It was cold this morning, 32˚ F, almost frost conditions. But the sun was shining. It seemed to me like the monsoon season was finally over. And so, I made a mistake. I headed to town early, so as to get books to seniors. Then I orchestrated the Tuesday BLBP book cleaning efforts. There were five of us sorting, cleaning, stamping, and categorizing books. It was a good time. I had an equally good time distributing books.

The sun shone brightly, right until I finished up. I came out of Turkey Red Restaurant and noticed that the sun’s light had been made diffuse by the incoming clouds

Alys and Raudi riding with the posse in the rain

I hurried home, cursing the entire time because I didn’t forego going to the Senior Center and instead go riding. I attempted to make up for this by getting Raudi out. We went on a lengthy ride, riding Siggi’s trail, Tin Can, and Shoreline Drive. She seemed glad to get out but was sluggish. Raudi is right now unshod. Maybe she equates having shoes with working. It would not surprise me because she’s a very smart horse.

All the animals here are smart, I think because they are afforded every opportunity in getting good educations. Even Ruth, Bader, and Ginsberg, the chickens.

I know that I ought not have taught Raudi and Tyra to flip up the gate latch. I did this because it was in the curriculum, the one entitled, “Teach your Horse what’s Important to them.” The cover has a photo of a mare, from behind, looking back. She has her halter in her mouth and appears to be shaking it.

I shudder any time I see a photo of a horse wearing a rope halter. This, to me, is a sign that the horse has been trained using negative reinforcement, or aversion training. Tyra came with a rope halter, and I tried to put it on her. She immediately resisted my attempt to lead her forward. Now, in the yard, she hangs out without a halter. The same goes for the other two.

The best example of how we work things is this: In the mornings I retrieve the hay from the hay shelter, and put it in the enclosed shelter that Tinni used to reside in. I exit the enclosure, go and get treats, then go to the far gate. The three line up and wait for me to enter and give them their treats. I leave the gate open, and they walk out. I pen clean and they hang out, outside the pen. I retrieve their hay and put it in their enclosure, then open the gate to the larger pen.

They come in and eat. It’s that simple. At no point do I put their halters on them. Admittedly, the grass is more nutritious in the spring and summer than it is now, and so then they take their time before entering the pen. But they do enter it.

So, we continue to maintain the animal status quo around here, even as the temperatures drop.