Friday, March 22, 2013

"Your horse is a jerk."

So, my husband calls me at work and the first thing he says, "Your horse is a jerk."

Uh oh. That is never a phrase you want to hear when you have horses and are an hour away from home!

"Ummm...why is he a jerk this time?" I ask cautiously, not quite sure I want to hear the answer, pretty sure he's managed to mangle himself in some obscure way.

"Well, all I have to say is this: He has no excuses any more. He can jump, don't ever let him convince you otherwise," he replied.

Well, that's kind of a cryptic answer. So, I pressed for the full story.

We have most of the property and driveway fenced so we can turn horses out into the yard (more grass/room, less wear and tear on the pastures). By fencing the "non-pasture" part of the property we gain several more acres of good grazing, and that means less for me to mow! The fence ends at the pond, but sometimes, when the pond is low, those brats walk around the fence, through the pond and "escape." We're pretty far from the road and they've never wandered to the road, but they do like to graze along the driveway and along the outside of the fence when they do manage to escape.  You know, the grass is always greener! Now that the pond is low and the mud frozen, we plan to extend the fence INTO the pond as far as we can (hello hip waders!) to prevent any future escapes.

Anyway, my husband went out to call the horses in so he could lock them up before leaving. They are allowed out into the yard, but only when someone is home to keep an eye on them just in case they do decide to go on an unauthorized adventure. They all come running when we call for them, and they came galloping down the driveway as expected and were rewarded with peppermints all around. They're spoiled that way.

All except Gabe.

Mr. Prissy Pants had escaped through the pond and was on the other side of the fence grazing along the driveway. He did not like being left behind by all his buddies. He apparently ran all the way down the pasture fenceline, figured out he couldn't get through, then ran all the way back to the driveway and JUMPED the freakin' fence! The fence is nearly five feet high. My husband said he didn't even hesitate, just soared right over it and kept on going, galloping down the driveway, tail straight in the air, to find all his buddies grazing in the arena.

We know the big guy can jump...he's always enjoyed it under saddle but I've kept the fences low. I believe in starting slow and low to build confidence and give them a good experience. Now, we know he has a little bit of scope, too, maybe I can bump the size of the fences up a couple of inches this spring when we start schooling over fences again. 

I would have loved to be there to see him clear it!




10 comments:

  1. Wheeeee!!! Atta boy Gabe. :) He probably made the mistake of thinking your husband wouldn't throw him under the bus. :)
    It's a rule - boys keep boys secrets.

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    1. ROFL!!! Yup, he threw him under the bus...Gabe will never trust him again. It was probably payback for all the times Gabe ran off with his tools while working in the pasture. :D

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  2. Where's the camera when you need it?! At least someone was there to see the big leap, and no fences got hurt, :D

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    1. I know! I would have loved to see him clear it, studied his form, felt my heart go pitter patter at his athleticism. No fences and no horses were hurt, thank goodness.

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  3. Hahaha!!!!
    Scope To Be Sure!
    Bump it** UP, Definitely!

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    1. Once we can school fences again I'm going to bump it on up about 3" to start then 6" later and see how he takes to it. I'm already searching for some small local jumper schooling shows this summer. I'm ready and excited!

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  4. Very cool! I bet you really wish you would've been there!

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    1. I do! I would have loved to see it and see what he's really capable of doing. I should ask my husband to start carrying a camera with him...just in case. :)

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  5. Maybe you have the next "Eighty-Dollar Champion". (I hope you read the book-it's a compliment.) Amazing what a motivated horse can do.

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    1. I have read the book, excellent read, too. And yes, it is a compliment, thank you! He was pretty motivated to get to his buddies, that's for sure :)

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