Yesterday, all three girls were left inside for the day because of bad weather. Yep, we totally baby our horses. With Tia, my concern is that #1 her rain rot isn't completely healed yet and I don't want to do anything to make it flare up again and #2 the last thing I need is for her to be out in the rain and wind and end up with some weird upper respiratory thing! Her immune system just isn't there yet, and I don't want to risk it.
That being said, Gabs went over to feed Tia her lunch. While she was eating, Gabs did what any normal horse person would have done. She checked everyone elses water. Good on Gabs right! Right! Well, apparently Mia had other thoughts. Mia and I are about to have a come to Jesus meeting about personal space and respecting it! She saw the door was open and took the opp to not only push Gabs aside, but to push open the door the rest of the way and LEAVE the barn.
Now, Gabs has been around horses since she was little so she isn't new to horses. And thank God she wasn't hurt by the fat evil pony when she plowed out of the stall. Now, if it had been me, things wouldn't have been so nice afterwards. Gabs just nicely walked out and got her and put her back in her stall. I, on the other hand, would have taken that moment to remind her why I have my space and she has her space and that because she violated my space she now gets to work....or sit on cross ties while I slowly clean her stall and the other stalls and make feed for the night and talk to the goats and call my insurance agent and wash my car...you get the point???
Sigh. Gabs did absolutely the right thing...Mia just makes me want to strangle her sometimes!!! (Just in case you are wondering...here is Mia)
Now, on to Tia! Last night was incredibly humid. I am the type of person that if I am going to sweat like I have no sense, then I had better be in a barn! And sweat in the barn last night I did!
When I first got there, I pulled Tia out for her 2nd dose of Panacur. Just a halter and lead rope, let her smell it, she knew what was coming...she wasn't quick enough. I have had my fill of horses that HATE being wormed. If she thought she was being rude, I have news for her...."I laugh in your general direction" (Yep - say that as John Cleese and you will understand!)
So wormer done, gave her a treat, put her on cross ties for the first time and walked away. Now, before anyone stones me to death, I walked away for a reason. I was told by her previous owner that she would pull back until the leather snapped on her breakaway and then just stand there. I don't have time for that ridiculous nonsense. I don't use breakaways, partly because of that exact reason! So if she was going somewhere, it wouldn't be the halter that broke..the ct's would quick release and she would go right back in them. While she stood there like a good girl, I cleaned her stall, emptied her water, threw her new hay and talked with Gabs a bit. When I was done with her stall, I then asked her to continue to be patient and let me brush her. No problems. She moved over when asked and when pressure was applied to the cross tie I politely asked her to move forward. We then sprayed her mane, with the big scary noisy sprayer, with no problems. She then got to go eat her dinner.
I have no idea how I got this lucky with this little girl. She amazes me more and more everyday. I have started testing her boundaries with walking behind her and bugging her while she is eating or just hanging out. She honestly seems to just enjoy the attention. I'm sure that once she is back up to weight she will present me with some interesting challenges, to say the least, but for now, I am enjoying my little Tia girl!
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