Saturday, June 28, 2008

Counselor, New Mexico
Just Pat and me here today . . . Shawn and Laura were at the restaurant with John all day long.  Last night, Pat came home and told me that Laura was doing well, so that was a relief.  I was really worried about her.

This morning, Pat wanted to work on getting Chaco to not be afraid of the fly spray anymore.  So, we took him out to the hose and started spraying him down . . . first like rain and then directly on him.  He did pretty good.  He is such a pretty boy.  Then we walked him around a little so that he would dry.  

Then we took Sparky out, groomed him, and hooked him up with some "driving" gear.  He had halter on with a lead rope, and then something around his middle which held two other ropes which went down either side of him.  While I led him, Pat held the other two ropes and she tried to control him from behind.  This is important to teach a horse, because when he is being ridden, he is getting controlled from behind.  Sparky did really well.  He is coming along so well.

Later this afternoon, after it cooled down some . . . some is right . . . it was still oppressively hot today.  Anyway, we groomed and saddled up JDancer.  Pat said he hadn't been saddled and ridden that way for a long time, so she wanted to see how he would do.  She asked what kind of saddle I wanted . . . English or Australian.  When I used to work at the stable in my youth, the cowboys that I used to hang with called an English saddle a postage stamp!  The Australian wasn't much bigger, but it had these things on it that you could brace your legs on if the horse bucked.  I prefer a Western saddle, but the Australian one was definitely better than an English!

But, when Pat wanted to see how long to make the stirrups, I said that she should ride him first.  She went along with that, and got on him, and he was a good boy.  She was in the saddle, and I led him with the lead rope.  Then she got off, and we walked and let him graze a lot.  We went down by the Largo River. 

There is no Largo River right now, just a vast sandy space.  When it rains here . . . they call them the monsoons, the river fills up, and sometimes goes way past its banks.  Some of the roads around here are affected by the heavy rains, and you have to be careful not to drive in water.  Someone lost a semi-truck by driving onto a wet road . . . it sunk down so deep that they never found it!  A semi!  So, when it rains, you have to be really careful where you drive.

After walking around a long time in the heat, with JDancer having a good ole time munching away the grasses, Pat got back on him and I led him back home.

Then, Pat caught Cracker, groomed him, and saddled him up.  I gave him a lot of reiki, because after yesterday I didn't know what was going to happen.  He was kind of fine.  Pat rode him all around the yard, and then took him outside the gates.  He would give her a little trouble every once in awhile, but she kept him in line.  She returned safely.  But, there was no way I was going to get on him.  I told Pat that twenty-eight year olds bounce . . . fifty-seven year olds don't.

When Pat was getting Cracker ready, I stood by the corral and Chaco came up to me.  He let me pet him and sweet talk him, and he just stood there enjoying it.  Later, Pat commented on Chaco looking at me with love in his eyes.  She said that she was a little jealous, but that she would get over it!  Chaco is such a sweet heart, but I have to be careful.  The last stud horse that I fell in love with, I had to buy him and take him home!  The picture is of my beautiful Chaco.