TODAY HERE IN CALGARY, ALBERTA, WAS JUST SUPER - CLEAR BLUES SKIES, SUN SHINE AND VERY MILD, A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THIS PART OF OCTOBER.
SO, WITH ANOTHER LADY AND HER HORSE, BOARDED AT THE SAME RANCH, WE LOADED UP OUR HORSES AND WENT TO AN AREA ABOUT HALF AND HOUR WEST, THAT HAS A NUMBER OF TRAILS YOU CAN RIDE ON.
WIDING UP TO THE TOP OF ONE HILL, RIDING ALONG THE TOP FOR ABOUT A MILE, OVERLOOKING THE VALLEYS BELOW AND THE GREAT CANADIAN ROCKIES OFF IN THE DISTANCE.
FRESHNESS IN THE AIR, LEAVES FALLING OFF THE TREES EXCEPT OF COURSE FOR THE MANY EVER-GREEN TREES WE HAVE.
IT WAS A GOOD WORKOUT FOR OUR HORSES; MET SOME MOUNTAIN BIKERS ALONG THE WAY. TWO YOUNG LADIES PASSED US WITH THEIR TWO DOGS. THEN A LITTLE LATER HEARD THEM CALLING ONE OF THEIR DOGS; RODE UP TO THEM TO ASK WHAT HAD HAPPENED, "WELL OUR ONE DOG HAS DISAPPEARED," SAID ONE YOUNG LADY. A FEW MINUTES LATER IT CAME BACK, GUESS IT WENT OFF ON ITS OWN ADVENTURE FOR FIVE MINUTES OR SO.
MY HORSE GOLDIE WAS HAPPY TODAY, HAPPY BECAUSE I SANDED OFF THE RIDGES ON THE RAMP LEADING UP INTO HER TRAILER. KATHY, WHO CAME WITH ME, HAS EXACTLY THE SAME TRAILER, AND NO PROBLEM FOR HER HORSE WITH THE RIDGES. OUR TRAILERS ARE MADE IN EUROPE; I SUSPECT THAT 99 PERCENT OF HORSES HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE 1/4" HIGH RIDGES ACROSS THE RAMP [ABOUTR 9 INCHES APART]. BUT EVERY HORSE CAN BE DIFFERENT, OR AT LEAST MY HORSE IS. SHE HATED THOSE RIDGES.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS THIS: IF SHE GOT ONLY PART OF A HOOF ON ONE OF THE RIDGES, AND IT THEN SLIPPED, SHE WOULD PANIC AND WANTED TO FLY BACK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, WHEN I WAS BACKING HER OUT. IF HER FEET LANDED BETWEEN THE SLAT RIDGES SHE WAS FINE, WOULD DO AS I SAY TO HER, "SLOW, SLOW, SLOW." SHE WOULD GO SLOW.
I FINALLY SAID TO MYSELF, "THOSE SLAT RIDGES HAVE TO GO." AND WITH A SANDING MACHINE, ROUGHEST SANDPAPER I COULD GET... 36 GRIT... I SANDED THEM OFF; WOW IT WAS HARD WORK, TOOK ME 4 HOURS. VERY HARD RUBBER, BEST QUALITY YOU COULD ASK FOR; BUT OFF THEY CAME. NOW A NICE SMOOTH RUBBER SURFACE.
AND THAT WAS IT; PROBLEM SOLVED; GOLDIE IS DELIGHTED THEY ARE GONE, AND JUST BACKES OUT.... S L O W L Y...... AS I SAY THE WORD "SLOW."
SO FOR YOU HORSE PEOPLE OUT THERE, GOT TO REMEMBER THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENCES, OR EACH HAS ITS PERSONALITY OR QUIRKS. WHAT IS GOOD FOR ONE DOES NOT MEAN IT'S GOOD FOR ALL; OR PUT THE OTHER WAY, WHAT IS GOOD FOR MOST, DOES NOT MEAN IT IS GOOD FOR YOUR HORSE.
REMEMBER THEY CAN ALL HAVE THEIR OWN LIKES AND DISLIKES. KNOW YOUR HORSE, IT IS ALL PART OF GOOD HORSEMANSHIP, AND CAN SAVE YOU AND YOUR HORSE A LOT OF STRESSFULNESS.
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