And a lot of times, with pictures of her with her babies, too. They're so cute - I couldn't take ENOUGH pictures (OK, a lot of people would say I took too many).

http://www.cafepress.com/johanniter

Oh, and the proceeds of any products you buy from this shop go to fund the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I pride myself in how wonderfully agreeable and compliant and angelic and loving my little Indigo is. I puff up with pride and declare that Indy is as even-tempered as any gelding, and that she is never "marish."

Now, to be brutally honest, I need to amend that to "almost never marish." Because while 90% of the time Indy is extraordinarily consistent, I have discovered a pattern with her over the years. For about a month in the spring, as she's going through her "transitional cycle" from winter anestrous into spring and summer seasons, her other personality - sometimes several of them - crash the party.

I've always been a defender of mares - I love their sensitivity, I love bonding with them, I love that once you have that connection, it's a true partnership. And I've never been bothered by their natural habit of cycling all spring, summer, and fall. In fact, many years of breeding have made me truly appreciate regularly cycling mares!

Indy is the poster-child for all that's good about mares. People see her at shows, around the barn, wherever, and I hear, "I can't believe she's a mare." "She's so sweet" "She's so good." "She's so not-marish." Totally true. For about 11 months out of the year.

I've owned Indy since she was born, so I've known her for her entire life. She was my premium broodmare before she was my riding horse, and I have been aware, since we first started breeding her as a three-year-old, that she goes through a pretty annoying transitional cycle - many, if not most, mares do. It's just the way God wired them. And from the breeding standpoint, it was easy to deal with. I just didn't fool around with Indy's transitional cycle. The one time I did try to breed her on that cycle, she didn't conceive - a very expensive "dry run" when dealing with frozen semen and all of its associated costs.

So, it wasn't until I got out of breeding and Indy changed careers from broodmare to riding horse that her annual transitional cycle took on new meaning for me. While I still recognize it as a very normal and natural part of any mare's reproductive life, it's not so easy for me to ignore it - because now Indy's not just standing out in the pasture making eyes at the stallion on the other side of the fence. Now I'm riding her, and this changes everything.

During Indy's transitional cycle, her even temperament is top-dressed with anxiety and impatience. She is intolerant, touchy, and becomes as distractible as a two-year-old (baby horse or human child, take your pick). Our walk-to-canter transitions become bucking transitions. When I ask for medium or extended gaits, I never know if that's what I'll get, or if Indy will respond to my request by pinning her ears and sucking back. It's a crapshoot what I'll be riding, not only from ride-to-ride, but within any given ride.

This spring we made our debut at 2nd level at the March Lake Erie College Dressage show - and unfortunately, the show happened to fall during Indy's transitional cycle. It is an understatement to say that we did not have a stellar 2nd level experience. Did you know that it actually IS possible to get a zero on a movement? Indy and I are living proof that if you totally do not perform the movement (say, a walk-to-canter transition), you can, in fact, receive a zero.

The bright side is, I'm very fortunate with Indy, because I know her M.O. - she's marish during her transitional cycle in March and/or early April, then she's a steady-Eddie for the rest of the year, in heat or not. If I can just ride out (literally and figuratively) the transitional cycle, then I know we're good to go.

It's early April as I write this%u2026 and Indy is in heat. Again, or still%u2026 I'm not sure which. I suppose I could have the vet out and see if we can tweak her hormones and settle her moods - but I'd really rather not. For one thing, I'm cheap - and hormones are not. But secondly, I have so little to complain about with Indy that I figure she's entitled to her bouts of being a horse and that I should just suck it up.

So, what's a quasi-dedicated but not ruthlessly driven adult amateur rider to do when the spring heebie-jeebies pounce on her mare? Maybe next year I'll try a different approach with Indy during the early spring. Maybe she can just hang out at the farm, and I'll go to Florida for four or six weeks. As that delightful scenario is (regrettably) extremely unlikely under any circumstances, more likely, I will modify my approach to training. If we're going to be showing, I really don't want to leave Indigo idle for March or April while she transitions from her winter anestrous into her seasonal cycle. But I may avoid showing - and maybe even riding - during that time.

Maybe I'll try some other training modality - like longeing, or long-lining - because I'm just too old and too chicken to take up saddle bronc riding.