It has been a day.So like. We got there early, and they were already putting horses out. I grabbed t
It has been a day.So like. We got there early, and they were already putting horses out. I grabbed the ones I knew and brought them outside: a few are changed around because we again have lots of new horses. Buff and Ves are in run one now, for example, because Ellie, Bree, and Jellybean are in four.I handled both of these groups. Shockingly, Buff was the laid back one and Jellybean decided to tangle herself or charge into Ellie or something and ended up breaking away from the rest of the group and running outside. I went and got her with some help from Other Teacherlady’s daughter and then put her in with the other mares, who immediately both got really mad at her and started chasing her around.Horses are weird.So I was dressed nicely today. Proper tie-up boots, Western shirt, cowboy hat, I even wore a belt. And ended up with a horse pin that I randomly found in the stacks of stuff we put out.Because we put out a lot of things for Equine Empowerment. Teardown will seriously be a nightmare. And that was even before the like, eighteen other vendors who showed up to hawk goods.So the first problem ended up being Potato, the lovable feral barn cat. She kept getting into everybody’s things, and going in the open office door to tear around the kitchen and other rooms and generally be a monster. They tried to corral her several times and she like. Kept clawing people and escaping.So I went down and ended up helping. I unfolded a blanket and tossed it over her, then wrapped her up in a furious burrito and brought her to the crate and got her inside, then locked it. She hissed and tried to murder us through it and promised quick and ruthless vengeance.Then like a minute later we’re up in the arena putting out some more things and Potato comes strutting proudly in because she’s small enough to squeeze through the bars of the dog crate.So I picked her up and carried her down in just my bare hands and put her in the tack room, and then I duct taped a towel over the window so she couldn’t escape and gave her some food and water.She managed to plow out once when I tried to bring the water in, but I snagged her and quickly brought her back inside, and finally she was contained. At least as far as I know.Partner helped with setting up a big projector so people could watch some horse show livestream going on, while I wandered around looking at things aimlessly, then went down to get Quattro. Quattro did. Not want to come in and work. I spent like twenty minutes chasing him around in various levels of frustration, until I finally ended up actually taking Zara out first, and then I came back with a different halter and Quattro just. Had no problem with it. I don’t know what it was, I don’t know if someone tried to halter him and it went wrong or something happened or he just did not want to work today, but. He was being weird.So I was super nervous. But I cleaned him, groomed him, then brought him. Up to the arena. And went around browsing things and chatting with people while wandering around with Quattro, who just hung out with me and surveyed things and quickly calmed down. As I ended up explaining, once he understands what’s going on, he’s fine. He just needs to know. He’s a lot like me in that regard: I never care what’s happening. I only care to know.So I spent like an hour grooming him and Q once I was done wandering the arena, waiting for people to come by. A few people did but kind of avoided me and made for the pens or the ponies instead. No one wants to deal with the creepy cowboy man.But okay. Fine.We ended up doing like. A baby ride around the perimeter with Quattro just following along, partner on Zara, me on Q, and then I finally gave up and took him out to the grass. It made the horses very happy. Although I also found the electric fence was down, so I had to come in, unplug that, then go all the way back out and fix it.We bought some stuff, which is nice, because it helps out the barn. Shirts, a new set of short nice reins for me, some stickers and other odds and ends. But lordt was I sore by this time. And it kind of sucked that. It was mainly the vendors selling to each other, rather than people wandering through. It was kind of a mess. Not going to lie. But it wasn’t… terrible, at the same time. I think it was a good start and the fact that they had a bunch of vendors and everyone sold at least something and got some business, that’s nice. And I didn’t get to put on a show, maybe, but I did get to prove Quattro can handle crowds and noise by bringing him through the crowded arena, and just chatting with people and showing him off.That’s the most important thing.So what if I spent. Weeks dreading this and planning and rehearsing all for absolutely nothing at the end of the day?And that’s… only partly sarcastic, really. I am a little frustrated, but what can you do? Shrug and move on. Not much else.Let it be enough we got done what we did, and we did a little good, one way or the other. -- source link
#quattro