Booger Updates (Or Lack Thereof)

I'm pretty bummed to report that things with Booger have pretty much come to a grinding halt, despite my very best efforts. Winter is a B**** like that.

The day after my last post, I took Booger for another trail ride. It was bitterly cold and the ground was icy and slick. We managed to add on some sections of trail that we hadn't explored previously, and she was on her very best behavior. I also sent her through a creek crossing she had never seen before. It was too slick to ride down, but I pointed and clucked and she went splashing right in. She can be very brave when she wants to. As always, I had a harder time convincing her to get out of the water than I did having her go in.

The day after that, I went out to the barn with all intentions of trail riding, only to find that the farmers next door had started to actively tear down the corn in the field by the trail head. They were at the far end of the field so I worked Booger in the ring instead. I warmed her up and she didn't seem to mind the ruckus so I climbed on board. I was barely saddled into the saddle when the harvesting operation moved right up alongside the ring fence. Dump truck, combine, and flying corn. Booger's eyes grew big and she froze to stare for a few moments, but then carried right on riding like this was a perfectly natural thing to have going on in the background.

The next afternoon, with that good experience fresh in my mind, I took Booger for the second trail ride in three days. There was all sorts of heavy machinery where there had been none prior, and where there were once forests of tall, swishy corn, there was now barren, scary-looking wasteland.

I decided to play it smart and start the trail ride with some hand walking. Booger was definitely intrigued by all the goings on, but took a deep breath and marched alongside me, even daring to touch one of the big green monsters.

Shortly after that, I decided to suck it up and just climb on board. We only had half an hour to kill before the trails were closed for hunting, so it wasn't a very long trail ride. It was, however, a fairly successful one. At one point, we were coming up on a blind turn in the trail along the creek when, suddenly, a panicky looking deer came barging around the corner, coming right at us at a dead run. Booger flicked her ears forward. The deer frozen, quivered, and bolted back the way it came. Booger practically shrugged, as if she were thinking, "Well, that was strange."

We even made it past the scary blanketed horses next door without incident.

And then, just like that, winter was upon us.

We got ice and then snow and then ice and then snow. It was miserable. Everything was either muddy and disgusting or an ice rink.

I did manage to get a few sessions in with the round pen before the month was up. In that time, Booger learned to side pass on hand command. It took her several attempts to get it, but then it was a breeze. The following day she pretended she'd never seen a round pen before. The day after that, she was on her best behavior again.

December first rolled around and I gave my barn owner notice. We hadn't discussed what would happen with Booger's training, what with the weather, and my no longer paying board every month. The holidays were fast approaching, life was insane, and by the time my barn owner started to search for an indoor to use, the month had flown by.

We did get a break in the weather and the craziness shortly after new year. I took the opportunity to stick Booger in the round pen for a refresher. She had sat untouched for over a month and I was worried about where her brain would be. The ground was dry for a change, so at least I didn't have to worry about her slipping and falling if she decided to misbehave.

To my delight, Booger seemed to be thrilled about being back in work. She was downright cuddly when I brought her in and was all bright eyes and perky ears when I saddled her and brought her outside. Just like that, we went through all the ground work she knows, up to and including the side passes. I was blown away, and regretted not being dressed to ride.

After that, the ring and round pen went back to being a wet, slippery mess.

I took the chance to refresh Booger's trailer loading skills. Of course, on the day I chose to do it, the neighbor's had a construction sign in their driveway. It was a blustery day and the big orange sign was flapping wildly and making all sorts of obscene noises. Booger was much more concerned about the sign than the trailer, and once I got her focus back on me, she hopped right on board.

Last week, I had an opening in my schedule, so my barn owner and I took the time to take Booger on her first real trailer ride. She self loaded on the first try, stood quietly while I latched the butt bar and lifted the ramp, and greedily gobbled treats while I tied her. She did give me the hairy eyeball when I first closed the top doors and it got dark, but then she decided she was more interested in carrots than the sudden enclosed feeling.

We took her around the block to start. I could hear her pawing in the back, a dull rhythm that announced, "Bored, bored, bored, bored..."

We picked up the pace and the pawing stopped. Rather than going back to the barn, we took her all the way over the mountain and into town, where we stopped by my first apartment, where the mechanic who got the trailer in running order is. While my BO chatted with the mechanic, I popped open the side door and let Booger have a look around. She seemed cheery and unconcerned about the strange new development in her life. I wanted her to learn that stopping and opening up the trailer doesn't always mean unloading, so I fed her some more carrots and let her just hang out for a few minutes.

Then we went up the highway so she could get a feel for the real thing, before heading back to the barn.

Even though the other horses were calling when we pulled back in, Booger didn't seem to care about anything except getting more carrots. I opened the trailer, dropped the ramp, and released the butt bar. Booger didn't even budge. As always, I had to drag her out of the box.

Once she unloaded and walked around, I pointed her right back at the trailer. She marched up the ramp and demanded a treat. I guess she wasn't bothered by our lengthy ride.

Now I'm just trying to find three hours in my schedule so I can get her to one of the two local indoors we have permission to use. Meanwhile, we've only had one measly lunging session in our own arena. The round pen is too icy to even think about using, and Booger was cooperative, but probably bored senseless on the lunge line. Other than stretching her legs, it's not benefiting her to go in circles at home. She's got that part down to an art.

Honestly, I just want it to be spring already! I feel like we were forced to take it back just as things were getting good. It's good for her to get some leisure time. She's still young and 2014 was a big year for her. Still, I'm itching to get back into our rhythm.