Well back to work tomorrow

The new year has already had its ups and downs.

The weather cleared on Tuesday, so managed to work and ride the ponies.

Ata is being long reined again, Tika is almost letting me hold her front hoofs, will let me put the halter on over her nose instead of doing it up round her nose, and is sniffing my hands now. This is new for her, she hates her muzzle being touched.

I have been hand walking Vague and she has been going well.

On Friday I took Sophie up to the western arena to ride her there, and Karen turned up to say she has sprayed the edges, that was fine I would ride in the middle, then she said she was going for a ride on the new river track at Awatoto, said I was planning on taking Sophie there as some stage, and she said well come now. So after a bit of dithering I put Sophie back on the truck and drove up to Clive.

The three of us, had a very nice ride along the river bank. Sophie was good with the cyclists, was OK about going under the bridge, but did not like the motor cross bikes. And Musket another horse with us does not like them either, so that did not help. We turned round there and rode back to the trucks.

But it was something I realy wanted to do on Sophie, and I realy enjoyed it.

I have also learned how to milk a goat. My neighbours goat needed a relief milker and after a couple of little issues it is going well. I like goat milk, the Bree is a sweet goat. Not so much fun in the wet though.

On the down side, when I was moving my truck out to clean it, I backed over my little old cat Nutmeg. When I looked up and saw her little body lying where I had backed up, it was the most awful feeling. She was such a little cat, and the truck very heavy. She would have died pretty much instantly, and she was sick and I was going to have to make the decision to have her put to sleep in the next couple of weeks, but to run her over was devastating.

She is now burred in my garden underneath a old rose bush.

And now the weather has packed in again. we have had 72 mls of rain in 24 hours, this time of year we are normally in drought.

Oh well each year is different.