Bad Daisy, Good Tuff Tuff

So had a pretty 'horsey' weekend. Saturday the two BIL's decided to ride horses, so I get a call from one of them asking if they can ride Daisy. I'm like sure. We were in town doin our saturday 'couple time'. We usually browse the flea markets or go to a 'fun store', ie, somewhere we want to buy something for ourselves. This week we went around the outdoor stores looking at bows. (as in bow and arrow, lol) I had decided I wanted one for my birthday (which was Sunday) and then we went to a place we have around here that has biking trails (SCARY ONES) and lots of hiking trails with creeks and neat rock formations. We've never been and it was cool and cloudy so good time for doing it! Had a LOT of fun, felt like we were dating again :).

Anyway, its been a week since I wrote that up top, so its going to be a challenge to remember anything clearly now! Just never got time to get this typed up.

So we went on home soon after they called, me being the worrier, I wanted to make sure they took care of my horse, and SHE took care of THEM. I also wanted to see yella mare rode. They had just gotten them out of the pasture when I got there, and soon had each saddled up. Although there was a bit of a hitch with Sugar. She has been rode in a tie down, due to her annoying head tossing, so the older BIL bought one for her. But he's never bought one before, and didn't really know what to get. All he bought was the leather piece that connects from the girth to the noseband, but no noseband. So after a while they finally decided to put her halter back on and clip it to the lead rope ring, it worked! Although not pretty, lol. She hit that a couple times and quit throwing her head as much.

So Daisy was okay, pretty good for the first part of the ride, although there was plenty of this junk going on. (see picture at right, not wanting to listen to the bit, swishing tail, etc.) I was trying to explain again how to neck rein her, although she doesn't do it well, you can still ride her in a manner that teaches it. Well it wasn't going well so I just thought he wasn't doing so good at getting through to her. Hah, little did I know.






At times she was just fine, as you see here, but do you know why?? She was doing what she wanted! STANDING STILL. Ey yi yi.

Anyway older BIL finally mounted up (little BIL was riding around by himself for a bit waiting on him, and I was so proud about how she was doing, at that point!) and we made sure to keep each mare far away from each other, lol. So Jesse went off in front and Sugar followed (not much on the way of steering with her as it turns out) and that worked well.
Sugar did pretty good, she would sometimes get stuck in a circle though, and not go where you wanted. Like I said, not much in the way of steering. (and they are riding her in a tom thumb, sigh)

After a bit they decided to put the bitless bridle on her, I brought it over for just that use. I'm sure the poor mare has some kind of teeth or something or other problem. Well she was pretty dull to it at first, and still tossed her head, so we snapped the tie down back on, and she did pretty well with it after that. I rode her a bit and she was really getting the hang of the turning cues. You just have to treat her like a green (or unbroke!) horse and be very slow and
clear about it all.

So after about, oh, 15-20 mins? She started getting noticeably ouchy on her front foot, one of them, or both? Dunno, didn't pay a whole lot of attention to that part of it. She is a good girl though, and didn't get pissy or annoyed, just kept plugging along. She even trotted when asked, although that was only done once after we saw how lame she was. I dunno if some kind of joint supplement for arthritis would help or what?

Anyway, back to Daisy. About the time Sugar started getting ouchy, Daisy started being a major PIA. She even started trying to get broncy!! I've got it on video, the little BIL was walking her down the hill and she puts her head down and starts prancing a bit just as if shes saying "you better watch it! I just might do it!!" Now, she was probably all talk and no show (so lazy) but it really made me mad. She finds t just too much work to slow her big fat body down when going down a hill, so she decided to show how much she disliked it. She did it again when the big BIL was riding her, when he asked her to trot. GRRRR. She never did buck, just such a PIA.

I got on her in between their rides, and she did no such thing to me, but I think she knows she had better not. Or I'm kidding myself and she just decided not to, lol. But she WAS a pain, not even THINKING about trying to listen to my neck rein, I was basically dragging her around all over. She wasn't listening to leg cues, nothin. Was really ticking me off. All she wanted to do was stand still up near the house. And if that wasnt what she was doing, she was just a major PIA. Yes, my fav abbreviation for her right now! lol

So anyway, I had to get off her at one point to help them put the bitless bridle on Sugar (its a bit of a puzzle at first) and then never got back on her as the big BIL had commandeered her, or I might have gotten her straightened out, doubtful, but who knows. I think it was just one of her 'mare' days. UGH! She is notoriously a major hiney in heat. Every one of her previous owners has said so, lol. What a pain. Hope to never see one of those moods again, or at least not for awhile!

So anywho, no one fell off or got hurt, but it just annoyed me that she wasn't her typical 'put anyone on her and go' horse, I was really worried about the little BIL riding her, as he doesn't really know what to do when a horse acts up. Like when she put her head down to bronc, he just sat there. Sigh. We were yelling PULL HER HEAD UP! haha.

So anywho! To the good Tuff Tuff part! He did so good for his first trimming. I think I'll put that in the next post, this one is getting kinda long! Till then!

<~~ The little BIL really looks kind of ridiculous on Sugar, she is MAYBE 15 hands and he is like 6'3 or taller, haha.