I Believe I Can Fly

Last night Pilar showed me that we can fly. The half-dark of the outdoors arena and the spooky sounds of something in the forest at the edge of the paddocks, combined with feeling energetic and wanting action — you know where this one goes. Suddenly,  OH MY GOD SOMETHING IS IN THE WOODS WE’RE GOING TO DIE, and off we were, up the centre line of the pen at a high speed gallop and kick the sky bucking.

Amazingly I stayed in the saddle. I have my old Arabian, dead for decades, to thank for this, I think; he used to buck and try to throw me every other day when he felt like it, because that’s just how he rolled.

Even more amazingly, I managed to keep my wits about me enough to ask Pilar in an every day voice (while hanging up there among the clouds, the seagulls, and the occasional NASA satellite), to stop, please. And she did. Just like that. Came down from gallop and bucking and just stopped. Then she nuzzled my right foot with her nose as she does when she wants to tell me she’s scared or uncomfortable or doesn’t understand what I want her to do.

This is how a bolting, bucking horse earns a metric buttload of praise. If I was ever in doubt that I bought the right horse, that doubt is certainly gone. Something in the woods scared her enough to bolt from it, and she trusts me enough that when I ask her to stop she does and trusts me to save her skinny butt.

Besties share their hay.
Have a feel good pic at the end of the day: Besties share their hay.

Not Everyone is a Critic

Not everyone is a critic.

Today, Equitandi will be removing her controversial video clip in which she comments (loudly and hilariously) on Tina Lund’s statement that it’s okay to use sharper bits because if the horse didn’t like it, it wouldn’t win.

I can’t say I blame her. I read a fair number of the comments on her video, and while many of us agree with her, the amount of anger that the clip caused in Tina Lund’s supporters is… staggering. Rabid. Foaming at the mouth levels of crazy in some cases. Equitandi uses facebook as a free space for herself, and does not want to be the target of such sound and fury so she’s taking the clip back down and telling people to move on.

I just wish that people would take a breather sometimes, count to ten, and agree that few things are black and white before they start penning threats and abuse. Come on, whether you think Tina Lund’s riding is okay or not, you have to admit that saying that horses win because they like pain is bloody stupid. Maybe it didn’t come out quite as Tina intended. Maybe she is just stupid. I don’t know, and I don’t care much, either.

Criticizing a highly controversial statement such as that one does not constitute an attack on everything Tina Lund is or has been, and it does not warrant a barrage of hatred and abuse in return. It means she said something stupid. We laugh, and then we move on.

Thank you, Grumpy Cat, for coming to the rescue of my sanity.

How Many Horse People Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?

WESTERN PLEASURE RIDER:
Oh, my God, someone fix that bulb.  I have to have light so that my silver and spangles all glow to their best and so that all the highlighter on Old Peanut Head makes his nose look so smooth and sparkly, and oh my diamonds studs have to flash in the light, you know, so oh, someone has to fix it.  Oh, maybe you without all the silver on your saddle, obviously can’t ride, you can do it.
ENDURANCE RIDER:
Light bulb?  Do you mind, I’m trying to get my horse’s pulse/respiration/hydration levels down to respectable levels.  Once that is done, I have another 50 miles to go before I can even think about changing a light bulb.
DRESSAGE QUEEN:
Change a light bulb?  Are you joking?  I couldn’t possible be expected to subject myself to such a menial task.  Change it yourself.  Oh, and wash you hands when you are finished.  The very thought!
CLASSICAL DRESSAGE QUEEN:
These things cannot be rushed, but must be approached slowly, with great patience, and adherence to the principles laid down by the classical masters, otherwise the light bulb will  not attain its true potential, but will forever just be a shadow of its true self.  Never, ever, use any type of gadget when changing the light bulb.  That is an offense to the principles of classical light bulb changing.
EVENTERS:
Wuss!  As soon as my arm is out of this sling broken after falling off at that large stone wall while riding Hell Bent for Leather cross-country, I’ll change it.  Until then, deal with the dark.  It’ll put hair on your chest.  Only dressage riders require lights, anyway!
SHOW JUMPERS:
Why on Earth would I need to change a light bulb when the whole world knows that the sun shines out of my butt.  Why, when I release over a jump, the spectators are practically blinded.
NATURAL HORSEMAN:
You must instill respect in the light bulb, so that it sees you as the Alpha light bulb, using “light bulb dynamics’ (video set available at $179.00 on my website).  Once you have done this, you will find that there is really no need to change the light bulb at all, but that the light bulb will, with very little coaxing from you (using patented “light bulb coaxer”) designed by me–$99.00 each, (for extra $49.99 you get an introductory video thrown in) will behave as all good light bulbs should.
HUNTER RIDER:
Well, I’m waiting for my trainer to tell me exactly how but he’s changing light bulbs somewhere else right now.
BACKYARD HORSEMAN:
Do I have to do everything??!!  Oh, yeah, I do, don’t I?  I’ll get to it as soon as I’m done mucking stalls, cleaning and filling the tub, cleaning and filling the water buckets, stacking my hay, setting up for night feeding, cleaning my tack, picking out manure from the paddock, brushing and exercising horses, and whatever else needs to be done.

 

Playing with Cleverbot

For those who aren’t familiar with it, Cleverbot is an artificial intelligence simulator that pretends to have a chat conversation with you. It’s got a strange sense of humour.

User: Have you seen my horse?

Cleverbot: I do not like horses.

User: But horses are adorable, gentle creatures!

Cleverbot: And dump.

User: Dumb. You mean dumb.

Cleverbot: You’re really dumb.

User: My horse is a beautiful black Friesian and you’re just jealous.

Cleverbot: My face is beautiful, and you are just jealous.

User: Your face isn’t Friesian.

Cleverbot: *gasps* my face isn’t stupid.

User: You’re not gentle either.

Cleverbot: I am nice to you. You’re my friend.

User: You have some very strange ideas about how to show your friendship.

Cleverbot: You are the one who has strange opinions.

User: Such as black horses being beautiful?

Cleverbot: Yes big black horses like black arabians?

User: Yeah, sure. Although I prefer Friesians.