Writing, no matter what genre, no matter what tense, has at its core, problem solving. The problem may be writing or self-related, or both.

I have been seeking a solution for my supposed disconnect with my animals. I figured out in the act of writing that my waiting around for a horse buddy to materialize may never happen. Pete’s close, but when it comes to the animals, he feels more obligation than passion.

Hrimmi in the S bend

So I decided to resume working with my horses, picking up where I left off.

The break did me some good. I realized last night that I had gotten too competitive with agility, and this was doing the horses and me little good. So I decided to take a non-competitive approach.

Today was my first day back at it. I started out by taking Sassy down to the Playground of Higher Knowledge, and quickly realized she did not want to go without her buddy Swampy. This was odd, given that Swampy is her very aloof goat buddy. But down we all went, the back way.

I had three obstacles on hand for Sassy. I first had her do the dog walk, then I had her get on the table. Lastly, I had her walk over some jump poles that I’d laid on the ground. She hesitated, but quickly got the hang of the dog walk. She had no problem with the table. The poles, well, she paid no attention to her feet. My timing with the clicker has to be right on; I was a little rusty.

I next worked with Shadow. I had her go to the table, walk the dog walk, and go over some jumps. I need to find out where and when she needs to place her feet before moving off the dog walk.

And lastly, I worked with all three mares, first starting with Raudi. I dragged a log round into the arena, and had her right, then her left foot on the round. I figured out that it works best if I am on the side of the foot I want her to plant on the log. This was a huge revelation for me, less so for Raudi.

The downed jump poles required Raudi to give some thought to where she put her rear feet. I got the clicker timing correct, so she quickly became aware of what she had to do. I wanted her to turn on the forehand when her feet were in the hula hoop. I had to settle for her just getting her feet in the center, without stepping on the poles.

Tyra was next, and eager to get out. I did what I did with Raudi and had close to the same results.

And finally, there was Hrimmi, who did not want to put either foot on the stump. I am going to get a different obstacle and chunk things down for her. She is a thinker, and I could see her attempt to figure out what I wanted going through the poles. As with the other two, I need to work with her on putting her front feet in the center of the hula hoop before asking for the turn on the forehand.

I did, in working with all the animals, feel connected. I also understood why they are all so well behaved. I would like to work with them all tomorrow, but it is going to be a busy day in the book world. I am hoping the good weather holds. The ground is ready for snow, but I am not.

Next: 299. 10/31/23: Halloween