Something, nothing, everything. Mostly horses.
Emilie’s long isolation is finally over. Today, she got to run around with Welsh Mountain pony Cassie and Shetland pony Prins in the outdoors arena. Do you think she enjoyed it? I think she enjoyed it. She started it, but Cassie finished it.
Videos by Caroline Frandsen at Ridecare.
Who’s a good dog?
Finally! After first four weeks of complete box rest, and then four weeks of teeny tiny paddock alone, Emilie got introduced to space enough to run, and to the company of another horse today. Her life quality just improved 400%.
Things went pretty smooth on the whole. Emilie took one big bouncy gallop and otherwise kept quite relaxed.
Emilie really wants to be Cassie’s friend but Cassie thinks that Emilie needs to wine and dine her first.
We’re allowed to start Emilie very quietly on light work now too. She is not to carry a rider yet and we’re not supposed to ask her to trot or gallop (though she can if she wants to). So we have started on agility and clicker training to keep her little head busy.
And to finish off a nice day, grooming in the sun with hay.
You will not get a video of me riding today because I have not been at the barn since Tuesday. You will get one of Louise Jäger and Pilar practising their jumping yesterday. Or their demolition technique. Not sure which term applies the better.
I have not been in the barn because of my new diet. I am currently living on 400 calories a day. If you find yourself thinking that that is not a lot, then you are right. It is not, and I feel like roadkill. I am not particularly hungry. I’m just exhausted and dizzy, and all my muscles are hurting. All I want to do is sleep.
My weight has moved from a high of 155 kg to a low of 147 kg. It’s too early to tell whether there is any actual weight loss though: My weight fluctuates a lot. Still, I am being optimistic. And thinking about eating the cat.
Just wanted to share this photo with you. Pilar, Louise, and Grandezza in the outdoors arena, enjoying the bright sunshine of a chilly as heck February day.
Have you ever noticed how different horses — and for that matter, different people — have different needs for personal space? The ‘bubble’ around us grows and diminishes in size depending on who we are, and whom and what we are dealing with.
Grandezza’s personal space requirement for her people, Louise, Cecilie, and Käthe is very small: She trusts and likes them. Her bubble becomes a bit larger for strangers — she’s a friendly and polite horse, but please, don’t be all over her. Wine and dine her first or something. And if you’re a gelding, you should be on Mars.
Pilar’s personal bubble is pretty much non-existent. She lets anyone into her personal space unless they want to trim her feet. At that point she dances and squeals like a teenage girl in a tickle battle.
Grandezza, with the greater need for personal space, will politely inquire whether it’s okay to frisk you for treats before doing so. Pilar, who has no clue about this, will stomp right in and get to work. Grandezza is polite. Pilar is… Pilar.
Horses and people are a lot alike in this respect. I find that one should respect a personal bubble, whether it’s inhabited by a human or an equine. Working with either will be so much easier if they don’t feel that you’re all over them, hands everywhere, being entirely too pushy.