Today, while Pat trimmed Cisco's back hooves, I held the lead rope. One thing I have to be cognizant of is which side of the horse Pat is on. Cisco can potentially "bolt" . . . run off in panic . . . and if I am on the opposite side as Pat, Cisco could possibly just run over me in an effort to get away. So, I have to make sure I'm on the same side. The other problem with holding the lead rope is flies. They're awful! They land on my arm or my hand or my face, and I can't move to brush them away, or it might scare Cisco and get one of the three of us hurt. So, I have to ignore the flies as best as I can until Pat places the hoof back on the ground. Then, I very slowly shoo the flies away.
Then in the early evening, we practiced riding. First, Stefan rode JD with a saddle in the shaded area behind the kitchen. He did great, and JD did great. But, I was glad when Pat said it was time to put JD away because I did not feel safe riding him there. Later on, I rode him bareback in the round pen, which felt much safer to me. I did okay. I'm still a little bouncy on the trot, but Pat said you have to bounce some. Of course . . . she doesn't.
Then I got on Chester the mule with an Australian saddle. I've never ridden an Australian saddle before, but I liked it. It's like an English saddle, but it has these extra pieces on it that kind of hold your legs in place. I was worried about Chester because he was acting weird, so I didn't ride him long. Then Pat got on him and he gave a little buck . . . the last thing I would expect from Chester! He's a rapscallion, but he just tries to go his own way . . . he doesn't really try to get you off of him. Later, I found out that Chester is a very moody guy. So, I should have just kept riding him.
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