Good-bye to the Dinkies

So now that deer fly season is upon us, it is the time for fly masks. And the flies are so bad that the masks are appearing on all the horses, including Miss America herself.

Take me to your leader.
What a shame to cover such a pretty face.

I have been planning on getting one, but since the deer flies were bothering her, Erin was kind enough to put an old barn one on her. She is a good girl about wearing it, but she did want me to rub her pretty face when I took it off. Her eyes looked very clear though. Usually they run a little at this time of year. I don't know if the masks are much good for filtering pollen, but maybe it was flies bothering her last year. Whatever it is, I will be buying that girlfriend her very own so she can continue looking like an alien with her pasture buddies.

Thursday when I went out, it was with a heavy heart that I learned from the feeder that my beloved dinkies were to leave Friday morning. I grabbed some carrots and headed out to see them. They saw me from mid-pasture and immediately came in their roundabout way to meet me at the gate. I fed them from there, and rubbed their woolly foreheads and stroked their ears, as they are much more comfortable being touched from behind the fence. Then I brought Skye in and groomed and grazed her a little.

After I had put her back out with her lover boy Leo, I broke down and went into their pasture again with Brittany(Bon Jovi's very own barn girl), both of us loaded with carrots. They came over again, and we fed them. She got a text that her dad was there while we were out there, so she left, leaving me alone with them. I fed them some more carrots and had a nice talk with them, telling them they would loved and cared for in their new home, and not to stress too much about the process of getting there. They don't even like to be touched by anyone but me, so catching and trailering them wouldn't be anyone's idea of a good time. Certainly not theirs. Then I said good-bye and good luck, sadly stood up slowly and walked back toward the gate.

I had gone about 10 or 15 steps when I realized they were about ten paces behind me, following me as they do in a single file line. It just broke my heart open, and I had to blink back tears because it was by then too dark to wear my sunglasses to hide them. They stopped following me about 20 yards from the gate, but I looked back one more time. They were all standing there looking at me.

Dinkies, on another day. What else is there to say?

I got back out today to see the instructions on the board that one dinky was left in the big gelding pasture, and that assistance in catching him was welcomed. I asked Woody, who told me Echo (my favorite, to the extent I had one) had jumped through the rope fence and into that pasture and wouldn't let anyone near him. I grabbed a carrot and headed out to see if he would run from me too. I went out there calling him and sure enough, he came right up to me. I gave him three pieces of carrot, which he took, then asked for more. He wouldn't let me touch him though. I sat my butt down on the ground, and he came closer, then stood near me and grazed. When I stood up, he moved away a little.

The lone dinky.

Tomorrow when I am out there I will arm myself with carrots and a lead line and see if I can catch him. I had thought it might feel like a betrayal, but in the end it will be less stressful for him to not be chased around by people he doesn't really know. And though he didn't seem particularly stressed, I'm sure he would be happier with his sons at the new place. So tomorrow I'll see what I can do.

So I have been riding Skye, and she is up to her old tricks of not wanting to walk in the ring. She keeps breaking into a trot. I tried stopping her every time she did it, but she started just stopping from the trot and not wanting to walk. So I was letting her just trot, hopefully teaching her that breaking gait will equal more trotting than she really wants. The problem with this plan is twofold though. First, I don't have the leg power yet to trot that long, but my goodness I'm getting there. Second, she hollows her back and throws her head up when she trots which seems uncomfortable and makes me feel like I'm hurting her. I'm going to talk to a trainer that was working with Chloe about the same issue. I won't mind the trotting so much if I'm sure it is getting us both in shape. I just don't want to teach her the wrong things, one of which could be that being ridden means hurting.

She is a little bound to Leo, but at least today she didn't whinny for him like she did on Thursday. He is certainly worried about her though, as he whinnies periodically the entire time she is gone. He can see the arena from where he stands, and she could hear him. She got a little pissy at the end of our ride, and I think it was in part because she wanted to get back to him. I did not put her directly back with him for a while afterward though, and I didn't get off until I had half an arena's worth of a relaxed walk.

Love, equine style. It's sad that her happiness with him
could be a source of discord with me.
But he doesn't pay her board.

So I am back to square one riding wise, but I now know her so much better.

Tomorrow I really will have to say good-bye to the last dinky. Soon Reebok will be gone too. It's tough getting so attached, but there's not another way to do it.