Wild day AND Mare VS. Mom (and mom wins... for once)

Yesterday was one of the most interesting days I've had in a long time. It was the huge (HUGE pictures to come) 4-H sale near where Denali is currently. I always look forward to going to look at everything and usually find a few things I can't live without. This year I wanted a short lunge whip (since BOTH of mine are MIA) to use in the round pen.

A friend and I planned on meeting at the crack of dawn for breakfast and then going to the sale bright and early (when it's totally insane AND all the good things are still there.) My alarm went off at 6 Sunday morning and I jumped from bed, it's really like Christmas for me. As I was getting read I realized I had a text message. My friend's husband was called into work and she couldn't come because of their son. BOO!!!

I was totally depressed and didn't want to go by myself. My wonderful husband offered to go with me, but I knew I couldn't do that to him. He made me crepe's for breakfast (and they were AMAZING) and kept trying to cheer me up. Around 10 o'clock I decided to put my big girl pants on and go look around myself. As I was walking into the arena I saw a girl that I use to board with, so at least I wasn't alone.

I was impressed with how much stuff was gone. I was there on Saturday and dropped my stuff off and it was LOADED. I walked around and found one thing I wanted (a nice head bumper) but I was unwilling to wait in line for an hour for an 8$ head bumper. We've never used one, but I thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to a head bumper since trailering has become so precarious. I'll find one elsewhere.

After the sale (which I bought nothing) I went over to the girls barn to see her TB mare (a cousin of Denali) and then lunch then back to the sale. There were less people, and hardly any line. My head bumper was gone, and it seemed that so were all my things, which is awesome.

I ran out to the barn to see Denali. I had 4 hours to kill before I could go back to pick up my items from the sale. Denali was already in the arena with Dollar and Sunny. I got her grooming box and took her to the round pen. I took off her blanket and groomed her. She is shedding so bad, she had piles of hair all clumped up. Denali, do you know it's 26 degrees out? Having warm temperatures for a few weeks and then dropping back down into freezing doesn't do well for TB mare.

She had been in her stall for a day and a half, and was only out of her stall for maybe 4 hours when I got there. She was actually really good while I groomed her. After I finished grooming her, something spooked her and she took off.

Stumble.
Stumble.
Stumble.
Stumble.
Stumble.

(insert heartbreak here)

I pictured my dreams of ever riding her go out the window and the thought of sending her to the trainer a laughable one.

I went into the round pen with her and asked her to trot. She glared at me and took off at a canter. Okay mare, two can play at this game. I asked her to canter and canter and canter. She looked at me and tried to break into the trot. Nope, you want to canter, we'll canter. So we did for about 4 minutes. When I asked for the trot she came down into it and did a beautiful trot (no stumbling.) She did a really good job of going tot the left so we stopped and then switched directions.

Going the other direction she tried the same crap. I'm not going to listen to you and I'm going to do what I want. She stuck her head out of the round pen and had no intention of paying attention to me. Okay, fine. So we cantered, and cantered and cantered. Interesting that after a few laps you'd decide to look at me. She tried once to come at me at the canter, so she got a swift crack on the butt with the lead rope and quickly regretted it. She did kick out so I made her canter a little faster and once I had an ear on me and an eye on me we went to the trot and then she listened really well.

It was funny, her look on her face was really, "Work? Nah, you don't make me work. I do what I want." After warming up she didn't stumble at all and did a great job. I think it's from being in her stall and not moving around much. I'm also very interested in how she does when it warms up. I dont' have the Back on Track sheet yet, but hope to use the money from the tack sale to buy her one. I think it will really help (at least I hope it will.)

After finishing up with Denali a bunch of people showed up at the barn. I sat around chatting with them killing the hour I had left to go. Towards the end of my time the vet showed up along with two people hauling two emaciated horses saved by Animal Control. The truck and trailer started to slip and slide on the road so they parked and unloaded the horses on the road that leads to the center.

That left me stuck. Sigh.

I didn't care. I felt so bad for these two horses. You can read more about them here  It is one of my favorite rescues. They really do everything right. I was suppose to pick up my consignment things by 7:30. I was stuck at the center until 8 o'clock, but LUCKILY one of the ladies out there with me knew the person in charge and called her to hold my things (since if you don't pick it up it's considered a donation.)

I rushed from the center to the fairgrounds (where the 4-H sale was held) and she was waiting with my stuff. I felt stupid, it was only a few books. That meant that all 17 tail bags I made sold (10 three-tube tail bags and 7 one tube tail bags) along with all of my excess boots and just junk I had laying around. After the 18% commission fee I think I made around $250 which is pretty good when most of my things were between $5 and $15.

Maybe that will offset the $1,800 I need to shell out in the next month (taxes and truck accident.)