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Bloody animals
This morning, Mike being at work, I groomed the boys (took a while to get a certain blue-eyed boy scraped clean, as ever) and then took them round to the school to ride.
I thought I'd go on GB first, so I left Bugs to poke about in search of grass and headed into the school. Just as I'd decided that the old man was up to a bit of trot and canter today, I noticed Bugs pawing at the ground. Like he does when he's about to roll. I shouted at him but he ignored me and.... yep, turns out that Bugs is young and fit enough that not only can he roll all the way over, repeatedly, but he can do it without any noticeable impediment from the saddle that he's wearing.
Sigh.
I jumped off GB, looped his reins around a fence post (GB is a *good* pony who stays where you put him, mostly), and went out to tie Bugs up, not that there was much point doing so by this time. Bugs obviously thought he was going to get a walloping, and wouldn't let me catch him. When he realised I was going to get him eventually, he dashed past me and charged off down the side of the school. Along the narrow, very bumpy strip between the fence and the not-far-off-vertical bank. Then he came back again. Then he went away again. Then he came back again. Then he went away again.
Each time he went away, his saddle bashed the pole that Mike's weather station lives on. After about four or five times, it keeled over.
Sigh.
GB was getting a bit concerned by this point, so I went and gave him a sweetie and a stroke until he decided it wasn't worth getting excited over.
Eventually, Bugs stopped and stared longingly over the fence at the un-touched grass in the field. I walked down the school to see if he'd come over for a sweetie. He started again. About five minutes later, he eventually decided he'd had enough and let me catch him.
I got back on GB and finished working with him, then took him to the field. I'd already untacked him and taken his tack out of the school, so I just grabbed Bugsy's bridle from the fence and looped the reins around his neck to lead him with. When Bugs realised GB was going to the field, he reared up in an (unsuccessful) attempt to break free and follow. When GB saw that, he went 'shit, better get out of the way' and ran off, trampling Bugsy's bridle through the mud and snapping part of the reins.
Sigh.
Swap the reins with GB's and back to Bugs, who gave me an utterly filthy look when he realised I was going to *ride* him after all that. We walked around the school, repeatedly, while Bugs went "A wolf! Another horse! Invisible Nameless Terror coming down the valley to attack me! A sheep! A hedge! A weather station that is Different to how it used to be! A wolf!...." Then we changed direction and Bugs went "A wolf! A weather station that is Different to how it used to be! A hedge!...."
I decided that things might be less distracting if we switched to going around in a circle in the middle of the school.
Eventually, he calmed down a bit, but then two vans with trailers on the back clanked their way down the road.
Sigh.
Eventually, he calmed down a bit, but then the veg box arrived.
Sigh.
Eventually, I decided to risk a trot, with his head yanked down into his chest to stop him from getting any ideas.
Then I decided that I'd made my point, put his rather superfluous rug on him, and stuck him in the field, where he ran off and discovered that GB had eaten all the tastiest bits of the new grass they got today.
Serves him right.
I thought I'd go on GB first, so I left Bugs to poke about in search of grass and headed into the school. Just as I'd decided that the old man was up to a bit of trot and canter today, I noticed Bugs pawing at the ground. Like he does when he's about to roll. I shouted at him but he ignored me and.... yep, turns out that Bugs is young and fit enough that not only can he roll all the way over, repeatedly, but he can do it without any noticeable impediment from the saddle that he's wearing.
Sigh.
I jumped off GB, looped his reins around a fence post (GB is a *good* pony who stays where you put him, mostly), and went out to tie Bugs up, not that there was much point doing so by this time. Bugs obviously thought he was going to get a walloping, and wouldn't let me catch him. When he realised I was going to get him eventually, he dashed past me and charged off down the side of the school. Along the narrow, very bumpy strip between the fence and the not-far-off-vertical bank. Then he came back again. Then he went away again. Then he came back again. Then he went away again.
Each time he went away, his saddle bashed the pole that Mike's weather station lives on. After about four or five times, it keeled over.
Sigh.
GB was getting a bit concerned by this point, so I went and gave him a sweetie and a stroke until he decided it wasn't worth getting excited over.
Eventually, Bugs stopped and stared longingly over the fence at the un-touched grass in the field. I walked down the school to see if he'd come over for a sweetie. He started again. About five minutes later, he eventually decided he'd had enough and let me catch him.
I got back on GB and finished working with him, then took him to the field. I'd already untacked him and taken his tack out of the school, so I just grabbed Bugsy's bridle from the fence and looped the reins around his neck to lead him with. When Bugs realised GB was going to the field, he reared up in an (unsuccessful) attempt to break free and follow. When GB saw that, he went 'shit, better get out of the way' and ran off, trampling Bugsy's bridle through the mud and snapping part of the reins.
Sigh.
Swap the reins with GB's and back to Bugs, who gave me an utterly filthy look when he realised I was going to *ride* him after all that. We walked around the school, repeatedly, while Bugs went "A wolf! Another horse! Invisible Nameless Terror coming down the valley to attack me! A sheep! A hedge! A weather station that is Different to how it used to be! A wolf!...." Then we changed direction and Bugs went "A wolf! A weather station that is Different to how it used to be! A hedge!...."
I decided that things might be less distracting if we switched to going around in a circle in the middle of the school.
Eventually, he calmed down a bit, but then two vans with trailers on the back clanked their way down the road.
Sigh.
Eventually, he calmed down a bit, but then the veg box arrived.
Sigh.
Eventually, I decided to risk a trot, with his head yanked down into his chest to stop him from getting any ideas.
Then I decided that I'd made my point, put his rather superfluous rug on him, and stuck him in the field, where he ran off and discovered that GB had eaten all the tastiest bits of the new grass they got today.
Serves him right.