July 1955 School Magazine

July. 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July. 1955

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

The following- morning- we baqqed her. In this process baqs are thrown around the horse, while she is tied securely by a halter to a rail. Amidst dust and confusion she was terrified at first but she became used to the baqs and stood warily as I threw them from my position on the top rail. The following- afternoon I was to ride her in the yard. That afternoon instead of a halter, Dad used a bridle. The taste of a bit was entirely new to Flicka, who resented the piece of cold steel in her mouth very much and showed us so l::y continually tryinq to force it out from behind her teeth. 'Next morning- the test came. She had been so quiet with all these stranqe thinqs, that Dad was somewhat afraid that she would make it very difficult for me. After brinqinq forth the saddle, Dad walked towards her with it over his left arm. She snorted, as he expected, but was much more indiqnant when she found that it was to qo on her back and that the crupper was to be firmly placed under her tail. It was finally secured and Dad handed her over to me. Feeling- rather scared, as she was now rooting-, I placed the reins over her head, my foot in the stirrup and swunq myself Gp. Before there was time to put my other foot in the stirrup, she had her head dawn and was doinq her first piece of out- right bucking. Once on her I felt better but it took a great deal of strength to sit her through her first protest. It was just as Dad had expected and half feared. She had gently gone through the other ordeals but this was her last and most furious attempt to regain her freedom from the domina- tion of man. When she had finished her first round, I steadily dis- mounted and, feeling quite shaky and stiff, stumbled towards the rails, Flicka following me. Dad quite firmly said I had done as much as I was going to for the first day and I thankfully but slowly climbed the hill to tell mother of the conquest. ~Janette Westaway, IV E.

"people's day." This day is usually spent with the family at a picnic or something- like that, but they will not be able to qo swimming-, as the weather is freezing- cold durinq that time in China. After that, the men start work- aqain, while children are still on their holidays, but they will never forqet the haPBY hours of those New Year days. To the Chinese people, New Year's day is as important as Christmas Day to Europeans. ~Julie Wonq, IV F. BREAKING IN A HORSE. One of my most vivid memories is of the occasion when my father and I broke in my filly . Dad had waited until the Christmas holidays began so that l could ride her myself, his weight b e ing far too much for my thirteen-hand pony. The filly, Flicka, was a pretty little thing, a bay with a wh ite blaze down ,her forehead. On the first day, we introduced Flicka to some of the more common noises to which she would have to become accus- tomed, such as the jangling of a bit, the noise made by rails being lifted into position, the crack of a whip, the yells heard in the yards and the bark of a dog. The latter noise was hard to make as our old cattle dog needed a great deal of encourage- ment. Soon we had Flicka standing rather stiffly, but trembling all over, as we went through the procedure of noise making. After watering her we left her to spend the night in a small. paddock near the yards. Next day,. we began to wander about in the yard with her. At first she would race to the opposite side of the yard but soon became used to us . In the afternoon we decided that it was time to halter her. The new rope halter had been thrown over the rail of the round yard which, mainly for decoration and shade, has· a mass of green vine at the top, forming a roof. Slowly Dad walked towards the filly and bringing his hand up to her mane caught her firmly with the rope. When the rope tightened we suddenly found her pulling away. However, she could not go very far as the halter was not very long. Finally, after some .struggling she gave in and walked quietly up to Dad.

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