Lets back up a bit, shall we? This week has been a bit trying for me. I feel like I can't really get anywhere. Every step forward feels like 10 steps back.
Wednesday, Gabs and I headed to the barn after I got off from work. The plan was for me to ride Tia and for her to work Mia monster. We got to the barn and everyone else was there too. Which was AMAZING! So everyone got to ride. Tia got to watch Ber and Dot jump, and of course she thought she needed to do that too. The only problem is that she consistently feels like picking her feet up isn't a priority...I don't think she will be jumping any time soon.
The ride was nice. Tia was good. She is feeling better and better. I believe that I am now her greatest hindrance. I have lost my ability to believe in myself when I ride. I know why. I feel that I am far to heavy to ride, especially a 14.3 hand pony mare with an attitude. Here is the deal, I know what I need to do. I know how to do it. I used to be able to get on anything and feel like I had complete control. Not anymore. I feel like I have not balance, which I know isn't true, but I feel it. I feel like I will look like an ass if I come off for something completely asinine, which I can totally see her doing. We had a moment during the ride on Wed night where she was dead set on doing NOTHING I asked her to. So we started working on bending at the jog, in a figure eight and small circles. She bunched, I pushed, she bunched more and because I am now some sort of scaredy cat, I BACKED OFF. Why??!! Why would I do that? I can stand in the middle of the ring and instruct my students and give them all the empowerment they need to make the right decisions and to push their horses through whatever they are going through at the moment. Why cant I do this for myself? What happened to me?
The weekend has been super busy. Between feeding and chores on Sat and Sun, shopping with Mom and Chi on Saturday, taking pictures for Mom of one of the houses she is listing, and doing all the stuff at home that needs to be done, I'm pretty sure my head is gonna explode. We were supposed to go to the Zoo on Sunday, that didn't happen. Will and I actually got to spend some time together, which was super nice. Chi played in her room most of the day.
Sunday night, at the barn, I almost committed GOAT MURDER. It should have taken me all of 15 minutes max at the barn to feed. Everyone goes into their stalls, Goaties go in their pen, lock everything up, outta there. Done. Nope! Not last night! Sigh.
So I go in and put feed in everyones room. Dot comes in first, and like a good girl, goes right to her stall. The goats come in next, which I found odd. Normally its Tia, then Ber and then Mia, and then the goats. So the goats come in, I put their food down, they Nom Nom. Tia is now standing about 100 feet away from the barn not moving. Ber finally mustered up the courage to walk around her to come in. So Ber comes in, then Mia, still no Tia. Now, enough time has gone by that the goats are running amok and ramming each other and running up and down the aisle and running into Tia's room and trying to get to her feed. So I take the crop to shew them out. They run like banshees...so does Tia. Sigh.
Tia finally comes in and stops about half way in the barn. I go to get her and put my hand under her jaw like I normally do to get her to go with me. She threw her head in my face and squealed at me....she got whacked with the crop. Away she went. I went out with the halter and lead. We had a moment of "my space, your space" and then proceeded into the barn. At her stall door, I took her halter off like I normally do, she turned her butt to me, squealed and then RAN. Apparently, all those years of softball payed off because I beamed that crop right at her tail and hit the bulls eye. Evil mare.
So then, I closed up the barn, caught Tia and to the riding ring we went. She wanted to turn her butt to me and run, fine. Run Pony, Run! For 15 minutes we free lunged. After she got the hint, I went to clip the lead back on her and she threw her head in my face again.
Now, I want everyone to understand that I am in no way a horse beater, but this whole throwing your head in my face thing is not only annoying, its extremely dangerous.
So, we had a very nice come to Jesus meeting about proper head etiquette, and we went back up to the barn. Goats were not allowed in the barn at this time, because I was going to kill them. So, we walked to her stall door and I asked her, with the halter and lead still attached, to walk in as I normally do. She refused and threw her head in the air, squealed and then tried to turn her butt to me. Apparently, she was in a mood. Well, you know what, I was too. We then worked on bending, and moving our feet, and listening, and not killing the pony. So then we tried again, this time she walked right in and turned to face me. Good Girl! Lots of praise, and then we did it again...and again...and again. About the 5-6th time of being calm about going into her stall I took her halter off and let her have dinner.
Now it was time to tackle the goats. I threw down a new bale of hay and brought that into the barn. Took one flake out for the goats. Now, normally the goats will follow me anywhere as long as I have feed or hay. Not tonight. The one goat went in, the other didn't, then all hell broke loose. I caught the one goat, put him in and shut the door. Went to catch the other goat, the goat that was already caught has now jumped OUT of the pen. (Keep in mind this is a 6 foot high dog kennel) The little crapper had stood on the house inside the pen and jumped out. Touche evil goat. So now I go back to catching the goat that is semi catch able. Put him back in. Go to get the other goat. First goat now escapes through that hole in the pen behind said house. Now, I am much more than mildly irritated. So then I think, OK. I will flip the pen so that the hole is at the top and towards the barn. Brilliant...not! Ended up putting it right back where it was. But this time, I took the house and shoved it from the outside into the hole so the house is on the outside of the pen but they still have full access to it. Then I put cinder blocks behind the house so that that couldn't move it to get out. Ha! Suckers! Now what!
Now I go back to catching goats. I am trying to sweet talk the more scaredy cat goat when I suddenly am propelled forward...the little @%#*$& RAMMED me in the back! I don't know if what I did next was rational, but I really didn't care. I turned to see his little evil goat face thinking about doing it again and grabbed both his horns and basically rode his little fuzzy butt into the pen and locked the door. Get out now sucker!
Now I am beyond pissed. My back was killing me, and I still had to catch the other goat. So I went into the barn and got a lead rope and made a makeshift collar and lead. This stupid goat ran from me for a good 15 minutes. He even got himself trapped behind the pen and the other goat, in his wonderful way, rammed him to make him get out. So I finally corralled him in the barn. Slipped the rope around his neck and then basically dragged his ass to the pen. Put him in, locked the door, and seriously thought about Goat Murder.
Now before I get a bunch of crap about cruelty to animals and all that hoopla, the goats are fine. I would never intentionally hurt an animal, but sometimes, when it comes down to it, you have to do what you have to do. I am sure that I will laugh about this later on down the road, but right now I am still so angry I could spit nails. I know for sure, that I will NEVER have goats as pets.....ever!
To leave on a good note....
Mia and Tia having a good Grooming Session
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