There can be few things more miserable than trudging out to the fields at 8:00am on a wet october morning. 6amin February when Christmas is a distant memory and the wet, frozen weather seems endless maybe, but the october-lead long slow decline into winter, marked by driving rain which soaks your britches, trickles down your neck and collects in pools of mud that drag at your feet making every step an effort, fills me with a sense of dejection and misery I am hard pushed to top at any other point of the year. So you can imagine my joy when The Boss came out this morning saying "Jenny, please catch every horse on the property (around 40) so we can worm them all".
Having fought my way through the mud pitt into the mares' field clutching 4 sodden ropes in frozen hands, I discover that none of the mares wish to be caught today. When I eventually manage to corner the unlucky four foolish enough to fall for my 'hmmmm am I going to pull pony nuts out of my coat pocket - nope, bad luck, just a till recipe from Tesco' trick they demonstrate their displeasure by proceeding down the field in resentful fits and starts which seem to serve no better purpose than to kick muddy water up the back of my legs, semi-discloate my shoulder and fully dislocate my temper. By the time I arrive back in the yard, I have decided that I hate all horses. I return to the field armed with a scoop of nuts which enables me to at least catch the remaing mares, although they then fight over the scoop all the way back to the yard, further covereing me in mud in the processes.
Fully soaked and now about ready to cry with frustration, I set out up the road to catch the livery geldings. Thank god for geldings. All four boys agree to be caught with only minimum fuss, plod quietly beside my down the field, negotiate a tricky roadside gate and follow me peacefully down the road. I decide that i do not hate horses, I merely hate mares. Also I hate landrover drivers that don't appreciate that 40mph is not a suitable speed to travers a blind corner on a narrow road. I suspect I frightened her more than she frightened me or my horses but she drove off in something of a temper with plenty of indignant revving. Some people.
I arrive back in the yard to be met by the other member of staff who starts a little later than me...
"Oh, didn't The Boss tell you. He's realised he's only got 5 wormers so we aren't worming today after all".
I will gloss over the next 10 minutes for fear of offending and corrupting innocent minds. The most irritiating part of the entire proceedings is that out off all the horses I have caught in (in the rain, in the mud), not a single one of them requires riding. Which means ANOTHER trip, this time to the non-livery geldings' field to catch Pepper and Prince.
While they dry off somewhat I ride Hector. Hector, having been the naughtiest horse on site, has undergone something of a transformation since his fun ride last weekend (see Hector's Big Day Out). Last friday we jumped 3'6, he has taken part in riding school lessons and today he did not spook once and, after some discussion about head tossing, trotted and cantered in an outline. I start intending to just whizz him round for 20mins and end up producing figures of 8 in sitting trot, Hector soft and going forward into my hand, me feeling like Carl Hester at the Olympics. Bliss.
Prince also out performs himself. Although new to the riding school, he is proving to be a very sweet pony. We practice canter transitions on a 10m half-circle from X to the track and later get bold and try some simple changes. Half way through the session, his back lifts and he drops into my hand. At this point I have the unbearable temptation to try to fiddle with his head and keep him there. He responds by throwing his head up. I sit still and down he drops... for the next 20mins I think Prince probably teaches me about leaving the front end alone as much as I teach him about balanced canter transitions. I leave the arena feeling a little bit in love.
I ride Pepper last. Pepper came to us a miniature rodeo pony. He is now a respectable and reformed citizen but like many ex-cons he is still looking for a quick and easy buck (ha ha, sorry, rubbish pun) so I carry my biggest stick. But the day having started so badly, it is clear that the universe is smiling on me once again and Pepper is the best he has ever been. I do a similar workout with him as I did with Prince and he quickly get the hang of slowing the canter for the 10m half circles and rebalancing himself for the simple changes. He also starts to balance himself to the left on the left rein and carry his weight on his inside hind which is something he has struggled with. FANTASTIC - I only hope he can maintain this good form when his (small and rather nervous) owner comes to ride him on Friday.
The rain has stopped when I leave the indoor school, the sun is shining and I realise I am back in a good mood again. I am regretting having to leave the yard now to go to my other job. Sarah is sweeping the yard as she waits for her first lesson to arrive, the schooling horses are munching hay while lesson horses doze in their tack, waiting for their riders. I have almost forgotten the misery of 2 hours earlier and when my boss asks how the horses are coming on, I actually find a smile for him. I even manage to feel a little bit of love towards the mares - ok, maybe not love exactly... I'm not going to go crazy now - but like with all outside jobs, once the sun comes out, all is well.