spookypony
Well-Known Member
What a day...the plan was to drive to a friend's place this morning, right after the Spooky Pony's hoof trim appointment, and go for a little hack with said friend, followed by lunch, and then to work...
What happened?...
I was already running late for the trim appointment: combo of general lateness, lack of petrol, and numpty slow drivers...also getting stuck behind a garbage lorry that was itself stuck behind a bicycle...
...swallowing road-rage, finally arrived at yard. The Spooky Pony is lying down in the sun, at the far end of the field. Feeling extremely guilty, I pet him lots, attach lead rope, and try to get him to stand up, while the trimmer stands at the gate laughing her butt off. Have you ever seen just how looooong a pony's neck can get, when he's comfy lying in the sun and doesn't want to get up?
Trim ensues: trimmer concurs that pony, in addition to looking like he's swallowed a zeppelin/is in foal, is a wee bit footy and starting to "pancake" again (technical term, really, honest!
). I come to the conclusion that yesterday's interpretation of walk-trot transitions as "rein-back + buck" really was related to foot discomfort, as I had suspected. Removal to pony-jail for the next while seems indicated. 
Trimmer observes my proud demonstration of how our first attempt at clicker training has gone, and shows me how to do it much more effectively. Think I'll be getting some lessons! But the pony is clearly enormously clever. 
Then again, we knew that already.
I go to put lorry in position for loading, since a gentle hack with his orange arab friend will do him good. But lorry won't start: battery dead! Pony gets chucked in an empty stall with a haynet so I can nip off in the car and buy some jump cables.
Jump cables having been purchased, and owner's manual having been consulted to get the %&$#ing bonnet open, since it's not a switch below the dash as usual, the lorry gets jump-started: first try is successful! Yay! ---however, the brakes have seized, and won't shift, no matter how much we try to rock the lorry back and forth. Teach me to leave the handbrake on when I go on my hols!
I give up on the hack, and chuck the Spooky Pony in pony jail. He seems resigned.
I remember that I've cancelled my roadside assistance, because my bank account now includes AA membership...but don't know if I was supposed to have registered, or something...call the bank, who say, no, that's automatic, have you broken down? Would you like me to transfer you to AA directly?---Yes, please!
AA will take about an hour, so I nip off to buy some lunch. Also a box of instant cappuccino. This comes in handy when the AA man arrives in under an hour---yay!---and I can offer him a cappuccino.
AA man also tries to unstick the brakes by rocking, fails, and sets to with a jack, some big wrenches, and a large hammer (and a sense of humour). After quite some effort, the brakes are unstuck! I check the big laughing-face smiley on the feedback form (do they think I can't read?? 
), wave him good-bye, and take another livery for a little spin in the lorry to clear the brakes/charge the battery. 
Hack has been rescheduled for tomorrow. Finally got to work, too...
What happened?...
I was already running late for the trim appointment: combo of general lateness, lack of petrol, and numpty slow drivers...also getting stuck behind a garbage lorry that was itself stuck behind a bicycle...
...swallowing road-rage, finally arrived at yard. The Spooky Pony is lying down in the sun, at the far end of the field. Feeling extremely guilty, I pet him lots, attach lead rope, and try to get him to stand up, while the trimmer stands at the gate laughing her butt off. Have you ever seen just how looooong a pony's neck can get, when he's comfy lying in the sun and doesn't want to get up?
Trim ensues: trimmer concurs that pony, in addition to looking like he's swallowed a zeppelin/is in foal, is a wee bit footy and starting to "pancake" again (technical term, really, honest!
). I come to the conclusion that yesterday's interpretation of walk-trot transitions as "rein-back + buck" really was related to foot discomfort, as I had suspected. Removal to pony-jail for the next while seems indicated. Trimmer observes my proud demonstration of how our first attempt at clicker training has gone, and shows me how to do it much more effectively.
Think I'll be getting some lessons! But the pony is clearly enormously clever. Then again, we knew that already. I go to put lorry in position for loading, since a gentle hack with his orange arab friend will do him good. But lorry won't start: battery dead!
Pony gets chucked in an empty stall with a haynet so I can nip off in the car and buy some jump cables.Jump cables having been purchased, and owner's manual having been consulted to get the %&$#ing bonnet open, since it's not a switch below the dash as usual, the lorry gets jump-started: first try is successful! Yay!
---however, the brakes have seized, and won't shift, no matter how much we try to rock the lorry back and forth. Teach me to leave the handbrake on when I go on my hols!I give up on the hack, and chuck the Spooky Pony in pony jail. He seems resigned.
I remember that I've cancelled my roadside assistance, because my bank account now includes AA membership...but don't know if I was supposed to have registered, or something...call the bank, who say, no, that's automatic, have you broken down? Would you like me to transfer you to AA directly?---Yes, please!
AA will take about an hour, so I nip off to buy some lunch. Also a box of instant cappuccino. This comes in handy when the AA man arrives in under an hour---yay!---and I can offer him a cappuccino.
AA man also tries to unstick the brakes by rocking, fails, and sets to with a jack, some big wrenches, and a large hammer (and a sense of humour). After quite some effort, the brakes are unstuck!
I check the big laughing-face smiley on the feedback form (do they think I can't read?? ), wave him good-bye, and take another livery for a little spin in the lorry to clear the brakes/charge the battery. Hack has been rescheduled for tomorrow. Finally got to work, too...
