Owen Lies.

Given how discouraged I was after yesterday's ride, it took tremendous effort for me to force myself into the saddle after work today.  But today's Owen was not yesterday's Owen!  Owen got several lines of tempis on the first try, with very little fuss or effort.  Yes, he did get a little worked up from time to time, but all it took was a gentle halt and a neck scratch to calm him sufficiently to resume work.  In fact, he was so well behaved with every movement that I schooled fewer than 15 minutes before heading out onto the trails. 

What is so remarkable is that 1.  it was cold and windy out and 2.  my neighbor was target shooting the entire time.  I suppose Owen is in a more cheerful mood since the weather cleared and he was able to be out for most of the day....in fact, he was out flat snoozing in the sun when I got to the farm.  Or maybe Owen has a blog app that let him read yesterday's post, alerting him to the fact that his current employment was in jeopardy.

Either way, I'm not complaining.  But sorry, Jeannie...you'll have to wait a bit longer.

On a tangentially related note, I'm currently reading a science book called, "The End of Evolution; On Mass Extinction and the Preservation of Biodiversity" by paleontologist Peter Ward.  In discussing the climatic end of the remaining dinosaurs 65 million years ago and the subsequent rise and radiation of the mammals he writes,

 "One of the earliest groups of carnivores evolved from hoofed herbivores; there is no modern analog to these giant, hooved predators.  Imagine a large carnivorous horse chasing after you, snorting and smacking long pointed teeth.  Sugar cubes, apples, and saddles would be inappropriate."

Clearly, the good doctor has never met Owen!