Routine

I'm a horse who likes my routine. I get my breakfast hay in the morning, I take a nap at midday, my mom comes in the afternoon, my stall is cleaned, I go out and do something, and I get my dinner afterward. That's what I'm used to and that's what I like. Well, this past week or so, my routine has been turned upside down and I didn't like it a bit!

I didn't have any warning either. One day my mom came out and we had our usual nice time and then the next day... no mom. Well, sometimes she just can't make it but then Sparky's mom came out. Now as I've said before, I like Sparky's mom but she just doesn't know how to take care of me properly. And she's bossy. She's always telling me what to do and she doesn't pet me the same way my mom does or tell me how pretty I am or brush my face with my soft face brush. In fact, she didn't really brush me at all!

The first time she came out, I was kind of mad because she didn't come at the right time and she wasn't my mom. She came in my stall and started bossing me around so I got mad and sort of reared and struck at her. I wasn't trying to hurt her or anything. I just wanted her to pay attention to me the right way. But do you know what she did? She just left my stall and left me in it and went away! No hay snack, no turnout, no dinner, no nothing! Oh, I was mad!

She came out again the next day and when she came to my stall, she had a Bag Stick. Well, I was a Good Girl like I always am, and she took me out and put me in the Round Pen and she cleaned my stall and I ran around a little bit. But she didn't play the Cone Game with me, or do any fun turnout stuff. She doesn't really know how to do anything right. I don't know how Sparky puts up with it.

My stall wasn't cleaned right when I got back to it but it was better than nothing. She didn't really clean my paddock and she didn't spread my shavings the way my mom does. My mom always walks me into my stall and then stops me and tells me I'm a Good Girl and takes off my halter in a certain way but Sparky's mom does it kind of different and I didn't like that. She just doesn't know how to do things.

She did bring me my bucket dinner but it didn't have any carrots in it. My mom always puts lots of carrots in my dinner and I poke around with my nose and find them all and I pick up my dish with my teeth and dump it on the floor so I can find the carrots better. I dumped my dinner but even though I looked all through it with my nose, there weren't any carrots at all.

And that's how it went for a whole week! Some days Sparky's mom came to take care of me and some days she didn't. Nothing got done right and I never once got any carrots and it was just awful. I missed my mom terribly and kept hoping I'd hear her car but I never did.

But then today I was dozing in my stall when I heard a familiar voice call, "Belly!" I raced out to my paddock and looked over the fence toward where the cars go and I whinnied loudly because I knew it was my mom! I hadn't noticed the sound of her car because I was sleeping but when she called me, I got so excited! I was waiting at my door when she came and she had a nice big carrot for me and she petted me in all the right places and told me how pretty I am and what a Good Girl I am and how she missed me so much! Well, I missed her too.

She got me out and she brushed me really, really well and all the time she was brushing me, she talked to me and petted me and gave me kisses on my nose. I kept nuzzling her and playing with her keys and nibbling on her pants legs like I like to do. I was so glad to see her that I just wanted to be close to her. She cleaned my feet out and combed out my mane and tail and brushed my face gently and made me all pretty. Then she brought me out to the Round Pen and we did some work.

She told me she couldn't get my Cones out because she didn't have the right keys but we played the Cone Game with no Cones and that was okay because it was my mom. I had a nice time and I tried to be really good and she seemed to be happy with me. After we played in the Round Pen for a while, she took me for a walk all around the farm and I remembered to walk nicely and have Manners. She was really happy with me.

When we got back to my stall, she cleaned it. At first, I was tied outside but I didn't have any hay to eat and I wanted to be close to her so I kept poking my head in and sort of hugging her with my neck. She liked it - I could tell - and finally she let me back in my stall so we could be closer together. She made me stay out in my paddock but she stayed close to the door a lot so she could pet me and I could nuzzle her. When she cleaned my paddock, she let me stay out in it with her and that was the best part because I got to play with the rake and the big rolling bucket and stuff and she laughed and played with me. It was fun.

She couldn't give me my beet pulp because she didn't have her key but she did give me a big dish of carrots and that was really yummy. I didn't mind not getting my regular dinner because my mom is home now and I feel lots better.

The picture I posted is kind of an old one but it shows me and my mom together so I like it.