didn't think I was going to be able to groom him. She said it was okay and that she would do him later. Even so, I hated to leave it at that, because we are never to reward (in this case the reward was me giving up and leaving him alone) undesirable behavior. So she helped me put him out into the pasture, because all of a sudden, he didn't want to leave the stall. Go figure. Maybe he was having too much fun taking advantage of the newbie.
It gets worse.
So I had some water, calmed myself down, went into the tack building to leave a note to the owner of the horses and came back out. Pan had moved into a corner next to the last stall and I was making nicey-nice with him through the fence. I was holding onto a metal post of the last stall with my left hand and using my right to rub his nose and cheek and talk to him quietly when all of a sudden I felt something wham into my left side. It felt for all the world as if someone had punched me really hard. I know what that feels like from my days studying Kung Fu. Once, an opponent punched me really hard in the ribs. I didn't go down, so he followed it up with a kick to the same spot. That did it.
I looked at the ground expecting to see a rock laying at my feet, but there was just the dirt. Besides, why would someone throw a rock at me? There were no horses in the aisle between the rows of stalls to kick me and Pan was on the other side of the fence. I was very confused. Just then, the young German woman asked me if I were okay and that is when I realized my right hand must have brushed the electric wire at the top of the fence. My boots have rubber soles, but I had ever so conveniently grounded myself by hanging onto the metal post. The hard sudden contractions of the muscles in my side and of my left hand are likely responsible for the aches I have in them today. Oh and did I mention the headache? That's probably from trying to electrocute myself, as well. Good thing there is no real amperage in those lines. Still, I don't think I will be doing that again the electrocution that it. As for the rest of it, well, I just really like horses and everything to do with them and I'm going back on Monday for some more "punishment," but a little wiser. Look out Pan, I've got your number now.
Dianne Lehmann is a jewelry designer who has been in business since January of 2000. Her interest in designing and manufacturing jewelry goes back beyond that to 1994. It took her many years of trying various creative outlets to finally figure out that making jewelry is where she could really shine. Dianne began with simply stringing beads onto cable and has progressed from there. She is now an accomplished lapidary (cuts and polishes stones) and silversmith. Dianne and her husband, Bernd, live in northern Arizona and both love to hike. Dianne can not help but pick up rocks (they are her first love) and some of these find their way into her jewelry. Dianne makes one-of-a-kind pieces that she hopes give people as much joy to view as she gets from the making of them.If you like, you may view her work at http://www.syzygyjewelry.com
Good lord woman, are you trying to kill yourself! I had some freaking goats awhile back that loved to torture me and the kids. When my daughter asked if we could get a horse since we lived out in the country I was scared to death, especially after hearing about that horse that bit that ladies face off! Oh, by the way, I recently traveled thru Arizona, that is where you are at right? It is SOOOOO beautiful! Sorry I haven't commented in awhile, I had a bad surgery followed by a worse recovery and have been out of commisiion going on 8 weeks now.
Please be careful around those horses. if God had intended for us to ride them they would have been born with saddles...stick to ping-pong, it's a lot safer! Talk to you later, how's your novel coming along? lol
I wonder just that thing from time to time. I did go out there today, and the only thing I did wrong was forget my sunscreen. The back of my neck is MIGHTY red and also the backs of my hands. Gonna' have to get some riding gloves.
You know, goats can be nasty, but horses love them. My cousin had a goat that he kept with his horses to keep the horses happy. But the goat wouldn't let anyone in the corral with the horses until you had performed a specific ritual. You picked up the 2x4 sitting next to the gate and whacked the goat over the head. If you didn't do it quite hard enough, you did it again. Then he would let you in.
I love Arizona. It has so many beautiful places. Have you been to the Sedona area? All those red rock formations are just outasight.
I'll be careful. I love your comment about saddles. Gave me a giggle.
I'm glad you enjoyed my story. Do you live somewhere that you could interact with horses? It's really amazing because they are so large and when handled properly, so gentle. It's been my meager experience that horse people are very sharing, love their horses to death and like nothing more than inspiring others to do the same.
Actually, I spend a lot of time feeling inadequate to the task. But I love being around them and grooming them, so I will just keep at it; learning as I go and taking my "licks." I will say that it is a good thing that I have improved my reflexes through playing ping pong with my husband. :)
Pan hasn't really anything to worry about from me ... as long as he's nice. :) I really have a fairly gentle soul. The owner of the horses thought that I might like to make Monday my regular day to go out there. I think I will take her up on it. Like I told Myla, I'm going to be extra careful from now on.
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