Extreme Makeover Part I

First of all -- as most people know, I am a bit of a prankster, especially at the barn. So, of course, now that I am officially back, I have started setting up some lovely little props around the farm. The above pic is of my latest work (in Jennie's trunk). And I have now proven that Jennie is officially blind as a bat because, after about twenty minutes of watching her walk back and forth to the tack room and not shrieking, I started getting a bit fed-up. It turns out that she thought the bloody hand reaching up out of her trunk was a pink glove! Jennie, get yourself off the road and on to an optometrist's chair ASAP!

And now on to the Ponykins, who has been going through a myriad of changes lately. First, Heather got on him last week and managed to install a Dressage Pony Button on him in one ride! She is a great teacher and he is obviously a super-fast learner (Einstein and Smarty Jones have now been added to his list of nicknames). Now, with a fair amount of leg (and spur) and some soft contact, he willingly arches his little neck and stretches down into the hand. And all without draw reins or any other gadgets. Hooray! Thank you, Heather! I will definitely get some pics of that soon.

Secondly....Salem's feet. I have been pulling my hair out over the barefoot situation, as there is not a single farrier down here who does an actual barefoot trim. My farrier trimmed Salem's hooves exactly as if he were going to put shoes on them. This is not a true barefoot trim and it has lead to mucho flaring, chipping, cracking, and under-run heels for Mr. Salem. Well, one of the feed store owners has done quite a bit of research on barefoot trims, including attending a clinic, and he trims his own five horses. He was kind enough to come out and show me a few things on Salem's front feet. He took off all the flares, cut the bars down a bit, and gave the hooves a bevel or "mustang roll." This takes the weight off the hoof wall, which will cut down on the flaring. He also discovered a small abscess that popped out of Salem's right front coronary band (more on that later). Here are the results:







I'm not quite sure where we go from here, as I can't exactly ask Joe to come out and fix Salem's feet every few weeks. He left me a rasp and showed me how to file them, but Salem will need more than that eventually. I guess we'll have to see what happens...

Moving on -- seeing how Salem had been fluffing up like a little chick (plus the fact that his skin had been getting increasingly flaky despite my best efforts), I decided that it was time for a Body Clip. Now, this was a big deal, seeing as I had never body-clipped and Salem had never been clipped before. To make things easier, I got a syringe full of Rhino Tranquilizers (not really, lol, but the stuff was strong!) from our favorite vet, Dr. Bob Scott. (Heather and I are the co-presidents of his Fan Club and always half-joke about making glittery "We ♥ Dr. Bob" posters whenever he comes.) Of course, first Mr. Salem had to have a bubble bath...

Where's my rubber ducky?

...and I had to take plenty of Before pics. After all, what's an Extreme Makeover without before pics?

(Jennie was originally holding Salem for these pics...until she stepped on a dead frog, threw Salem's lead rope on the ground, and ran away screaming like a little school girl. Salem reacted to this by looking at her quizically, pooping, and going back to munching grass.)

After Salem had completely dried, I put him in the wash rack and got everything all set up. Salem got his syringe of Rhino Tranquilizers and embarked on a lovely little "trip."

Oh, yeah...that's some good stuff

Jennie (who had by now recovered from the Frog Incident) was kind enough to start off the clipping job and let me watch her technique for a bit. I was horrified to see what all of that flaky skin was -- fungus! Despite tons of currying, I had no idea just how much gunk was underneath all of that woolly mammoth fur. Egads!

Eeeeeeeeeewwwwww! There's a fungus among us!

Poor Salem! He is absolutely covered in fungus -- back, butt, shoulders, belly, sides, and legs. The only fungus-free areas are his head, neck, and chest. I am very perplexed as to why this happened -- he gets groomed thoroughly every day, hosed off after every ride, and bathed every few weeks. I use a clean saddle pad every ride, clean my brushes often, etc. and he never stands out in the rain. Anyhow, I am using Malaseb shampoo on him in order to dry it up. The first day, I covered him in MTG, but the stuff is just so yicky. I'm going to switch to Lotrimin (Athlete's Foot medicine) spray tomorrow.

Last but not least -- Gas Chamber Hoof! :-) I got some White Lightning to clear up Salem's abscess. It's supposed to be the best stuff for abscesses, thrush, white line, etc. (it supposedly also kills Anthrax), but it involves a very complex process. You mix the product with vinegar and put the horse's hoof in a plastic bag...for 45 minutes.

Gas Chamber Hoof!

Salem tolerated this very well. Sure, he had on his Worried Eyes and was a bit unsure of himself, but he took it all in stride. Unfortunately, I do not make a very sturdy Gas Chamber because it lasted all of five of the necessary forty five minutes. This was most likely due to Salem's excessive pawing, stomping, and flinging about of his hoof. I guess I'll have to rethink my strategy and try again tomorrow.

*sigh* What are you doing to me now?

Next time, I will have After pics of Salem's new look -- body-clipped, dressage-cut and dyed black tail, and pulled mane. And maybe I'll have some Dressage Pony pics, as well (fingers crossed).

Mental Hazard Training

After last week's tarp work, I've been thinking what my next step in Salem's "mental hazard training" should be. Thankfully, there's always a lot of commotion at the barn, so he's pretty relaxed even with cars zooming by, barking dogs running about, screaming kids jumping all over the place, turned-out horses bucking and cavorting, etc. Well, I was over at the Dixie Rumble blog and I found a list of "obstacles" found on a judged trail ride that one of their OTTBs (Rosie) completed. Ohhh, myyyyy goodness! I think Salem is damn near unflappable, but I'm not sure how he would feel about this wacky stuff --

1. Find the man hiding in the trees and ask him how many deer he’d seen today. (He was hiding by event # 6 which was a standing log jump…..he was in the trees as we sailed over the jump…tricky)

2. Turn on the forehand 360 degrees within a painted circle.

3. Remove clothes pins with ribbons blowing from trees and move them to another tree (not too tough but a little hairy with the flappy colors)

4. (OMG this one) Stay within a small fenced area in the formation of a Z…..pushing a huge white ball with a broom! You have to keep the broom and the ball ahead of you while you maneuver through the fenced zigzag.

She got a lot of praise for this! She was blowing, hopping, reversing, snorting…..but we did it!

5. Trot by 3 stuffed deers and shoot Nerf gun balls at them.

6. Step over stacked logs…or pop it at a walk (which is what we did)

7. Climb a 12 foot hill, quietly down the other side, then walk over a mattress, 4 foot piece of shiny glittery material, and then step on a plank of tin.
(She did a Rosie dance but made it through with a few extra beads of sweat)

8. The enchanted forest………..not so good. Had to walk through a large curtain of strung beads, listening to howling wolves, crows and goblin noises. Pass through a herd of goats and reach down into a crinkly bag of animal crackers.
Did everything but the beads.

9. Dismount, rub horse with a plastic bag attached to a stick, remount with out the horse moving. Fabulous job

10. Throw 3 tennis balls through a huge wooden horse’s mouth. Scary with the balls winging by her eyes, but we did all 3.

11. Walk across a board that teeter/tooters as they step on it. She followed my paint horse……she was a little jittery, but we made it.

12. Throw a lariat over a steer head on a stack of hay.

13. (OMG!!!!) Walk through the woods to encounter 2 huge Christmas blow-up figures with the motors buzzing to keep them blown up. She was a little wiggy…but we made it past them without incident.

14. (She was a champ at this one) Walk into a large pool of murky water. Have a long rope handed to you with a 4 foot blown up alligator attached that you have to drag behind you as you walk through the water!

This was tough for many horses!!! Rosie pranced through the water with that gator following her like she was in a parade.

15. This was horrible. They put 2 vertical posts 6 feet apart. 6 holes each side with pool noodles sticking out horizontally like wiggly posts. We had to walk through this (but there was no visual opening. You had to convince your horse he/she could go through these without being eaten by the noodle gobbler).. I had Brooke stand directly on the other side and slowly walk away. Rosie thought she was being left behind, so she only fought for a minute…..then charged through!

OK, this has definitely given me some inspiration! I'm not quite sure how everyone else at the barn would feel if I made an obstacle course like this one, though. Salem and I might be asked to pack our bags and leave!

To Draw Rein Or Not To Draw Rein

...that is the question.

Yes, I am still thoroughly flummoxed (isn't that a great word?) and on the fence about the whole draw rein issue. I can see both its potential benefits and its potential drawbacks. So, let's examine the evidence, shall we?

On the one side of the fence sits the Dressage Purists, who believe that any "gadget" is a short-cut, a cheat, and does not teach the horse properly. On the Sustainable Dressage site, it states, "The active draw rein, pulling the bit down and in, in a direction between the attachment at the girth and the hands, trap the horse. There is room to move inside the confinement, but not in the desired direction - forward-down-out. The horse can however curl back in (green position). It can also shorten the neck and elevate the head some (red position), in trying to relieve the action of the bit.

In order for the horse to be able to relax the jaw and poll, and stretch forward-down-and-out as one would wish, the rider needs to give the draw rein out of the hand more than an equal amount, and to be honest - this is not something draw rein protagonists tend to do! Instead, much of the problem seems to originate with a non-feeling hand that reluctantly gives, and rarely with any good timing. Stretching is not a priority for these riders, as much as pulling together and shortening the frame.

The short draw rein will do exactly the same as the underline muscles during rollkur work - they will shorten the underline and pull on the nuchal ligament to be wrapped around the spinal column lengthwise, and compress it. The bottom of the S-curve will push out, and the horse will hollow. Added to this, the exaggerated pressure on the tongue will cause stiffness in the jaw and poll, which will tense the topline in the same way as a stargazing horse tenses his topline. Whether the horse actually holds his head way up, or is striving to move his head upwards but stopped by the draw reins, it's all the same. The same hollowing reflex is at work. "

Yikes! Are you all running and throwing out your draw reins yet?! Deep breaths, and stay with me. I think one very important point to note is the section that I italicized above -- "In order for the horse to be able to relax the jaw and poll, and stretch forward-down-and-out as one would wish, the rider needs to give the draw rein out of the hand more than an equal amount." I'm certainly no expert, but my interpretation of this is, "Don't crank the horse down with the draw reins, keep them loose as a guide." Yes? No? And, of course, I personally always follow the basic rule, "As soon as the horse responds to pressure, reward him immediately by taking that pressure away."

Ok, on to the other side, the People Who Believe In Draw Reins. I found an article on Equisearch, which was taken from a Lisa Zinger article written for Practical Horseman. Here's what she had to say --

"Draw reins (and side reins) also let your horse know he can lower his head under saddle. If he's unfamiliar with stretching down, draw reins let him feel contact as he stretches forward and down while you have your leg on and your fist closed around the reins. But you're not "cranking" his head down; you're encouraging him to lower his neck and head, with his nose just a little ahead of the vertical, by guiding him to that position with your fingers softly closed on the draw reins. When his head is where you want it (here's a moment where your trainer's input is valuable), your draw-rein contact needs to be giving, even loose.

Draw reins show your horse the way, but you don't want him to depend on them once he's there. Constantly riding with draw reins may teach him to hang or lean on them ; when you take them off, he may be less on the bit than before because they were "holding" him there. He may even throw up his head or poke out his nose - the very things you were trying to teach him not to do. So keep draw rein sessions short: Warm him up in regular reins, ride five or ten minutes with draw reins, and then ask him to maintain the proper neck and head position with regular reins. If he pokes his nose forward, close your hands and legs for one or two strides and see if he responds by coming back. If he doesn't reinforce the lesson with another five or ten minutes with draw reins, and then ask him to maintain the proper neck and head position with regular reins. If he pokes his nose forward, close your hands and legs for one or two strides and see if he responds by coming back. If he doesn't, reinforce the lesson with another five or ten minutes using draw reins. Finish your schooling session with a free rein to let him stretch his neck.

Don't use draw reins every day. Use them periodically, as a reminder - for instance, at times when your horse is offering more resistance, or when you introduce a new or more difficult exercise."

She also says that draw reins should be attached to the sides of the girth between the saddle flap and the horse's elbow, never between the front legs (as I was taught). She says this is "a severe use of draw reins that can overflex the horse." Wow, you learn something new every day!

Hhhhhmmmm. I'm still not sure where I stand. I definitely know that I don't want to be a Draw Rein Junkie -- I used to know a few (at my old barn up North), who put them on their horses every ride, crank their horse's chins down, and then expect you to drool over what a great "head-set" the horse has. These horses, of course, learn to lean into the draw reins, as their riders never give them any release from pressure, so the rider has to constantly hold the horse up. That's certainly not my idea of a fun ride. And it also does not teach the horse self-carriage (which is supposed to be the ultimate goal).

As a little experiment, I rode Salem in draw reins today. I kept them fairly loose; and, to be honest, he started out pretty ostrich-necked, as usual. But, as we went along, he started to get it. We had one amazing moment -- after cantering on the right lead, I asked for a downward transition and *yowza!* found a whole new gear that I never knew Salem had. Somehow, my leg had magically found its "home," Salem was soft and flexing and right there, perfectly between my hands and my legs. We found this big, powerful trot that even had a touch of suspension. And, while it was forward, it didn't feel rushed -- because he was actually using his back-end and pushing with his back legs. We trotted once around the field like that and, Lordy, it felt ever so loverly! After once around, I brought him back to a walk and gave him lots of pats and praise.

So, after my experience today, I'm thinking..."Well, maybe I should use them every once in a while, just to show Salem exactly what I want from him." I'm still not sure. What do you all think? I would love to hear your opinions, both pro and con. And, for those of you who do use them, what do you think about draw rein placement? Do you put them between the front legs or on the sides? All opinions are welcome.

P.S. Aaaack! Three posts in a row with no pics! Dearie me, my standards are slipping (and so soon!). I brought the cam out today, fully charged and complete with memory card. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a hurry to get on before the sun went down (*shakes fist* Damn you, Daylight Savings!) and it was, of course, far too dark afterwards. My Jennie-friend was there, but she was having waaaaaay too much body-clipping Savvy and Largo to take pics of little old me. *sigh* I'll get some soon, I promise!

Oooooooooo! This looks promising!

I was just over at the Sustainable Dressage website and found an intriguing article about the shoulder-in volte. This exercise apparently teaches the horse to engage from behind and round, as well as stretch the back, lower the neck, and relax the jaw. You can read the article here -- http://www.sustainabledressage.com/rollkur/shoulder-in_volte.php

I'm planning on going over this article very carefully and then trying it out on Salem tomorrow before I get on him. We're still having a bit of an "ostrich neck" issue and I would like to teach Salem to stretch down and out without relying on "gadgets" like draw reins or de gogues. I know next to nothing about dressage, but I really want to do things right with this guy. Please keep your fingers crossed for us, and I will report back (hopefully with good news!).

Tarp Torture (er, I mean Training)

Happy All Hallows' Eve! Hope you all have lots and lots of leftover Halloween candy (especially the good stuff!). I'm currently downing Reese's Pieces like they're goin' out of style. Yum-o!

Unfortunately, this will have to be a pic-less post. :-( Yesterday, I did bring my camera out to the barn, fully charged...but sans memory card. Um, yeah, that's kind of an important part of the equation. So, you will all have to just use your imaginations and paint some mental pictures for yourselves.

Yesterday, I realized that Mr. Salem has not had a day off in weeks -- he's either ridden or longed every day, poor lad. And he has dropped some weight, so I decided that his body needed a rest. However, I wanted to still challenge his brain and make him think. So, I marched out to the shed and dug out a lovely Blue Tarp, or Horse-Devouring Blue Abyss Which Leads Directly To The Gates Of Hell, as they are commonly referred to by our equine friends.

I set up the tarp in the arena, grabbed my trusty dressage whip and Monty Roberts Dually halter, and stuffed every pocket I had with sugar cubes. As soon as Salem saw the tarp, he got a bit snorty and put on his Worried Eyes. I reassured him that everything was okay, patted him, and stepped on to the tarp.

While he did not want to walk on it, Salem would halt about a foot away from it and then stand there and stretch his head out to get a sugar cube. I kept patting him, telling him that the tarp would not, in fact, swallow him whole, and walking back and forth across it to get him used to the crinkly noise.

In order to get Salem really focused on me, I decided to take him off to another corner of the arena. We did a short session of basic commands -- halt, back up, turn on the forehand -- in both directions. While he still kept an ear cocked towards That Scary Blue Thing, he listened well and did everything that I asked. Satisfied that he was focused, I led him back to the tarp and spent some more time walking around on it while Salem watched, waiting for me to fall through...

After a few minutes of this, I picked it up (Ohmygod, SCARY, what the heck are you doing lady?!) and gently shook it in Salem's direction. *Spook, spook, prance, snort* After he settled, I gave him a sugar cube. Then I remembered something Amber from ES teaches her horses -- she teaches them the command "Touch" and then has them touch their noses to whatever is scaring them. I held the tarp in front of Salem's nose, asked him to touch it...and after a few snorts, Salem touched his nose to it. He got lots of praise and two sugar cubes.

Another ten minutes of gently shaking the tarp and having Salem touch it, I laid it back on the ground and smoothed it out. At first, Salem would just side-step-side-step-side-step*snort* around it, but eventually he settled. He lowered his head and touched his nose to the tarp...and then very gingerly set one foot on it for a few seconds. I lavished him with praise and gave him four sugar cubes.

As soon as he discovered that he could actually set a foot on it without being sucked into an alternate Horse-Torturing Parallel Universe, Salem let out a big sigh and completely relaxed. I turned him around, walked off a few steps, turned him back towards the tarp, and had him walk on to it. There was no hesitation; I stopped him in the center, patted him, and stuffed a whole handful of sugar cubes in his mouth. We walked all around, walking over it from every direction. Salem was perfectly willing and not at all nervous.

Now, I know some of you might be thinking, "Why would you do this? It's not as if you'll ever need to walk him over a tarp." True. However, it does teach him that I'm the leader and he can trust me, even in a scary situation. It also teaches him that he needs to put his feet where I ask him to, again, even if that place is scary. You're saying, "OK, Horse, I know that this is frightening, but I will not ask you to do anything that's harmful or dangerous. You can trust my leadership."

Another part of the reason I'm doing this is because Ruby's last horse was taught to be terrified of water. He was never previously afraid of water and would happily splash through every puddle in the arena. However, the lady who half-leased him always steered him around all of the puddles and he eventually decided that it must be because those puddles were full of Piranha Who Could Strip A Horse's Leg To The Bone In Seconds. To make sure Ruby doesn't have to deal with this again, I make Salem walk through the muddiest, wettest parts of The Lagoon so I know he'll go where I ask and is not afraid of water. Hhhhhmmmm, what shall I make him walk on next?

Onward and Upward

Things are finally moving forward and I feel like we are making some really good progress. Salem is starting to understand the half-halt, he is paying more attention to me, and he is halting much faster. (Although, on a related note, our peppermint budget had skyrocketed!) He does have a tendency to pretend he's a little prairie dog and scan the horizon for predators, but I am slowly convincing him that paying attention to me is much more rewarding. When's the last time a predator stuffed you full of peppermints? I rest my case.

Last night, I was lucky enough (or, ahem, smart enough) to be riding right after Elaine finished up with Sage's lesson. She and Heather have been helping me tremendously and I don't know what I would do without them. And, as usual, Elaine was kind enough to stick around and give us some pointers. She had me work in the small arena, and we did a lot of work on circles and spirals and half-halts. There were a few moments every now and then where we got it; and even though those moments are fleeting, they are well worth it. Elaine said that she can see that Salem is really starting to listen and understand what I'm asking him.

More Things To Work On:

1. Do NOT lower your outside hand! Keep your hands level.

2. Less inside rein, more outside rein

3. At the canter, hold him for three strides and then release; repeat (this made a huge difference in our canter)

4. Do not rotate your left hand; keep your elbow by your side

5. Before asking for the canter, make sure Salem is settled and relaxed, not anticipating the transition. If he starts rushing, half halt and walk a few steps, then ask.

6. At the trot, think about your rhythm and keep it steady with your half-halts

7. Do not pinch with your knee

Due to our previous Peppermint Work Days, Salem was much more attentive and listening really well. Yes, he still likes to have his head way up in the air, but I'm not going to worry about it too much at the moment. That will come with time.

So, today, Heather and I met for an evening ride and I finally managed to convince Jennie to be our photographer. Yay! So, first she decided to take some "Behind the Scenes" pics, in the hopes that she would catch me abusing Salem, like this:

Gah! I am a Hunchback even whilst on foot!

She also did an in-depth pictorial of me getting on the Ponykins. We are teaching him to stand still while he is being mounted, instead of trying to turn-on-the-forehand/much-grass/meander-all-over. And, once again, the tool of choice is peppermints (see why the peppermint budget has shot through the roof?).

Don't ya just love our mounting "block?" It is ever so helpful, especially when mounting bareback (which I have not tried with Salem yet)

On to the pics of the actual ride! While I do see definite improvement, we still have a whole lot to work on. But, as long as we are taking baby steps forward, I'm happy. Heather said that we both looked much better; she said Salem is really developing a rhythm, staying straighter, and also looks much more balanced at the canter. Wooohooooo!

Hhhhmmm, I think we need to talk about "Zoom" again ;-)

I swear I am a throwback to either Cro-Magnon Man or Neanderthal

Heather and Sid -- lookin' good, as usual!


Heather! :-D

Later on, I snapped some pics of Salem in the barn aisle, and I can definitely see that he has lost some weight. He's getting five flakes of good timothy/alfalfa hay a day, plus 3 quarts of Triple Crown Senior twice a day. I'm going to see if my budget can be stretched to include some extra hay, hay cubes and maybe even some Cocosoya oil.

Actually, I think these pics make him look thinner than he really is (don't freak out, Ruby!), but we do need to get some weight back on him. Of course, he's getting worked every day now, so he will be gaining muscle and losing fat; but, we certainly don't want the lad wasting away, either!

Great Expectations

As you can see from most of my pics, I am usually out at the barn in the late afternoon/early evening. Arriving any earlier gets me cracks like, "What are you doing out here in the daytime like a normal person?" or, "I thought you melted in the sun." Well, last Friday I definitely flipped the script -- I arrived around 10:00 am in order to wait for the farrier, who was coming out to trim Salem's ragged little hoofies. I grabbed Mr. Ponykins and took him out for a nice, long hand-graze while we waited...and waited...and waited some more.

Eventually, the farrier arrived and trimmed up the lad. Of course, I had forgotten my camera, but here are some After pics that I snapped tonight (6 days After, to be exact):

Much better! And, although his feet were finished around 2:00, we had made plans to ride with Heather and Gigi later in the evening, so we hung out and hand-grazed and hand-grazed some more and walked around the property and melted into little puddles. Yep, the temps have been back to record-highs here in Miami. There's no rest for the wicked!

Later that evening, I saddled up the Boy and we joined Heather on Sid and Gigi on Bonnie. And this is when my brain shorted out and exploded. It was most likely a combination of the long, hot day, lack of food, and oh-so-lovely hormones -- but, man, I was transformed from Miss Laid-Back & Even-Keeled into Cranky Emotional Trainwreck. My internal monologue went something like this -- "Oh my god, I SUCK! My leg is swinging, I am off balance, Salem is all rushy and forward and ostrich-necked and I can not ride, why do I have this horse here to train because I can't do it and GAH!! He is not round or soft or bending or anything and I have made him worse, not better, ohmigod I SUCK!!"

Thank goodness for Heather because she "talked me off the ledge" so to speak and really got both Salem and me calmed down and thinking. She had us do lots of trot-halt-trot transitions, with voice commands, and had me really think about half-halting and using my voice to slow him down. Well, whaddayaknow, it actually worked (of course!). She suggested that I work on that a lot for a few days, and give Salem a peppermint at each halt in order to get his attention really focused on me.

In hindsight, I was being a total goon and expecting far too much out of both Salem and myself. How would I expect such a Greenie to be soft and round and bending? And who do I think I am, Beezie Madden? Because, uh, clearly, I am not! So, I took Heather's advice and spent the next couple days doing a lot of trot-halt-trot transitions (well, okay, trot-threestepswalk-halt-fourstepswalk-trot transitions to be exact), small circles, voice commands, and half halts. Within a few days, things had improved drastically.

Tuesday, we did a nice longeing session, complete with surcingle and side-reins in order to work on Salem's core strength and...well, for lack of a better word, "headset." The one thing that we still need to work on is the "Walk" command because sometimes Salem has other plans. Either he'll be trotting and I ask him to walk and he chooses to ignore it, or he'll be walking and just decide to pick up the trot on his own. I can just see his brain going, "Golly gee, I'm feeling pretty good -- a nice trot would feel just grand right about now! Well, gosh, there's nothing holding me back except for my Two-Legged Carrot Dispenser Girl who keeps saying 'Waaaaaaaaalk' like a darn broken record. Yes, yes, I do believe I shall trot -- and in a forward, prance-y fashion! Wheeeeeeeeeeee! Gosh, would someone tell my Carrot Dispenser to put a cork in it already?"

Yes, I'm working on it! Salem can be a bit naughty -- but never in a mean way, only in a cute and endearing way. And, you know, sometimes he's right. For instance, on Tuesday, I had stopped him briefly to shorten up the very-loose side-reins a bit, and Salem started backing up. That's a bit unusual for him, and I made him step forward (just to make a point). Well, about a second later, my pants were infiltrated by an entire platoon of fire ants. Yeeeeoouch! Salem sighed, cocked an ear in my direction, and said, "See? I told you so, silly girl." Yes, Salem -- I bow to your Infinite Horsie Wisdom.