for the bruising

yesterday I was working with this incredibly pushy unmannered heathen of a mare. this mare will walk right over the top of you, and she is known to rear under saddle when pushed to do something she doesn't want to do. the babies that I have been working with are both apt little pupils that have mastered the fine art of being groomed (being touched ANYWHERE I want), feet picked out, leading, and longing for respect. since they are now in maintainance training, I turned my attention to the two mares in the field.

anywhoo, this bone-headed mare took quite a bit of time to figure out that walking into me always ended up with her running her face into my elbow, a fist, or even the handle of the whip. ya think she'd get it the first few times, but no. it's kind of upsetting to have to whack a horse (remember, it's done so she thinks she's run into it) in the head, but the situation is rather dangerous. well, by the end of the session, she finally figured it out. we'll see how much she forgets when we do it all again today.

during the course of working with this mare, I apparently hit something quite hard with my left ring finger because it was hurting quite a bit. by the time I got to my car, the swelling was noticible. this is where my favorite product endorsement comes in....Arnica Montana gel is THE best thing for any kind of bruising or swelling on your body. I put it on twice before bed last night and woke up this morning with a noticible "ring" of bruising where I hadn't applied the gel. I also used this product after I had ACL reconstructive surgery on my knee and completely stunned my surgeon with how quickly I was able to reduce the swelling and bruising of my knee.

when you work around horses or are just accident prone like myself, I strongly recommend ya'll try this gel (and no, I'm not working for the company). you can find it at a health food grocery store or on the web. the actual brand I use is called Arnicaflora, but the active ingredient is arnica montana. the only word of caution I have is that you CANNOT put it on broken skin. you can put it right up to the edge, but it is not for open wounds.


and for those of you interested in my job hunt, the high school that never bothered to call me back after I repeatedly called/emailed/went in finally called me back yesterday. I am waiting to hear back from them for an interview time on Thursday. and no, I will not use a longe whip on the children (even though it is highly tempting!)