Take two

I didn't have a chance to get Lance out yesterday, so this morning I headed out bright and early to do chores and then ride before starting our homeschooling day. I hadn't made it 50 feet from the house when a searing pain hit the front of my right ankle. I never saw or heard anything but it was unmistakably a yellow jacket sting – right through my sock in the cool of the morning, the insolent thing! (I was wearing my chore shoes and carrying my jod boots.) That postponed my plan a bit, but after the extreme discomfort subsided I headed back towards the barn a second time. Sure was jumpy at the sight of every wasp, though, because the breeches I was wearing were thinner than my socks!

Lance ate while I fed and watered everyone, then I tacked him up and rode out to the stubble field again. We moved on into the adjoining field and were zig-zagging down the hillside when a distant horse whinnied. That put Lance on the muscle, which progressed to head-shaking followed by bucking. I turned him toward home, resigned to walking around the arena if that was the only way I could safely walk him for 30 minutes. When he quickly mellowed out, it occurred to me that Lance's naughty behavior was less about pent-up energy and more about expressing his unwillingness to be away from his buddies at home. I tested and confirmed my theory by riding him in medium circles towards and away from home. Bingo!

Our "one big thing" today was NOT this straw monolith