Needs riding!

So it's been raining, yuck! I woke up at 4 am Friday morning to a very strange sound and it took me a little while to figure it out - rain, on my roof! It rained off and on all day Friday and today. I should've sucked it up and rode, but (whine!) it was cold and my horse was exceptionally filthy from getting rained on and rolling in the sand. So instead I washed clothes and caught up on my shows. I am now up to date on Justified, Glee, and Doctor Who.

Dr. Who paragraph: OMG, the Who writers are consistently the best at coming up with utterly terrifying monsters. Rory has really grown on me and I am glad he appears to be a real Companion now, and I've always stubbornly liked River Song. Of course Amy's awesome, that goes without saying! I don't want to spoiler it for anyone who hasn't had a chance to see the new episode yet, but feel free to spoiler in the comments.

Justified: Why don't yall watch this show? It's amazing! The characters in it are fabulously three-dimensional. And some of them are really hot. And they talk right, i.e. like me. It's just really well written and acted.

Anyway, back to the Dixie horse. She is, more than ever, like a ball of controlled energy. She seems very alive and alert and focused on me. I can't describe it without sounding all gooshy and touchy-feely, but it is true: we have a deeper connection with each other.

I went out for an armful of wood around dusk and heard snorting and thundering hooves. I walked over to the fence and videoed her acting like an Arab. I think this clearly indicates that she needs to be ridden! I know you English people hate the long manes, but surely you have to admit it's utterly gorgeous at liberty.

Dixie needs riding from Funder on Vimeo.

After I ended that video, she came prancing around the corner of the run-in and started begging for carrots:

Dixie needs carrots from Funder on Vimeo.

I took pity on her and got her some carrots. After she ate them she licked my hand for a while

then hung out by the gate.

I think she is roaning out a little more every year. That little white spot on her jawbone is growing. Her sire is another roan paint, but he's SO roan he looks grey. It'd be pretty cool if she ended up like that.

Anyway, she was clearly giving off "scratch me" vibes so I scratched her neck for a bit and she licked my hand. Then I slipped inside the paddock and scratched her for about 15 minutes, all over, in places she's never wanted scratched before. Not just her crest and withers, but all down her neck and shoulder and up by her poll. She's been such a tough nut to crack, but there really is a sweetie under there. :)

White Horse Pilgrim asked why I avoid feeding grain. I think it's just something endurance riders take for granted, and non-endurance riders don't consider unless they have a problem with sugar-sensitive (feet or brain) horses. In between riding and cooking duck confit tomorrow, I'll see if I can't hack together a post about why I avoid grain.