Random Friday

1.  I went back to Physical Therapy this week.  My therapist did not look overly dismayed when I told her about the pain when I rode last weekend.  Instead she was focused on how quickly my back returned to okay afterwards --  two days instead of eight weeks.  She gave me more work to do, and instructed me to ride only at the walk initially and then increase it over the next two weeks as I am able.

2.  In the meantime, I think I broke my foot.  I feel like a walking hobbling disaster.  Three weeks ago, Finessa stepped on my foot.  She was just moving in closer so I could reach the spots she wanted scratched, and I gently pushed her off.  I remember muttering to her "that wasn't very nice" and then I pretty much forgot about it.  I am forever getting stepped on by the goats or the dog, and I drop things from time to time (heavy barn things).  X-rays were inconclusive so next week I go in for an MRI.  In the meantime, I can't bear much weight and have to wear sandals to accommodate the swelling.  Finessa is the one who is sweetly looking at the camera in this picture. She looks small but she's a solid 500 lbs.

3.  Brett finished up the section of fence he was replacing in the girls' pasture and moved them back on Thursday.  Lucy is an interesting character: incredibly demonstrative and sweet, but also incredibly jealous and, at times, downright b**chy.  If she were human, she would be the wife from hell -- pushy, demanding, nagging, and vain.  ...of course, she is a fun ride so maybe she would be worth it...

4.  And here's a picture of Tuffy -- just because he's so dang cute.

Wednesdays With Tex

Brett is replacing part of the fence in the girl's pasture.

On Sunday, we moved Pistol and Lucy in with the boys for the duration of the project.  All the horses know each other so we had hopes that it would go smoothly.

Lucy immediately got to work establishing her alpha role.  Tex took some convincing.  She kicked at him, landing a solid strike on his thigh.  He managed to nail her square on her butt.

They raced around for awhile and then Tex ceded the ranking.  The rest of that day he was an official outcast, and not allowed to be part of the herd.

Next Lucy went after Flash, who has always been alpha -- with every horse we've owned.  He did not give an inch.  We moved him to the round pen before things got ugly but not before Lucy kicked him as well.  Flash is very arthritic and all the running around was not good for him -- and we knew that he wasn't going to easily or willingly give up the alpha role.  He is very content in the roundpen where it is cool and shady, not many flies, and he can hang his head out the window and watch the herd without moving his aching joints.

By Monday, peace reigned.  By that afternoon, Lucy had allowed Tex back into her herd and they have been grazing peacefully side-by-side ever since.

In the middle of the sorting out, I had to remove Tex's fly mask.  We have been sweating in the 90s and flies are out in full force so they need the masks during the day.  We take them off in the evening.  Tex wouldn't let Brett near him so he held Lucy while I approached Tex.  He circled at first,

But then he came straight to me.

He was worried about Lucy, but he came and he stayed and he was calm about his fly mask.  I didn't work with him more than that.  Lucy is very jealous of attention that goes to any horse but her and I didn't want to make life difficult for Tex.  When Lucy goes back to her own pasture in a few days, I will resume working with Tex.