Snow Day

Grace has been working hard mentally, learning pretty much something dramatically new and different every day since she got here.  Because she is such a quiet temperament she tolerates the new things really well, but I want to make sure she has a chance to really absorb the information as well as have fun with me and enjoy a little recreation.

So I took her out in the snow, and tied her to the hitch rail to be groomed a bit.  Because of the snow  and inclement weather she was covered in icicles which I worked to get off using a metal shedding blade.  This tool makes a funny noise and grabs her hair when I drag it over her coat and snag ice, so she thought that was pretty scary.  To minimize her concern, we went back into her paddock (her "safe place"), and used it there until she was ok with it and standing calmly.  Then we went back to the hitch rail and groomed again there until she was standing calmly.  After that we went to the arena to work on ground manners, and she is doing fabulously leading at the walk and trot from both the left and the right.  We did a little mounting block work, but she was feeling frisky because it was so cold - a balmy 16 degrees!  Even though she behaved herself, I decided that she needed some free time to get her wiggles out.  I unclipped my lead rope, and walked away from her.  She followed me.  I stopped, she stopped.  I jogged, she jogged.  I walked, she walked.
 

Grace following me around

She did this for quite a while, staying right by my side, until I ran away from her, fast, and she realized she was free.  She took off!  MUCH needed play time.  Some prancing and bucking and playing, and when she was done, she came right back to me.  We resumed our follow-the-leader sans lead rope.  We went back to the mounting block and practiced lunging with a reattached lead line, with me standing on the block, then practiced having Grace stand quietly for me to lean on her and pat from both sides.  She did great, much more focused for having had a few minutes of playing.

Frolicking in the snow in the evening

Once I got cold we went back to the hitch rail and groomed again, revisiting the metal shedding blade and it was much more boring this time.  I put her back in her paddock and began feeding everyone dinner. 

Grace is starting to talk to me now, I get a little nicker whenever she sees me appear around the corner of the barn or I go in and out of her stall, even if it's not feeding time.  While I'm sure she still thinks I'm the weirdest human she's ever met, she at least seems to like me. 

Highboy was terribly jealous that I was playing with Grace in the arena doing the things that HE already knows how to do!

Taking a selfie with the 4 second lag on my phone.  Highboy moved in for the smooch!

Highboy's new winter blanket - this one is size 81".  He was size 76" when he arrived back in July.