I own a pretty cool horse.

I am late to the barn right now, but decided to finish this first. I wanted to give the leasor some time to work with D without me hovering around. D needs to learn trust her, and she can't do that if I'm standing right there.

I went to the barn yesterday to work with Denali a little bit on the ground. I haven't done it in a LONG TIME since I busted up the knee. I figured I had enough strength in it to brace myself when she flipped out. She stood perfectly calm in the cross ties, and I picked all over her. She doesn't budge at all, except when I massage her, she'll move to where she wants it. She gets moved back, and doesn't like that part.

After grooming her she did her maniac running around the arena, but not nearly as long as she has been doing it. I helped around the barn while D did her thing. Every time she saw me she'd nicker and run up to where she had seen me last. She hasn't done that for a while.

I decided to get the dreaded plastic bag. The thing that she was CONVINCED was going to kill her yesterday. We walked to the middle of the arena. She braced. I said the magic word, "HO" and she let out the biggest sigh, relaxed and stood there. While I flapped that bag ALL OVER. I put it on her back, I put it on her neck, I put it on her head, I touched her legs. Nothing. She would go from watching me, to watching the bag, to watching me.

It's funny, I KNOW that no one can go up to her and do that. I didn't realize how much she totally trusts me. I thought about that the night that the barn went pitch black in a storm and I had to go find her in a field with a flash light, she wasn't happy, but she stayed calm.

I need to remember that if I stay calm, she stays calm. It's easy to forget when she's being the super bitch she can be! I love when people think I'm over reacting to her, then they meet her, "Oh, you weren't kidding." I like that about her though. That and her hatred of small children, unless they bring food.

We were doing lots of ground work and handling, then my trainer broke her femur, then I hurt my knee (January 26th I go back, fingers crossed for riding.) So she's back to her unhandled wild pony beast ways. (See why I changed my blog name? That and she wasn't an appendix.)

I was reading about twiddling ears, and since I started to notice it more recently, some research (I'm either researching for work or for horses) said it can be caused from neurological parasites. I was reading it on my Ipod, so I don't have the link, but I'm wondering too if it is a permenent result from having EPM. I just need to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't relapse. That's my biggest fear. She's working back to being her buff self. There was also a bunch of other reasons. I'm going to adjust her bridle to make sure nothing is rubbing on her.