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[RC] March equine brain virus... So THAT'S what it is...(LONG) - A. Perez I had dubbed it "Spring Grass Psychosis". Yesterday I decided
to take my coming-2-year-old filly, Lexi, for a pony with
Cyclone (aka Idiot Boy), my TWH. Lexi is for sale, so I am
working to get her as trained as I can before she sells.
It was a beautiful spring day, a perfect day to ride along the
river. I have been ponying Lexi around the farm and on short
rides along the road with no problem, though Idiot Boy is far
from the 'ideal' pony mount, as he is apt to get silly, but it
had not been a problem... until yesterday.
The ride out on roadsides was blessedly uneventful. We got to
our first water crossing, a stream, and little miss Lexi walked
right in and took a long drink! You go, girl! We then crossed
the stream, and were riding through a grassy marshy area, and
Lexi decided to stop. And Cy wouldn't. When I asked more
insistently, he went nuts, spinning, snorting... I ended up
dropping the lead and fighting with Cy who had a tantrum.
Finally got him under control and caught Lexi who, bless her
heart, just stood there eating and watching the show.
Not taking that little diversion as a warning, I continued on
to the next crossing, and then along beside a stream. Again,
Lexi decides to stop. Again, Cy decides not to. When I insist
on stopping, he does the 'Let me go or I'll back off this
embankment and into the stream', to which I dropped Lexi's lead
again and said 'Go for it, Idiot', but first I turned him
towards the stream so he wouldn't fall in sideways. That sure
surprised him! Lexi decided to wander off back the way we had
come, so Cy and I scurried up the creek bed to head her off at
the crossing. Again, not getting the hint, I continue. Again,
a few minutes later, Lexi wants to stop. This time Cy decides
to start backing and spinning in the woods. Again I drop Lexi's
lead. Cy manages to back over one of the giant Tarzan-type
vines that hang from the trees, then spins around, neatly
wrapping the vine around a front leg. Fortnately, this makes
him freeze, and I manage to get him untangled and catch Lexi who
once again just stood there eating. This basic sequence of
events repeated itself a couple of times by the time we got back
to the farm, with each time Cy getting himself more spun up. I
even tried to let him gait a little to burn off some steam, but
all I got was a canter (this fromt he horse who refuses to cue
to a canter from a walk in the ring!), which, ween I asked him
to walk, turned into a canter-in-place and then into bouncing
straight up and down in place. Grrrrrr. We finally arrived
home, miraculously in one piece, Cy dripping with sweat, me
saying 'Cy, you are SO lucky I don't carry a gun!' and little
Miss Lexi as cool as a cucumber.
I am praying this extreme idiocy is a result of green spring
grass coming in ('Spring Grass Psychosis'?) and he'll settle
down soon. If not, I think I've put the wrong horse up for
sale! (And if anyone wants a quiet, calm, gaited 2-year-old
filly, who doesn't get upset by riding with a nut-case, see the
ridecamp classifieds!)
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