Having Friends, the Good, the Bad, and the Damn Troublesome...
I woke up today expecting friends. People were coming over and lots of them. Usually, I avoid human people. May not be right, may be kind of antisocial of me, but I really do prefer the company of horses and cats.
But today the farrier was due, to look at Guerma's feet. I like Rob, in an offbeat kind of way, so I was looking forward to seeing him. Also, CJ was coming over, as I more or less always see her on the T-days of the week. I like her too, even though she is 16, a bit of a scatterbrain, and like all teens, moody. I call her "Flutterby" and she tries to live it down by improving her abilities to focus. Today, she arrived with an egg in her bra. She has rather kindly taken it intoi her head to incubate a baby chick, and is better than two thirs of the way to hatching time. She has been acting strangely. Her revelation of the small brown egg stashed under her shirt, keeping warm while it occupant grows inside, made explicable her sudden inability to hug, do strenuous chores, and decreased desire to ride.
When Rob showed up, I was on the phone with Guerma's former owner. I had been explaining that she needed to get some books, made the reccomendation that J keep in mind all horsepeople somewhat disagree with each other, but that there were many ways to get to the same destination of a healthy horse.
When I saw him, I knew he wouldnt be doing Guerma's feet today. I dont know how I know, but you can just see it on a shoer's face, that he's there for assessment, not to do the whole job. That was well enough, the chiropractor had just called to say that she thought that she should see the poor mare first, anyway. It was likely that Guerma couldn't hold her body weight with one of her feet up, long enough to take a trim, without first getting adjusted. She'd even moved the appointment up to tomorrow morning, so that the mare could get seen faster. Rob is quite as knowledgeable as G, so i pretty much knew the chaces were good that this horse was too messed up for him to feel good about working on her first.
Rob walked out back with me to look at the increasingly perky Guerma. She was by no means a scintilating character, but she was at least settling in to look somewhat less like a zombie horse. She picked up her head and took a few steps towards me, when we stood at the back gate to her enclosure. She stopped well out of our reach, looking at us hopefully. She had cleaned up her morning food. That was a good sign! Very quietly rob walked up to the little brown mare. She held her ground, untill he reached for her halter. Slowly, she turned away from him as though to say "I'd rather you didn't do that."
He pushed the point, and snagged her by the Nylon webbing cheekpiece. The little mare pulled away, then gave up the struggle. She looked tired of it all, resisting so weakly. She broke into a stumbling trot, so he could see how she moved. A few strides was all it took. Rob let go, and she stopped, to stand facing away from him. Perhaps hoping that if she pretended to ignore him, he'd go away.
He tried to pick up one of her feet. She tried to kick him.
He tried again, and she became almost as animated as a live horse. It was clear she would nail him if she had to, but she was still polite about it.
"These feet really suck, " he observed cordially. "And she's gonna need drugs. I had them in the truck but didnt bring em along today... Just as well, really. I think she needs to see G, before I start hacking on those feet."
Did I call it or what?
"So no trim today?"
"Nope." He was still staring, incredulous that the horse's feet could be so bad. "She needs to get her hips and shoulders unjammed. Then chill out some, and have me come back in a few days, beginning of next week, and get adjusted again."
ACK! I saw my bank account draining. "Ow." I said.
We spent the rest of the next fifteen minutes discussing his Tresspasser fiasco. Then CJ and her sisters came in. With cookies.
Suddenly Rob was gone but I had three lovely young women and a plate of peanut butter balls with chocolate kisses on them in my living room! This was splendid. Immediuately I removed three chocolate kisses and ate the peanut butter portion of the cookies. I sort of half listened as the girls told me how they were made and how bad they were for me, then I took them out to see the new mare.
But today the farrier was due, to look at Guerma's feet. I like Rob, in an offbeat kind of way, so I was looking forward to seeing him. Also, CJ was coming over, as I more or less always see her on the T-days of the week. I like her too, even though she is 16, a bit of a scatterbrain, and like all teens, moody. I call her "Flutterby" and she tries to live it down by improving her abilities to focus. Today, she arrived with an egg in her bra. She has rather kindly taken it intoi her head to incubate a baby chick, and is better than two thirs of the way to hatching time. She has been acting strangely. Her revelation of the small brown egg stashed under her shirt, keeping warm while it occupant grows inside, made explicable her sudden inability to hug, do strenuous chores, and decreased desire to ride.
When Rob showed up, I was on the phone with Guerma's former owner. I had been explaining that she needed to get some books, made the reccomendation that J keep in mind all horsepeople somewhat disagree with each other, but that there were many ways to get to the same destination of a healthy horse.
When I saw him, I knew he wouldnt be doing Guerma's feet today. I dont know how I know, but you can just see it on a shoer's face, that he's there for assessment, not to do the whole job. That was well enough, the chiropractor had just called to say that she thought that she should see the poor mare first, anyway. It was likely that Guerma couldn't hold her body weight with one of her feet up, long enough to take a trim, without first getting adjusted. She'd even moved the appointment up to tomorrow morning, so that the mare could get seen faster. Rob is quite as knowledgeable as G, so i pretty much knew the chaces were good that this horse was too messed up for him to feel good about working on her first.
Rob walked out back with me to look at the increasingly perky Guerma. She was by no means a scintilating character, but she was at least settling in to look somewhat less like a zombie horse. She picked up her head and took a few steps towards me, when we stood at the back gate to her enclosure. She stopped well out of our reach, looking at us hopefully. She had cleaned up her morning food. That was a good sign! Very quietly rob walked up to the little brown mare. She held her ground, untill he reached for her halter. Slowly, she turned away from him as though to say "I'd rather you didn't do that."
He pushed the point, and snagged her by the Nylon webbing cheekpiece. The little mare pulled away, then gave up the struggle. She looked tired of it all, resisting so weakly. She broke into a stumbling trot, so he could see how she moved. A few strides was all it took. Rob let go, and she stopped, to stand facing away from him. Perhaps hoping that if she pretended to ignore him, he'd go away.
He tried to pick up one of her feet. She tried to kick him.
He tried again, and she became almost as animated as a live horse. It was clear she would nail him if she had to, but she was still polite about it.
"These feet really suck, " he observed cordially. "And she's gonna need drugs. I had them in the truck but didnt bring em along today... Just as well, really. I think she needs to see G, before I start hacking on those feet."
Did I call it or what?
"So no trim today?"
"Nope." He was still staring, incredulous that the horse's feet could be so bad. "She needs to get her hips and shoulders unjammed. Then chill out some, and have me come back in a few days, beginning of next week, and get adjusted again."
ACK! I saw my bank account draining. "Ow." I said.
We spent the rest of the next fifteen minutes discussing his Tresspasser fiasco. Then CJ and her sisters came in. With cookies.
Suddenly Rob was gone but I had three lovely young women and a plate of peanut butter balls with chocolate kisses on them in my living room! This was splendid. Immediuately I removed three chocolate kisses and ate the peanut butter portion of the cookies. I sort of half listened as the girls told me how they were made and how bad they were for me, then I took them out to see the new mare.
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