Skip to main content

Thwat-at-at-at-at-at-at-at-at

What's that sound? That's the sound of FarmWife's belt clearing her belt loops. (Duck!)

I want to take a moment to talk about domestic violence. I want to tell you how my woman beats me, and how she tells me it's "my fault" and that "I asked for it."

Actually, when FarmWife beats me she uses a whip. Ouch!

Here's are the things that led up to this travesty:

I spooked at the corner of Meredith Lane and Wickersham Street every ride for two years. FarmWife expected me to spook there, and I spooked there, and we rode on and had a lovely time and so on and so forth until the next outing, when it all happened again. This was simply how it was, until I started stretching my spooking out a bit. It was so terribly interesting to spook at the corner—wouldn't it be fun to spook at the logging gate? At the boulder? At the fall foliage?

You may remember a story last month, about the place where FarmWife took me to die, wherein I was so terrified of everything that I had to be lunged rather than ridden. I was lunged until I was out of breath, which was really a terrible cruelty. Well, FarmWife decided thereafter that not only would I be lunged every time I acted like an idiot (her words) but that I would be ridden with a dressage whip—and thwacked soundly for every unfounded spook! Can you believe it?

This is how our first ride under the new regime went . . . saunter, saunter, saunter, saunter, googly-eyed balk, THWACK, saunter, saunter, saunter. Offended sigh. Saunter, saunter.

This is how our next ride under the new regime went . . . tra, la, la, doo-da-doo, ho, hum, saunter. No balk, no snort, no spook, no thwack.

The good news is that I no longer get beaten on the corner of Meredith Lane and Wickersham Street. It happened just the once, and that's behind me now. The bad news, in FarmWife's opinion, is that it took her two full years to cowboy up and actually RIDE me around that corner with some semblance of authority. The bad news, in my opinion, is that my dramatized terror at that quiet intersection was one of the best parts of every ride. I'll miss that sort of fun.

Ears,
FenBar


Comments

Popular Posts

Here are the Cloud Dog's X-Rays

Here, for your edification, are the X-rays of dear Paisley's leg. There is, apparently, no new break (since his Monday siezure) but there is, of course, a great deal of abnormality caused by years of living with a shortened ulna. His pronounced lameness, the vet says, may temporarily improve. Unlike me, Fenway Bartholomule, poor cloud dog can't expect much in the way of a full recovery.   Not having the $$$$ for surgery to fuse the joint, we are working on making some sort of rigid splint to support the limb and prevent further degeneration. That is, the humans (with their space-age material inventions and their opposable thumbs) are working on making a splint; I am working on giving cloud dog brayful looks of support and encouragement every time he totters into the yard to relieve himself. As always, he fears me (me?!) and keeps his distance.  Ears to you,  Fenway

Saddle fitting nightmare

I wonder if they had to pay a saddle fitter to tell them the Schleese didn't fit. FB http://www.besthorsestuff.com/ShowAd/index.php?id=4deed0d102f85 For Sale: 18 inch Schleese Jes Elite dressage saddle with Flair Air panels.  This saddle is in exceptionally good, like-new condition with the exception of needing repairs to the front left air bag.  Our Schleese saddle fitter (at the May 28, 2011 fitting) quoted the repair cost at $75-$150. The tree is currently set to "wide" and can be fully adjusted by a saddle fitter.  See the Schleese website for more details. Asking $1200 OBO, a significantly reduced price compared to the current market value of $2000 for the same saddle in pristine, like-new condition. NOTE:  The "saddle rack" is not for sale.  Heehee! Please contact us for more details, serial numbers, questions, or pictures of the saddle.  This is very nice, quality, comfortable and correct saddle for a fraction of the cost, even after the r...