Night riding

It was hot today. I don't like it when it's really hot. For one thing, it seems like there are a lot more flies then. And the hot weather makes me feel lazy and sleepy. I'd rather be frisky.

I did get a new neighbor today though. A mare moved into Kia's stall. She seems nice enough. Her name is Coco and she's a Chestnut Paint with a big white blaze and blue eyes. She's kind of shy and I don't think it helps that Spencer has been pretty stupid about her. He keeps squealing and kicking at the fence when she goes out in her paddock. It's not very nice. I tried to talk to her a little bit but she's still getting used to things. It's nice to have someone in that stall again though.

My mom didn't come out until late. She does that sometimes when it's hot. It's nicer that way because we can ride when it's cooled off some. I like riding at night sometimes. The air smells nice and there aren't as many horses and people around. Sometimes the coyotes are singing and that's a nice sound. I was hoping we'd hear them tonight but we didn't.

Mom gave my stall a quick cleaning and then saddled me up. It was already starting to get dark by then. I didn't mind. It was cooler and that's what mattered to me and Mom. Mickey's mom was there too and she was saddling Mickey at the same time. She had a Dog with her. This Dog was a lot smaller than Ishi but about the same color. I really wanted to sniff him but he wouldn't come close enough. Then Mickey's mom took him away with her and Mickey.

I saw him again though when we went to the mounting block. Mickey's mom had parked her truck near it and the Dog was in the back. I couldn't decide if I wanted to try to eat the bush or sniff the dog while Mom got on but before I could make up my mind, she was in the saddle and was asking me to back up so we could go. So I never got to sniff him.

We went onto the road and up the hill by the pasture so I figured we were going to do poop loops. But when we went down the hill on the other side, instead of taking the road toward our barn, she steered me into the Little Rolling Arena.

We almost never ride in there. Usually the big horses that the kids jump on and off of are working in that arena so we can't. Most of the time when I do go in, it's when I'm on a lead and Mom lets me roll. I've only been ridden in there a few times and I'm always a little jumpy. I don't know why. There's a lot of stuff around it for one thing. It's just kind of a weird arena.

It's shaped like two circles stacked on top of each other - you can walk from one circle right into the other one. One end of it faces the hay barn and it's open on that end. Then it curves around on the side where the road goes by and that side has a low wall that acts sort of like a fence. It ends where the opening is between the two circles and then after that space there's a low metal fence that curves back around to the opening by the hay barn. Beyond that green fence is a slope down to the place where they keep big stacks of shavings bags. There's also some stalls down there for sick horses and beyond that is the Pony Arena. The other circle is similar but there are a couple of horse paddocks on one side of it. And in the middle of each circle is a small metal circle.

We rode in there the other day when it was windy and I was very jumpy. The wind kept blowing the plastic that covers the shavings bags and that made me nervous. I'm not usually upset about blowing plastic but in that arena it bothered me. I just don't like it unless I'm on a lead and rolling. So tonight I wasn't too happy when Mom rode me in there.

I tried to be good though as she made me walk around the circle closest to the hay barn. She let me stop and sniff the fence and this wooden box thing that was on the other side of it. She made me move on when I started to chew on it though. When we got around the opening again, I tried to casually walk out but she kept me going around the circle and I had to do it. I kept looking around and getting distracted even though she kept reminding me to just go forward.

Then she asked me to trot. I wasn't ready for that at all. I wasn't nearly comfortable even walking. I tried to pretend I didn't know what she was asking for but she insisted so I broke into a shuffling trot. She just sat down and pushed me so I had to pick it up and really trot but I wasn't happy. Then I thought that if I got trotting really fast, I might be able to sneak out the opening without her being able to stop me so I tried that but it didn't work. She just tweaked my outside rein and kept me from going too fast and steered me right past it.

We trotted a couple of times around and then went to a walk and I figured we were done. But she just switched direction and asked me to trot the other way! Well, I got mad! I wasn't happy in there and I wanted to leave. I put my ears back and jigged sideways but she just put her legs on me and smacked me with her stick. So I stopped dead but that didn't work because she smacked me again and I had to start moving. But I still wouldn't trot. She kept pushing me though and I kept jigging and dancing and edging toward that opening and she kept insisting with her legs and occasionally giving me a tap with that darn stick. It was a regular fight. I thought if I balked long enough, she'd give up and we'd go home. I should know better by now. My mom doesn't lose her temper but she never gives up.

At one point, she gave me a crack and I reared! Did she get scared? No, she just made the Bad Girl noise and smacked me again even harder! So I reared again and got smacked again. Then I came down and kicked up with one hind leg and she just pushed with her legs and I kicked again and she pushed and tapped and finally I broke into a little, jiggy trot.

It was an awful trot, I will admit but she just sat it like it was the nicest thing she'd ever ridden, kept her legs on me and gave me some rein and just pushed me around that arena. I stopped trotting as I neared the opening and she just pushed and pushed and gave a little tap and I started again. Round and round we went with me jigging and balking but trotting now, until finally I got a little sick of it and started trotting a little more normally.

She kept pushing me along but gave me a "Good Girl" at that point and instead of going to a walk by the opening, I just slowed down my trot but she pushed me along and I kept going. We went around and around that thing until I finally was trotting pretty normally and wasn't bothering to slow down at all. I finally got sick of arguing about it because I finally realized I was never going to win.

It was pretty dark by then and we were both sweating gallons. It had cooled off some but we had been trotting and dancing and jigging and rearing for a good 20 minutes. Mom made me go around a few more times and I just did it without a fuss so then she dropped me to a walk and petted me and praised me while she rode me around it walking. It really wasn't so bad and I couldn't quite remember why it was I felt I needed to make such a fuss about it. Sometimes I just get it in my head that I don't want to do something and I get all wound up.

Mom stopped me in the middle of the arena and let me stand for a bit, then we rode out and headed for home. It was dark on the road which made it kind of neat walking along. I wanted to look around but she kept after me to pay attention and just walk so I did. I was ready for a hosing off and my bucket dinner when we got back. Working like that will really take it out of you. I hope it's not so hot tomorrow but I have a feeling it's going to be.