I have ridden Ace out on the snowy arena again this morning. The surface was very different from how it was two days ago. Then it was powder, now it is wet and heavy. There is a crust on the top, and it is breaking up as it is ridden on.
I got straight on, since he was so good the other day. And we had a walk around on a long rein, a very long rein. I have never done that before, he would have trotted off bucking :-) He didn't even bother about lumps of ice blowing across the surface past or towards him as he broke them off with his footfall. I gathered him up and did some serious walk - serpentines, circles, straight lines. Then I asked him to trot.
And he completely and totally ignored me. As if he had not even heard. I tried again, same weight of leg aid but with a voice command. And he ignored me again.
I thought for a few moments, because this is completely unheard of behaviour from Ace. Usually he can't wait to be allowed to trot, and he is sharp as sharp off the aids at any pace. So I reasoned that he simply didn't feel that the surface was safe to trot on. I went back to walk, did a little more really nice stuff, and then took him in.
There's a heavy thaw going on outside, which is just as well because we are fed up with people knocking our door needing us to tow them out. Last night it was a nurse trying to follow her satnav directions. It's astonishing how many people will try to drive a two wheel drive little car through two feet of snow because their satnav tells them to!
The sun is shining now though, and the sky is blue, and it's well above zero. We are just waiting for the plough to clear last nights drifts and then we're off for a walk.
C
Good for you, listening to Ace instead of pressing the point. If you had been sure the footing was ideal, then you might have made some demands, but in this case listening to him was a smart move.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are thawing out a little and the snow will melt. Of course that makes for mud, but rescuing people's cars from snow drifts does get old after a while.
Have to laugh just a bit...apparently the satnav or GPS can account for traffic but not for weather. No "Snowdrift ahead," warning system installed. *G* Sounds as if it would be a valuable add on.
I get older and wiser Jean, ten years ago I'd have kicked him and had a fight or a falling over horse. I prefer me now :-)
ReplyDeleteThaw is rampaging away outside, thank goodness, and unseasonably high temperatures forecast for 2 weeks.
Even after I wrote that we got another pair this morning. I said to him "if there was a brick wall in front of you would you have driven through it if your satnav told you to?" His excuse (in a 2 wheel drive van) "we only got stuck because the Landrover in front of us slipped on some ice!" as if he could have got through if only a 4WD all terrain farmer's vehicle couldn't! Priceless.
C