Tidbits

Last weekend, I was out of town for our "anniversary", and the Pony Club kids had Halloween at our barn. Apparently, a few of the horses with a front seat view of the costumes got a little spooked, and so the spookiness rippled through the paddocks. Willig was spooking spectacularly, putting on a little show apparently, and eventually, after what I heard were several very acrobatic bucks and rears ... fell down. At least five different people told me about it, and every one of them laughed at the poor goof. I didn't know when I saw him the next day, and fortunately, he was just fine.
So fine, in fact, that we had a breakthrough. Willig has been scared of deer, and whenever he's in a turnout (with me, again, ever since he lost his grass privileges), he runs and tears up and acts like the world is ending if there's a deer anywhere in his line of vision. I was waiting for the farrier Tuesday, and put him in a grass turnout without looking first for deer, and sure enough, there was one enjoying brunch. So I thought I'd scare it off while Willig was distracted on the other side of the turnout, and went marching towards it. Another deer, one growing in some antlers (or whatever they're called for deer), popped out from behind a tree, and then faced off with me. It stomped towards me! I was still planning on scaring them both off, but then I heard Willig see it behind me - because he started his racing back and forth. I kept going towards the deer, the deer kept coming towards me, and then suddenly, I heard Willig coming towards me. What I thought was "oh, great, he's about to kill me kicking as he runs past, scared out of his mind" and he did run past me, but not kicking. He was obviously nervous, but he was headed ... at the deer! He zigged and zagged, not really wanting to go towards the deer, and the deer stood his ground, and it was all terribly exciting, and then the deer caved, and Willig, triumphantly, chased it over the fence. He was so triumphant, that he did a celebratory lap, and then came by me, stopped so I could pat him on the neck, and then ate grass.
Let me point this out more succinctly: Willig, the biggest 'fraidy cat I have ever known, just protected me from a vicious, attacking deer! And then acted cool.
Obviously, he knew I was going to hear about how he fell down being a nut, and had to redeem himself in some way.

In riding news, I have been working on our "30 laps" of the leg yield along the wall, and as I go along our long mirror, I have noticed that I tend to move my leg back - WAY back - each time I ask for an aid - ANY aid. So when I'm working in slow motion on leg yield, it actually really helps me to focus on the details, which I had never even noticed before: keeping my foot near the girth, asking only when his hind leg is already moving, keeping my outside rein steady and constant, and not twisting my shoulders/hips. When I canter, and I now think about twisting my shoulders to the outside, it actually makes my inside hip (the lead I want him to pick up) feel like it lifts.
This is all so cool. And he's so patient about it!

Oh yeah, and yesterday he got his fall flu/rhino. Shannon thinks his nose "sunburn" might be a fungus, so the last two days I've put his iodine shampoo on it, and I got him some fungus ointment today to try this week. I think he's had the "sunburn" patch since August or maybe even July.