Transitions

Monday, October 04, 2011— October’s fullest moon (“Hunter’s”) will rise on the 20th.

I’d prefer to keep hitching and driving my horses through this beautiful month, but today our farrier will pull their shoes. Going forward, maybe I’ll have less time to drive, and an unshod horse shouldn’t pull a vehicle. Pulling requires heavy traction that wears-down bare hooves.

We began driving later than optimal this spring, because I had mixed feelings and hesitated for too long. The year before, through the pandemic’s worse months, I rode horseback and enjoyed it. Wanted to do that also this spring, because after a couple of years without driving lessons, I less felt motivated to harness and drive.

Shoeing them this summer was a plunge that began the driving. I actually remembered all the harness parts, and the correct sequences for fitting them onto a horse and removing them. Almost immediately on holding driving reins, I had a sense of how properly to handle them. Best, the horses remembered their jobs.

It’s fun to drive wonderful horses and maintain their excellent conditioning. Regular workouts, on roads and in our dry lot, have stabilized appropriate muscling and weight. Hard exercise lets them graze most afternoons on the sugary grass in my neighbor’s pasture.

Dear Friends: Bye-bye to shoes, howdy to saddles, and anticipating next spring. Diana