Desert Horses

Welcome to my horse blog, Desert Horses. We live in the desert southwest, near Palm Springs, CA, but board our horses up in our local mountains where it is cooler in the summer. I have 4 horses, all rescues. Here is the ranch up the mountains where the horses stay.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Horse lesson Monday

Thank goodness for 3 day weekends!  I'll have two more next month...whoo, whoo!

I stayed at home Saturday because, frankly, I was just too tired to go anywhere.  I'm finding that after working all week, by Saturday, I'm DONE.  I'm FINISHED.  I'm TOAST.  So, I usually stay home, clean the house, clean up the dog poop, take a nap, cuddle with the cat, and watch TV in the afternoon.

Sunday morning I did get out and go a short hike along the Henderson trail.  However, it was getting hot and I was on the trail alone (again), so I didn't go over 1/4 mile.  It just isn't safe.  I also stopped in to check out our new neighborhood (small) Walmart.  It is in the old Toys R Us building, which is two blocks away.  I could actually walk up there!  It was nice and clean.  It just opened last week.  Now, while I don't agree with WalMart and the wages they pay their employees, it IS going to be convenient.  I can run up there and buy coffee creamer or bread.  They did have a couple of items that I needed, so I bought them as I checked out the store.  It was only 9:00 a.m. and was deserted and the cashier was very polite and helpful.

By Monday morning, I was ready for some horse time, so I actually left the house before hubby.  It was a gorgeous morning (no rain in the forecast), and I zoomed up the mountain in no time.  My trainer was supposed to be there by 9:00, but she didn't arrive until about 10:00 a.m.  I took Gigondas out, groomed her, cleaned her feet, lunged her, and then let her have some free time in the arena.  She was a very good girl.  I went in with her and she followed me around.  That's a big step for a horse that originally hated people!  She now enjoys her grooming.  She'll never be a real people-friendly horse, but now at least she tolerates us and enjoys a few things!  :-)

By then, my trainer arrived.  I took Scout out.  Scout now has MANNERS and waits inside her corral.  Remember, she used to bust out?  Er...no more!  She didn't try to mow me down, either.  She always goes into the arena to get her energy out before Maia works with her....

Next was Quad...silly Quad.  Apparently he was tied at the wash rack last week, busted loose, and dragged the lead rope all over the place...sigh...I found the busted halter and the lead rope is now in tatters. I'm not quite sure what exactly happened, but he didn't get any treats.  Oh, that was a couple of weeks ago because the next visit, he was a gentleman.  I guess withholding his treats taught him to THINK about his behavior!  He was pretty good yesterday, but spooked at the "SCARY TREES" by the tie rack, so Maia practiced walking him back and forth next to them.  Otherwise, he was perfect.

She took Sunni up to the arena and let him self-exercise.  He's really good at that...

Last was Lucille, my riding horse.  Apparently she did a little hop while lunging (she looked off all morning) and pulled something in her shoulder, so we put her away.  She did at least get a nice grooming and got some attention.  Poor thing...she is SO DARN SWEET!  She nickers the minute she sees my car pull into the driveway!

Then, I had to drive home, eat lunch, take a shower, and head over to our daughter's house to babysit.  Turns out, our daughter and son-in-law both have a virus and they spent 2 hours in urgent care.  They wanted me to watch the baby so that they could go out and do their shopping and little Ellie could have some time at home.  They had spent the weekend in Anaheim, and the Disney 1/2 marathon.  And, they were exhausted.  The little one has a walker and now she careens all around their tile floor!  She'll be walking soon!

Home by 5:30...dinner, watched "Klondike" and then off to bed!


2 comments:

Beauty said...

Thank you for your, "Horse Lesson Monday" blog. Your stories about the horses are so descriptive and enjoyable. Reading about the horses just put a smile on my face and gave me a positive jump on my busy morning!

lisa said...

Sounds like me. I unfortunately live in the cold climate, and I hate to do much with the horses in the winter months. In the summer I can't wait to ride when I am done with the week of school, or work.