Rocket

Rocket has settled in nicely. He is calm in the stall, though he prefers if one of us is in there with him and calls to us if we leave him. I kept him company for about an hour, just to get the bond going. Smart guy--he has associated car motors with the possibility of his friend coming back & whinnies when he hears a car.

So far the only real problem I see with him is that he's head-shy. We've brushed him and started teaching him a few things (like "head down"). He catches on quickly & likes the challenge. He's respectful and attentive. Lots of good stuff going on for him.

Next exercise: walking down on the ring. He needs to be easy to catch & I hear that he's not.

Cocoa--What's Next

I called a trainer friend of mine to talk about (among other things) the quality of Cocoa's connection with people. It's fleeting. He has done so well at learning to be led, learning to listen to commands in the ring (offline, even), and so on. But he doesn't want to take the next step. My friend said, "Have you had his teeth checked?"

His teeth! Of course! He has a tooth-ache! Now that I think about it, that would totally explain his withdrawal and grumpiness. Imagine if you had a full-time, painful toothache and somebody was asking you to walk, trot, canter, now let me get on your back. I think I'd kick the person. Cocoa is long past wanting to kick people (he was a bit psycho when he came here, though), but his general surliness, and that way he has of pushing his head up against me like, "Make it feel better,"--it all fits. It also explains the fact that he hasn't gained weight as much as I would have expected given his diet.

I know how this fell through the cracks--the first vet checks he had when he first came were done under duress while he was still wild.

So the call has gone out to the dentist. And a new note goes on the training program master document: dental check-ups at the earliest possible time.

What a thought.

Strange Visitors and Even Stranger Reception

I heard this strange clicking sound, nails on metal doorjamb, and looked up from my work at the dining room table to see what looked like miniature dinosaurs (you have to see these creatures close up--and this is an old picture. They're bigger and the red part on their faces has gotten all hoary).

The ducks had come to tea.
So I snuck out of the dining room and around to the study for my camera. Danny was in the kitchen cooking something. As I went by, I said, "Danny, walk slowly and quietly into the dining room." All children respond to a conspiratorial whisper, so he dropped what he was doing and walked towards the dining room immediately. I continued towards the study.

Then I hear this:

"AAAAAHHHH!"

THUD! (Long practice has trained my ear to this sound. It is Danny falling over from pure astonishment. Unfortunately, this happens to him a lot).

Various rummaging sounds (Danny getting to his feet and probably gathering whatever he had thrown into the air [another astonishment reflex]).

Stomp stomp stomp.

Loud hissing (this from the ducks).

"AAAh, AAAHHH! Get OUT!!!" (this from Danny).

"Danny, don't--I want to get a pic--"

SLAMM.

"Danny!" I wailed. "I wanted a picture of that!"

No response but a true and deadly Danny scowl.

Stomp stomp stomp.

Then, from over his shoulder, as heavy a truth as a rock through water: "Ducks don't belong in the house."

I just stood there, with my camera hanging limply at my side.

Sigh.

I guess it's too much to hope that my children would share my love of the completely unusual.... and they would be really shocked to find out how much that love has helped me survive parenthood.

Ta-da!

Isn't she cute? I love the way she tosses her head whenever she makes a good jump. Next steps for Memphis: w/t/c under saddle. She does the w/t very well, but the canter is a bit iffy. But what a canter! Totally smooth. I could hardly believe it the first time she did it.

Question is, do I continue w/bareback or use the english saddle today?

(Later: I used the English saddle. She did great at w/t/c. Transitions need work, but hey. She's only just getting started.)