Mirror, Mirror...

...on the wall who is the crankiest of them all. I read somewhere last week that horses are like mirrors and they reflect back what you put into to them. Well if that's the case I was putting out lots of annoying and bitchy last night! It was one of those nights when your kid is determined to test your last nerve.

It started while we were tacking up. The ankle is back to normal proportions so back to business. Megan is schizo about having her ears touched. Some days it's okay, some days it's not. Last night it was not. There were also lovely cobwebs all over her ears that needed to come off. I have little patience with touch-me-not nights and things were off to a lovely start. Manners reminders were perhaps delivered with a less than loving tone.

Off to the ring, where Nazi Mommie insists that bratty baby girl pay attention ALL the time. This is a challenge for Hall Monitor filly who must inspect every car that goes by and the whereabouts of the flock of geese among other things. Lots of growling from me and mostly compliance from Megan. She has a big time tell when she is about to misbehave. Her tail lifts and the key is to re-establish attentiveness before it flags all the way up.

We had a few bolts and bucks on the lunge line that were completely uncalled for. Megan's turn out buddy Phinny is off for training and I think she's not getting enough social interaction and activity being turned out alone. She and Phinny are a perfect pair and really entertain one another. I can tell the difference in Megan since Phinny left last week and we'll just have to work through it until she comes back at the end of the month. Just because I know this doesn't mean I'm patient about it -- oops there goes that reflection thing again.

I really wasn't enthralled with the notion of climbing on bitchy filly but I badgered myself into it. Sure enough it was like sitting on a rock. Her back was tight as a trampoline -- mine probably was, too. She was curled up and primed for lift off -- all the fun I had expected. The good news was we worked through it, and while we weren't the most harmonious pair for the evening, relaxation was achieved. We just walked and did circles for about 5 minutes but enough to prove the point that bitchy don't pay! ;-)

Back in the barn for untacking and sponging off. Every time I walked into the tack room -- aka the cookie room -- Megan perked her ears and mimed the most loving, gentle, attentive and treat worthy filly on the planet. Really, she worked it harder than Zoolander; it was walk off worthy. Restored my good humor, but didn't get any cookies. Yeah, I was putting off some crabby...