Watch them run…..

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Watch them run…..

November 16, 2011 by lorlee1

Horses are funny creatures…. My riding lessons today involved screaming children, playful yearlings, a horny stallion, an in season mare and did I mention screaming children!!

The fantastic Miss Kerry, Wicklow's daughter.

Miss Wicklow, a long way from pulling donkey carts in shanty towns

We are in the arena, Kerry, Wicklow, myself, and 5 children aged between 8 and 11, 2 of which were having a lesson, and the other 3 waiting until it was their lesson. All was good and calm, a fantastic afternoon that was not too cold and, amazingly enough for this time of year, not too hot either. So far, so good. Then our peace was rudely interrupted by a playful yearling, Seamus, who decided that being in the boys field wasn’t to his liking, and being the Harry Houdini he is, let himself out to go wandering. Surprisingly enough, all was still good, we were in the arena, he was outside….. Until he figured out how to open the gate and let himself in!! Then all hell broke lose…. children screaming, ponies were abandoned at the speed of light…. Chaos on a grand scale. Seamus beside himself with glee at how many little people apparently wanted to play with him… Same little people running ‘for their lives’ (I was told later) around and eventually out of the arena with pure terror across their faces, playing with the squeeling kicking rearing bucking ‘mad’ pony was the furthest thing from their minds! During all the commotion, sly old Wicklow starts for the gate ‘to freedom’ out of the arena, slowly at first but once she realized no-one was paying her the slightest bit of attention, she was flat out! Full speed ahead…. to Gasun, my horny stallion in the next paddock! Oh dear, oh dear! Slowly children’s pale faces started to appear out of trees and from behind hedges and they watched with astonishment as Wicklow paraded herself up and down the fence, Gasun making the oddest grunting noises in side the fence and Knight, my old pony running up and down, tail in the air just enjoying the midweek break from the mundane life that is his retirement… Such fun

The normally quiet, child friendly Wicklow, and my favourite

Seamus at this point figured out the excitement was no longer happening in the arena and he was no longer the centre of attention, instead all was unfolding out side in the fields and decided to come get a bit of the action for himself… Oh it was a crazy afternoon! I eventually caught Wicklow, not before she had shown me her distinct displeasure at having to go back to work, she tried to bite and kick myself and Pieter! Wicklow!!!

And all the while, back at the dairy, Legacy, the most beautiful horse in the Southern Hemisphere (or so he tells everyone), was nearing heart failure looking at his beloved Wicklow flirting and throwing herself at the ‘horrible’ Gasun! Poor man was beside himself, almost jumped the wall when we eventually decided that we had had enough excitement for one day and headed back to untack.