August 2003

Well, I had a funny morning. As background, we're having our house reroofed and the slaters usually arrive at 8 am. I go to work normally at 8-15 and have been working my Fell pony in the evenings (Britain is pretty hot right now so after 8pm is ideal weather for driving - earlier is too hot). But tomorrow I am going to drive at a big show - Lowther Country Fair - which has a very big FEI event (CDE) starting today. I am driving "Private Driving" though which has a 5 mile drive and a show in the main arena, so Mr T and I have been working daily short distances with his new collar to get his shoulders toughened, and I have arranged a day off work today to wash horse, clean brass and trap and load all the gear, you know the story.

T and I have been a team for nearly 10 years now and I thought I knew all his little foibles. Ha!

Well, I thought i would work him really early so he'd have done a little today before his show bath, and we'd get done before the slaters arrived (they worry him.... He's never seen birds that big on our roof.) Got him hitched and drove to the field gate. Hopped down to open the gate. Blow me, there he is, following me and rolling one wheel up the gate stoop! So I grab him and push him back and realign him and we walk through OK. Then I have to close the gate (it's a bit tight so he can't turn around so I have to let him stand there, and there's stock in the field so the gate has to be shut.) By the time I've shut the gate he's slonking off at that steady, monotonous, going somewhere Fell pony walk that means his mind is on other things than work, ... totally ignoring my commands to to Hoo-hooo STAND........ No panic, no trotting, just that "I'll slonk off and be buggered to you" 4 mile an hour walk. He finally stopped for me on the other side of the field when he'd got the vehicle sideways on to a 35 degree slope.Our fields are pretty rocky in places and there are steeper slopes than that!! I took him off there, got in, worked him, he went fine, big poncy trot when i wanted it and bending nicely either way; we drove back to the yard and had no trouble with the gate (it's easier going home).

Just goes to show that you can NEVER trust 'em totally. I was lucky not to have been picking up the pieces of my vehicle and worrying about retraining. Wonder what he will think of doing at the show tomorrow............

... and the slaters have still not arrived.... maybe they are all at the event!

Sue in the English Lakes http://www.suemillard.f9.co.uk Intelligence is no defence against one's own stupidity.

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