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In Loving Memory...
~ Gogo Fatale ~


6/2/01 - 10/11/11
~ Forever the Marest of Them All ~
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Friday, December 18, 2009

Does this saddle come with a seatbelt?

Gogo feels awesome. She is also feeling awesome, which is certainly delightful, but remember what happens when she is feeling great? Yea. She can be downright EVIL when she wants to be.

Not to say that she is being evil on purpose. She just has entierly too much energy to know what to do with, and under saddle I am going to have to be very careful that she doesn't end up doing something stupid and reinjuring herself. My problem is that with my go-go-go-go job all day long, I am exhausted at the end of the day and not inspired to get on when it's dark and freezing cold out. So, instead I've been coming to ride first thing in the morning before work. First thing in the morning for a very spicy mare in the freezing 12-degree weather is not exactly a fun time however. When I rode her the other evening and we took our first trot steps, she was totally quiet and relaxed... after she had been turned out and treadmilled. First thing in the morning, however, she is a veritable fire-breathing monster. Take yesterday, for example. Our walk work is a bit scary because while she is behaving for the most part, I can see her exceptionally expressive eyes rolling around in her head. Which usually means trouble. When she's relaxed, she has nice relaxed eyes. When I can see the whites of them popping, everybody put your seatbelts on. She demonstrated her tension by walking by one of the arena doors, spooking at whatever evil monster was hiding behind them, and standing up in a huge rear. She rears.... and rears.... and rears..... and rears. Just stands there on her hind legs, hanging out. I had one arm wrapped around her neck, and one on the reins, and I actually had time to scratch my nose and then start laughing while she was still up there. Seriously. By the time she came down I was peeing my pants laughing. I probably shouldn't find that as funny as I do. Well, she's balanced!
When we started trotting, she felt OUTSTANDING, not like the weak-butt of Tuesday at all. She very very, very even - even better than this summer, maybe - and very forward. Very, very forward. I obviously don't want to be on a circle for any length of time in the trot, so I sort of gulped and made my way down to the far end of the arena to where the scary door is. Miss Gogo Queen of Camels shot her head up in the head, started snorting, and rocketed away from the door, launching herself into a series of leapy-bucks. This mare NEVER bucks, so it surprised me, but they weren't like rodeo bucks. They were leaping-around-with-all-four-feet-off-the-ground-too-much-energy bucks. So we spent a lot more time than I wanted trotting down at the far end of the ring instead. It's only 5 minutes, thankfully, but it was 5 VERY exciting minutes of my life. Especially because every 10 seconds or so she'd spook horribly. Very exciting.

At least there was no nonsense in turnout yesterday..... and why was that, do you ask?
Oh I dunno. It might be that she's magically come into VIOLENT FLAMING HEAT again:






Oh for god's sake, Gogo.

Today we will be riding in the afternoon. Just because I'd really rather not DIE today, thanks.

10 comments:

jacksonsgrrl said...

Oh LORD! Girl, you got some damn guts. REARING? I guess if you were scratching your nose I should take comfort, but.... Kudos to you for riding in 12 degree weather. I'm ready to head to South Florida for the winter and I already live in South Texas. I'm from Ohio and Philly so I have paid my cold weather dues. I choose NOT to put myself through it anymore. YEP. I'm a wimp. A cold weather, non-rearing horse (so far) riding WIMP. Oh well. Someone has to do it! :) Brave woman.

Nicku B said...

Isnt rehab funnnnn???!!! Hang on tight! I spent two months riding in my crazy antares xc saddle (even in my dressage lessons, hahaha) just to make sure when the inevitable spook and bolt for absofreakinlutely no reason happened (and it happened EVERY ride) I was ready :P

Beth said...

We need you to have someone video these rides. That would be FUN to watch!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, man. I "get" to start under saddle walks with my horse in one week. He's been on stall rest with hand walks for FIVE months now. He is four. His favorite fresh move is also rearing. Lookin' forward to it (actually, I really am, despite the fact that it should be...interesting). Mine is strictly prohibited from any turnout whatsoever until he is back in FULL work.

You and I should videotape our rides and then do a video montage titled: "Rehab" - it would probably be pretty amusing. My horse's rears are also the standing-on-hind-legs-so-long-you-could-read-a-chapter-in-a-book variety.

sharon said...

I think you girls are both nuts!
And I'm with the others who prefer to stay away from rearing.
Laughing?
Scratching your nose?
Arrrrggggghhhhhh!

But great to hear of progress.

www.possumandme.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Sharon - I "prefer" to stay away from rearing too, lol! It's my most hated vice, actually. When I was a teen I had one slip and flip over on me rearing (a school horse I'd never ridden before that was having "problems" with the school riders - I rode him as a favor "just this once"). Broke my femur. :(

BUT, I love my horse and am committed to working through this problem with him.

Albigears said...

Miss Gogo! All four on the floor please, madame!

Anonymous said...

Try some dormosedan that you can get from the vet and give her 0.2cc IV before riding. It lasts for about 30 min, and you will have no spooking, no rearing, guaranteed!

Unknown said...

i was searching information about saddles ,and there are diffrent kind of saddles like Western Saddle,Australian Saddle ,English saddles.but confused which one to buy.

Unknown said...

i think mostly saddle comes with the seatbelts. i think english saddle are very best for riding.