Thursdays, who needs em!

I can't stand Thursdays, it's not quite Friday and it's not Wednesday, Hump Day. It's just another T day stuck in the week. Anyways with that said, things are actually going pretty well. After work I picked up the dogs and headed to the barn last night. It was unusually quiet an only a few people. Then it dawned on me....school just started Duh! I went to Possum's paddock gate and he greeted me with a nicker. I let him loose to eat grass while I visited with the farrier that had his new horse up for a lesson. My farrier is great. Not only is he very knowledgable and cares about what he does, but he is a great guy and loves my horse. We have an greement that if I die before Possum he is to take over ownership. Possum is willed to him. My farrier is constantly going to trainings and also doing demonstrations around the country. He follows the Natural Balance method of trimming and shoeing, Gene Ovenick is his teacher and mentor and I have had the pleasure of meeting Gene and spending some time with him and hearing his philosophies.

Possum loves the farrier because he makes him feel good. Possum is a horse who needs 4 shoes on at all times. He has very thin hoof walls that crack and crumble easily. He also has white feet which some have argued makes them weaker. So we were chatting about his new horse and I sat with him and watched some of the lesson. I then felt inspired to ride so I dragged Possum away from his grass and tacked him up and we worked on some flat stuff. He was pretty good. I worked on serpentines, transitions, bending, shoulder in and also walking and turning on the haunches. Then I really wanted to work on his flying changes some more. He is absolutely flawless to the right, but to the left he will stiffen his jaw, tip his head in and try to run into the change. It's is so hard to hold him sometimes and keeping him straight before the change, He did OK, nothing spectacular, but consistent. My goal is to really strangthen that lead shange so it becaomse as easy for him as the right is.

So we walked around the farm to cool out, I untacked and groomed him and fed him his grain and turned him back out to eat his hay that was just delivered to his paddock. I went home and threw a load of laundry in the wash and got ready to meet "G" for dinner in town. We went to a little local pub, had an appetizer and a pepsi and were pretty full. He dropped off the truck he was driving for a customer and picked up his Harley and we rode home on the bike. He was all sweet last night. Holding my hand, rubbing my leg smiling a lot. He even went to the bathroom and while he was gone texted that I was hot. It was a pleasant evening and I was able to relax and really enjoy it, and I think he did too. Today he's still all sweet and texting me. He hopes to have Sunday and Monday off this upcoming holiday weekend so we can hang out and maybe go on a day trip. I know Possum wouldn't mind the break since he's been ridden quite a bit lately. I'm really trying to get him in top conditon for marshaling the races since that's a lot of work and miles to go in an afternoon for a whole week. So things are going well. I really want to stay in my own bed tonight and if "G" asks me to come over again I will tell him that. A little compromise goes a long way.

I think I might head to the barn tonight to either hang and relax or maybe just do a small ride on Possum, and maybe even bareback. The mare that I mentioned yesterday is still at the vet clinic. She is doing OK. They took X-rays yesterday and had to wait to do an ultrasound until some of the swelling came down. She has no fever and is on IV antibiotics and comfortable and happy. The vet staff say that she so sweet and pretty. I have to agree with them. She may have to have a small surgery if a quill is still in there, it's just waiting and seeing for now. Thansk for the well wishes we have high hopes that she is going to be completely fine and this is just a set back in her training.