Sunday, September 9, 2007

My Job is Crazy!!!

So today is Sunday and it probably says that but I don't really care. I'm not looking forward to school tomorrow, then again I don't think most people look forward to school. I think they would have to be insane if they did, unless it was an amazing class! Plus after school I have to go to work, but I don't mind going to work it is very fun, I just wish I had pictures of it, but i don't have a camera.... Unfortunately.
My job is actually very hectic! I work on a Ranch near my school. It's called JD Ranch. It's not that big and it's not open to anyone boarding horses or anything, but they have six horses, four dogs, three cats, one bird, a few random fish in their pond, and a lot of fruit trees!
There are five of us who work there; Kaylan, Me, Cameron, Erin, Alex. Alex just started and is the only male worker. That is also the order of experience on a horse, although I believe that Erin is already a better rider then Cameron. She has the experience, but Erin has the force and knows when to discipline and can get the horse to obey her.
Out of the six horses only four are ridable. The two who aren't are; Red, a old gelding getting ready to go into retirement, and Jamie, a 1 and a 1/2 year old filly who begins her training next summer. That leaves Pepper, Mattie, Holly, and Ladybug(lady). Which is also the order of most trained to least. Here is who rides who...

Pepper- Cameron and Alex
Mattie- Kaylan
Holly- Erin
Guess who that leaves me with? Ladybug(lady).

Cameron should technically be riding Holly but she does not take charge so Holly wont listen. Erin will taken control and wont let Holly get away with anything. Kaylan rides Mattie because it is her horse.
Lady is a pain in the ... in everything! She has been getting better... until yesterday.
At first she hated me, and I her. She rolled with people on her, she ran you into fences, she would bite, she would try to run you over, she would buck, and she would try to kick you. I've been working with her so she has been getting better but not by much.
I got her to stop kicking, and biting, she mainly doesn't run you over, and she doesn't try to roll anymore. So, I've done pretty good. Kaylan even said a few days ago, "When I get on her she makes me look stupid! How do you do it?"
Kaylan has been around horses her whole life and if she can't do it, neither should I... Right? Wrong! I gave her the honest answer.
"Kaylan, I don't know. What I do, is by instinct. I just do it, I've never really been taught to ride or handle a horse."
Her response was, "You like a Horse Whisperer."
I started laughing. I had been told that before so it's not that big of a surprise, i just pay attention to the horse. I watch their body language. It's not hard, for me anyways.
Anyways. I was gone one of the days that Cameron was over and she rode Lady, and said that she loved riding her. Now, they are thinking about letting Cameron ride Lady and me ride Pepper. I was upset and quickly let them know that when I found out. I'm not going to ride a horse that is so easy for me to ride that I get board with it! And after yesterday, I think Kaylan changed her mind.
I got on Lady yesterday and immediately felt something was wrong. I rode her around for a bit, letting her get use to it and she was not wanting to do anything!!! Finally I jumped off and began looking her over. Everything was fine. She was missing a shoe so I dug out the dirt, thinking that there might be a rock or something but there wasn't. I got back on and she started flipping out once I tried to get her to do something.
This is all of what she did or tried to do yesterday. She kicked me, she bit me, she tried to buck me off in the round pen, and bucked when I wasn't on her. She reared with me on her, and off. She tried to roll multiple times, she wouldn't go straight, she was running sideways sometimes. She wouldn't trot. She was HORRIBLE!!!
Lady has never jumped before and I was the first to jump her. My boss saw me and now wants me to be the only one jumping her and to do so at least twice every time I ride her. So I went to the small creek that we usually jump over because it is the smallest thing they have, and get her ready. Just to let you know... This creek... is only about two inches deep... It's more like a stream. They could walk over it. Unless there is rocks and usually we make them jump over the part where there are rocks. Anyways, so I get her ready to jump and get her into a trot and she stops dead.
The next time she went to the right, running me into a tree and causing my hat to fall to the ground. Third time she went to the right and almost hit another tree. She did this a few times before I got her over it. Then she jumped a few more times after rearing and kicking and biting the other horses.
At one point she started backing up and so i gave her the reigns and she continued going back. Her but hit a tree truck and a tree limb stabbed me in the back, she freaked out and reared and bolted forward.
I was talking to Kaylan later and she agrees that we honestly believe that she was only doing that because Cameron was the last one to ride her, so she was able to get away with anything and everything. With me, Lady can't get away with anything. I wont let her.
Kaylan is trying to think of a way to let Cameron know that I'm to be the only one riding Lady for a while, and try to be nice about it. It's going to be hard, but it is true.
Cameron needs a horse that is already trained, so she doesn't have to be "mean" and discipline and she can just ride... She needs to ride Pepper, but she thinks she is better then that. It is all very confusing and painful.
I'm very sore from riding yesterday, i was working a lot harder then usual. And got hurt a lot by her. One good thing is though... Because my work is hard, I'm tired when I get home, so I have just enough time to do school work before I fall asleep on top of it. Lol. It's hard, but very fun.
I have new stories everyday.

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