Fiera Day 9

I almost titled this Fiera Day 8, but remembered it wasn't Sunday. While today isn't officially summer, it is kind of the informal beginning to summer.

I spent the whole weekend sick and didn't get to ride a lick. Maggie and I talked about riding this evening when it cooled off, but we ate dinner late and never got back to it. Peter and I had to drop his car off at the shop again so he went with me tonight.

I got some good desensitization done one Fiera aka Little Toot...this am she was really tricky. She is really starting to kick at us some which doesn't make me too pleased. I may have to pop her really good once. Mostly, I just stand off to the side and turn her head toward me and butt away from me so she can't get me, but it's really tricky. Tonight, she seemed to actually enjoy me rubbing her down. She quit fighting and got kind of limp and her mouth started to work, so I thought I"d done a really good thing. I let her go and then I went back over to pet her and BAM! she fired her back legs at me while backing up at the same time. She didn't hit me, b/c I saw it coming, but I wished I'd had something with which to smack her as I'm thinking that kind of behavior is a bad idea!

Yesterday we put her out with Freeley and that went well. Today we put her in with Liberty (or rather Liberty in with her) and that proved to be a very bad idea. He tried to steal her foal from her, even after she forcefully kicked the snot out of him. I don't think that I am ready for them to be integrated into the herd. Plus, I'm not sure how to get Deli fed her ration if they are all out together, so I think it will have to keep for awhile. It made me nuts to watch Liberty run her around the pen and not be able to stop him. Everyone was fine, but it was still scary to watch.

Normally I spend this weekend at the Indian Territory Ride. Last year Freeley and I won novice heavyweight together. I hated missing it this year, but I was sick anyway, so I suppose it's just as well that I hadn't planned to attend.

This week is shaping up to be crazy. I have clients all afternoon tomorrow and then I have to work at Springtown both Wednesday and Thursday all day and then Friday I have orientation for my new job. It's going to be a week! Maggie gets out of school on Thursday and then summer will begin.