fancy a trail ride?

Oh please, I do. Each week it seems that I'm promised that next week I'll be on my way to trail riding, but it hasn't happened yet. Arrived at the stables just before ten Saturday morning and saw folks atop horses making their way toward the trail. I was left behind.

Chico

Chico*** was saddled up, and my instructor told me to mount up, try him out, see how I liked riding him. We walked around the barnyard a bit and then instructor opened a gate and told me to go uphill and ride Chico around in the open to see how we liked each other.

up close and Chico

I liked him. He was fine. Except for wanting to stop and eat grass. But I was warned about that. We fought over whether he would eat grass or not. My patience wore thin. I resisted with my reins and bit more and more until he figured out that he was done for. At one point I was certain I'd fly over his head and tumble to the ground because he stopped so abruptly for another chaw of grass. Caught myself in the nick of time. Also got to wear the spurs again. Trouble with Chico is that he's lazy and just wants to eat. Most horses are that way. He's an eight year old gelding. Probably a paint? I'm so bad about horse identification. What breed? And names? They're beginning to not all look the same to me.

No-Name

Last week I rode a black horse with no name***.  He's boarding there while my instructor teaches him the subtleties of responding to reins instead of the bit. Jules, the horse I started learning to ride on, was trained in that manner, and so guiding him with the reins instead of the bit came natural to me. And when I rode the black horse, it was all bit. He was full of energy. He got antsy once when dogs started barking. And, we skidded going downhill because the ground was slippery and he lost his footing. I tried remaining calm, and it worked. But I was constantly "whoaing" and pulling back on the bit. He was spunky and ready for a ride because he's not ridden as much as the other horses.

Becky the barn cat

It's simple. I'm not out riding trails because my instructor doesn't feel that he's found the right horse for me. We had a discussion about it, actually. He asked me if I liked "this horse," meaning Chico. And yes, of course, I like Chico. He's one of the first horses I groomed, and I always bring him a treat of apples, carrots, or apple/oat treats (like dog biscuits but shaped like a great big bean). I'm more comfortable with him. I told my instructor that the black horse has a mean spirit to him. He didn't agree, had seen no evidence of that, but doesn't like him just the same.

A. feeds Dually a carrot

One time I was grooming Dually*** and No-Name was stalled next to him. No-Name was jealous of the attention I showed Dually, for he tried to bite poor, sweet Dually. Then, another time, actually on Saturday, after I groomed Chico, I came around to feed Chico an apple or carrot, and No-Name raised up and tried to knock Chico around with his hooves and/or bite Chico. I'm sure that a lot of the problem is that No-Name is new there and doesn't know his place yet. Or maybe it's like I said, he's mean spirited.

Bingo was his name-o!

This coming Saturday I won't be riding at all; there's an event that horses and trainers are attending. That's okay. A high of 86 and isolated thunder storms. I won't have to worry about it raining. Maybe that will give me a chance to concentrate on knitting or sewing or quilting since I've let all those interests fall by the wayside what with all my constant reading (five books this weekend!).

Poco's eyelashes

Even though I won't be riding Saturday, I'll likely be at the stables two or three more times this week. Went yesterday and groomed my poor, sweet Dually. He's in his mid-twenties and you can see every rib poking out. His hair is so coarse and thick that I can groom him for an hour and the horse hair still flies. He had rolled in mud and was such a mess to comb out.

***Did I mention that Chico & the Man was my favorite television show? Okay, one of my favorites along with Charlie's Angels, Facts of Life, Little House on the Prairie, and Brady Bunch.

***America's "Horse with no name" is "our" song. When Ian was in college he worked at the radio station and always played it once during his shift. My Dad played America for me when I was young. We tried other "our songs" but we liked none so well as "Horse with no name."

***Horse names are never quite what they seem. Jules is actually Jewells. Dooley is really Dually. And, it's likely that Chico is something else.