Horse Sense....

 

 

I am always being given advice, but there have been two bits which have paid for themselves 20 million times over...

1) Put the horse on the float.  Don't f*k round.

2) If you want to get two horses, lead one and the other will follow.

Excellent advice today because I got up this morning, the bl**dy gate to the horses was open, and there was not one horse to be seen.

I tried not to panic - not just about getting them home but finding the bl**dy things.

Got in car and it worked out that they were about half a mile down the road, where a house had been shifted to, and the grass was knee high.

Brilliant!

Found horses.

Then I had to get 5 of them home.  

A girlfriend was coming over in about an hour and a half, and I had mates up the road, so I turned car round and went up the road.  Half the clan were in Taupo with the horses and the other one was working and non contactable.  

Bugger.

Text my girlfriend.  She had to wait to get her 4 kids to school.

Double Bugger.

So, I parked the car up and sifted through my memory of, Sh*te which may be important later.  And remembered the, Lead one, the rest will come.  

Fu*king hope so.

So, I picked Az.  Caps can get a bit flighty and the last thing I wanted was one flighty, mighty big TB, throwing his sh*te round.  So, Az drew the short straw.  I found my brave, got my mojo working, eventually got the lead on him, and we started walking home.  

And I swear, hand on heart, everyone started following.

There were a few tricky bits, like getting a car to slow down.  He saw me leading Az in our driveway but couldn't see round the corner to where the other 4 were, he had no idea what I was trying to mine to him, but slowed enough to not surprise everyone when he saw them after the corner.  Good man.

And then it was dodging Millionaire Driveway and bl**dy goats.  Caps loves going UP driveway past goats, and hooning up hill and round neighbours house and gardens at a million miles an hour but is, There's scary goats... coming down.  

And then we were home.

Everyone happy and well.

Then my girlfriend and her man turned up and we shifted her horse.  He got almost to the gate and then went, I don't think so... reared up and went in opposite direction.

She went and got him, her man and I stood behind him with a rope to encourage movement forward, but he went on like an Angel.

Travelled well and got to new home happy and safe.  Well, mostly.  I almost ran over a teenager wearing headphones, who jumped out in front of us to get to other side of road.  

I did get told off at new place however.  There were lots of horses and stallions, I was standing there, saw a cutie, went over and started talking and patting him.  Then the next one started talking.  Then everyone (human) came back and I started walking over to another stallion and was told to keep away from the horse.  I went, ok, and kept on walking because I was a big way away from him (about 80 metres) and there were fences and then electric fences inside his paddock.  Then I realized they meant, Don't move one step more.  

Oh.  Ok.

Anyway, it works out that that particular stallion had eaten the face off a couple of people and was dangerous.  I got a text later apologizing for being abrupt, but she is quite an exceptional horsewoman and I was like, No, we're all good.

The pull of a horse when it calls me is high and honestly, if she hadn't said something I most probably would have touched the horse because I was already in that frequency.

A deeply dark and disturbing day.  There was no harm done or even hinted at, apart from normal horsey behaviour of, Thank you for the offer, but I don't wish to... but the under currents touched on the dark side.  

What I will say though is that whatever I am, whatever we as humans want to label this thing I do with the horses, the horses know me.  

They recognise me.  

Off to buy Caps a new jacket as old one is completely munted.  He looks like he's been out on the lag all night and is all drunk and dishevelled.

I'm looking forward to the races tonight though and Christchurch tomorrow.

Wish us luck.

****

Races were awesome.  As always.

****

What an epic 22 hours.  

I did a fly in - fly out trip to Christchurch.  I flew out of Auckland Saturday arvo - and almost missed the plane.  No, not because I was late.  I left heaps of time for traffic, signing in etc.  It was because of a book, and it goes like this...  

I started reading the library book that I had brought with me, after I had checked in.  Then I realized it was boring.  Super, mind numbingly boring, so knowing I had plenty of time, I left the airport, put the book back in my car, went back to airport and bought myself a new book that I had spied earlier in one of the airport shops.  All goods.  

Now is a good time to say that when I do a fly in - fly out I literally mean, I take nothing but the clothes I'm wearing (with a change of knickers and a disposable toothbrush) and my handbag.  Anyway, everything is literally going to plan.

Flight gets called, so there I am at security, they make me put my bag through, then book through in a separate tray, I pick up bag and walk off.  Realize when I get upstairs that I've left book, and run downstairs to find security and reclaim it.  I get lost.  Find security and see book.  They make me stand in line and re-do security.  The next minute my name is being called out as a last call.  I'm still standing in security because now there's a big bl**dy que and I'm saying, Ummmm...that's my name they're calling and I'm getting the dead air stare.  Then I'm booting it up the stairs, to the left, down the corrider and through the doors.  

I arrive in Christchurch and then the young one loses me.  I know!  A few minutes are wasted while we find ourselves on different floors, different shops, until Boom!  DNA collides.

Then we went to Nevile R Stud to see Mares (potential) stallion, Gold Ace.  And he's super cute.  He's small but a little powerhouse and I'm quite keen on him.  Sean was super nice talking us through everything and then showing us other stallions.  Much appreciated because 3pm on a Saturday arvo is not a popular time to go stallion shopping.  Thanks for taking the time, Sean.

And then the young one and I hung out.  It had been 9 months since we had seen each other and it was way, way too long.  He took me to the coolest Harry Potter cafe where nothing was as it seemed.  Sewing machines that gave out water, a library of books that opened to toilets and pipes that ran from the ceiling to the table which delivered food in a long, metal tube.  Super freaking cool!  Then we just hung out and talked.  Stupid stuff, funny stuff a little serious stuff, but we just hung out.  

Then he lost me again!

Seriously!  I told him to stop the car as I wanted to take some photo's on the pier and he was like, Ok, don't get lost and shoo-ed me out of the car.  Which was cool, I got some super great photo's and then went back to the car.  But took another way down from the pier.  Which took me to a carpark.  Unfortunately, not where we were parked as I had kind of over shot that particular one.  So, there I was, in the dark, no phone because the battery had died, peering in car windows trying to suss out which car might be ours.  

Not my finest moment.

After my third time round and a couple of very odd looks, I saw what I thought was the right carpark to the right, so wandered over there.  

No.

Honestly, it must of taken me 20 minutes before I found our car again.  And when I eventually did get there the young one was like, I just text Nikita saying, I think I've lost Mum...

Back to accommodation and we hung out some more.  Talking about things you don't get to say on the phone, throwing some ideas round, talking about other things which are important to us, but in that quiet soul way.  

Why we were making the decisions we were making, and why we weren't making others, and why some were in the too hard basket.

Then it was sleep, breakfast and before we knew it he was dropping me off at the airport to fly home.  

Didn't get lost but he also didn't come in.  He had a 4 hour drive home and I was just going to cry on him which wasn't going to make anyone happy.  

And then Boom! I'm home.

Mares was happy to see me, then realized I knew it, so was like, I only missed you a little bit... but was interested in seeing my video of Gold boy I'd taped for her.  I forget that horses are a little funny when they think they love you more than you love them though.  She's still in that place.  

All my ones at home were happy to see me but Caps was like, I'm only giving you a kiss because you asked...

I'm so pleased I saw Gold though, because I saw things that I wouldn't have seen otherwise, so for that reason alone it was a great trip.   To see my son was also super cool.  I can breathe again although as I'm writing this, my DNA hurts.  It wasn't quite long enough.  It was enough to tame the longing but not quench it's thirst, if you know what I mean.

But overall it was a rock star 22 hours and I am super happy with Spirit for that window of time they gave me, the young one and Goldie Boy.

So, that's been our week:  It's been a stunner of a one.

Wishing you much love my friends and of course, my humans.

Caps, me, Spirit, Az, Ralph, Chew, Suzie Q, Buzz-the-Bl**dy-Bull, Fenny, Flash and Maresy baby

xxxxxxxxxxxx

* So, there I was with the plant tucked under my arm, with the roots hanging down, walking confidently to my car whispering a little prayer, Please Spirit, keep people away from me for 3 more minutes, because this is going to be very, very hard to explain...

** We've started the baby making process for Mares!  I'm super excited because it's completely new for me, and Mares is sort of excited.  She's more of a, Let's just wait and see how this pans out... I guess I can understand that.  Anyway, I'm excited enough for both of us, and have started driving everyone around me a little bit nuts with questions.  What is flushing?  How long can you freeze semen?  Is it better than fresh?  Why do harness A.I and gallopers do it fresh?...  

*** Cappy's 12 today!! We've been together a long time now and I feel truly blessed for the kindness and generosity of soul that he has, and continues to give me, every day.