Cookie Elimination, Grooming Grace, Superbowl Prep

For a few days now Grace has been telling me that the new apple flavored treats I've been using are somewhat less than satisfactory.  She'll sometimes take them, but often looks at me with an expression of endless patience and then keeps her lips shut tight when I offer them.  I had no idea just how offensive they really were until I gave a few to Rain, our cookie-a-holic here around the stable.  She's been at Bit of Honey for a few years and understands that I often don't know things unless she tells me.  This is what SHE thought of them.

"These are TERRIBLE"

Point taken, Rain.  I get it that those are gross, and we will be switching back to our regular horse candy immediately.  Grace is grateful that you explained it in terms clear enough for a slow-thinking human. 

In other news, I was able to borrow a gorgeous jumping saddle from Jen with The Happy Horse Tack Shop in Fort Collins.  It was specifically made for a horse built like Grace, and I tried it on her this evening and it looks like it will work.  She was pretty wound up when I took her out to groom and do some tack fitting.  She was also pretty nervous about one of my clients who was here as well.  Looks like we'll be recruiting all of our friends and family to come meet Grace and give her goodies so she can overcome her nerves regarding meeting new people.    She also seems to be nervous about being tied.  If she's in her "safe place", her paddock, she is ok with the rope being draped over the post.  If she is out of the pen and I tie her, she stiffens and her head goes up.  She has pulled back a couple times, but I use a tying apparatus that lets the rope slowly slide through which prevents her from truly panicking when hitting something solid.  I have a setup to address just this type of issue, so we adjourned to the round pen.  She wouldn't stand still while tied, so I had her trot around in the pen, and when she stopped we would return to the hitching post I have set up in the round pen.  Eventually she realized she had two options.  She could trot, or she could stand and be groomed and eat goodies.  Being the logical and sensible mare that she is, she chose to stand quietly.   We used all the grooming tools and then tried on the saddle.  We did a little more walking and trotting while wearing the saddle, then did some mounting block practice.  By then the sun was going down and we were running out of daylight so I led her back to the hitch rail by the tack room, and we groomed yet again.  This time she was quieter.  My neon yellow grooming bucket concerns her some, too.  Horses see black, white, and shades of green and yellow (so they can identify plants when grazing).  Sometimes when a rattling grooming bucket full of tools is a really bright color yellow it concerns the horses.  Once Grace figures it out she'll be fine, just something to notice.  

Fergie is sporting the latest in equine fashion - a Broncos stencil on her haunches that expresses her support for the white horse team!