Hyped Up

Wednesday:  We got out to the stable and went to visit Artemis.  Apparently I wasn't supposed to share how she usually greets us by calling and coming running because she hasn't done it since I took that video.  She wasn't overly interested in us, none of the herd was.  Apparently it was their dinner time.

We saddled up Socks and Jimmy and rode in the indoor.  Socks was insanely hyped up.  It was the third time she's been ridden since September 11th.  The first time my mom rode her and she was good, the second time I did and she was perfect.  Both times we just walked.  This time we did trotting and loping, and she was bouncing up and down in one spot, dying to go.  She was like a racehorse right before a big race, insanely excited and she couldn't stand still for the world.  We worked on trotting and then we worked on quick starts to let her release some of her energy.  Towards the end of our ride, my mom got off Jimmy and went to unsaddle him.  I was going to let Socks run then but someone brought in a horse to lunge and I am not about to let my horse run with another horse in the arena.  Instead we used one end of the arena and I had her loping on consisten circles, something which is tough for her especially when she's all hyped up. 

Sunday:  We got there a bit later in the day and caught Artemis first.  She was much better to lead this time, she still drags back but we managed to get her to walk at our pace for most of it.  In the barn she was great with her feet and enjoyed all the brushing and compliments she recieved.  There were a lot of horses in the barn and she did great.  She was between Zanza, a giant, loveable Thoroughbred and Cali, who I'm pretty sure is an ex-racehorse, off the track for a few months now, but I'm not sure if she's a Standardbred or a Thoroughbred.  They're both giant horses she's not familiar with but she did great.  She was really focused on Zanza.  We measured her again and she's finally 13 hh now.  Three more inches and she'll be the same height as Cas, whose two years older than her.

Once she was back in her field we saddled up Socks and Jimmy.  We had a slow ride, mostly walking with a bit of trotting and loping.  It didn't last very long as the sun was going down and it was getting cold.  Socks was calmer for that ride. 

We put them away but the barn owners weren't home yet, which was pretty strange.  We didn't really want to leave until they got back, just to make sure that nothing bad had happened, so we grabbed a wheelbarrow and mucked out Jimmy's paddock.  He's the only one in it but his is always messier than his neighbours, and there's two horses in there.

The barn owners did get home and we talked to them for a while.  They bought a new horse just last week.  He's a gorgeous Quarter Horse stallion, two-years-old.  He has amazing potential as a reining horse.  He kept nickering to Socks as we led her back to her paddock but she wouldn't have anything to do with him.  Her and Shadow's field are by a bunch of the geldings and they always call out to her but she gives them the cold shoulder.