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Pinch Me…No Wait. Don’t

roamingridersite

If this is a dream, please do not wake me. Sunday was hands down the best day I’ve had in months. Maybe a year.

Wait…who’s brown butt is that???

The sun was shining. There wasn’t a cloud in sky. Temperatures rose to almost 70F and this happened:

Gem was umm…less than enthused when I grabbed her from the pasture, groomed and tacked then loaded her up. She did not agree that retirement was over.

I’m not even sure how this came about. One minute I was talking to Dusty while scooping horse poop out of the stalls and the next Wyatt is asking to go on a trail ride on Gem.

This big guy is slowly breaking my own walls down and teaching me to trust

Um..I think it took me all of 15 seconds to hatch a plan to make that work. The next day we were loaded up and heading to my favorite trail system with my favorite bay mare and blonde boy.

She looks good in blue stars

For the first time in my life, I hauled the horses tacked up. It seemed the smartest thing to do rather than fuss with them at the trail head in opposite sides of the trailer. It worked out fine and we were unloaded and mounted up quickly.

Life is different through this set of ears but I’m learning to love it for what it is

Before I knew it we were both mounted and walking down the hill to enter the woods. I chose the grey trail, which isn’t one I typically use, because it is mostly a very wide gravel access road. This way Dusty could easily lead Gem without worry of being stepped on.

Letting the pro show him the ropes over the scary bridge

And everything just went…perfectly.

Happy ears and an eager to explore attitude. Two great traits in a trail horse

H’Appy generally likes to lead but he is still inexperienced on the trail and had two instances when he just said he couldn’t handle it: over the entry metal bridge and again at the hairy creek crossing. Both times Gem quietly took the lead and maneuvered through the obstacle with her head low and teeny tiny strides.

No better view than my sons back on my favorite mare out i

If it was possible, Gem made me lover her even more on this slow two mile ride. She was a saint. All her typical spooky behavior, her need to go always faster, he hatred of mud and water, it was all gone. She knew Wyatt was on her and was a newbie. She walked through ankle deep mud that, had I been on her back, she would have either forced me to bushwhack around or would have jumped over. Not for Wyatt. She was so amazing. I can’t even describe how it felt watching her take such good care of him.

Wishing I always had this behind me on the trail

H’Appy did pretty excellent himself. He led most of the way up the steep hill on the way out. He made me laugh as he would be walking forward all eager and then would look back at Gem like “Are you coming? Move it! There is so much to see!!”

Coming back down he was happier to follow. I don’t think he wanted to turn around though

You see, while Gem is a killer endurance machine and ate that 100 miler for breakfast, she walks at a whopping 1 mph pace. Honestly. No joke. I walk faster than she does. It made endurance tricky as I could never give her walk breaks. She either trotted or stopped to eat otherwise we wouldn’t make time. H’Appy has a solid 4 mph walk without trying and I can get him walking at 5 mph if I push. Gem had zero intentions of keeping up with that.

Excuse me but does the Appy make my butt look big?

Once we made it up the hill, Wyatt declared that he wanted to turn around. We were one mike out and that’s about as far as I figured he would get. He is six, horses aren’t his go to and walking it boring. But he had a smile on his face the entire time and had fun and that was what was important.

My heart was so full

We turned around, much to the dismay of H’Appy who desperately wanted to see what was around the next corner, and made our way back down the hill towards the trailer.

The look I wanted at the end.

We ended back at the trailer with three very happy people and two well behaved horses who never put a hoof wrong. My heart was about to burst with happiness.

These three making dreams come true for me

I can’t imagine having more fun riding with anyone else no matter the pace, distance or location. Wyatt tackled two bridges, a creek crossing and deep sticky mud and smiled the entire time. He asked if he could do an endurance ride with me and while Dusty is more than up for jogging alongside for 25 miles, he would have to get comfortable trotting to make it work. Maybe in time. For now, I have no plans and no schemes. If he never rides again I’d still be happy to have had this one trail ride with all my loves involved.

Published by roamingridersite

37 thoughts on “Pinch Me…No Wait. Don’t”

  1. So much love!
    My good mare Princess Buttercup walked slower than me too, so if we were walking, I was on the ground dragging her along. Her legs were shorter than mine!

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  3. aw ❤ ❤ this was the absolute perfect thing to sit down with my coffee and read on this cold monday morning. what a perfect day with your whole family!

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    1. It really was. Both horses stepped up to the plate and were well behaved. The kiddo was brave and patient. Even the husband didn’t complain while hiking through ankle deep mud. Couldn’t ask for a better time.

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    1. Gem wasn’t particularly enthused with the process but I think once she realized she was only going for a walk for a couple of miles she settled into the new job and performed foot perfect. I know mares get a bad rap, but she is worth her weight in gold x100

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    1. Dusty was laughing and said to me half way through “you know if it was you on her she’d have spooked a dozen times, flipped you the bird and raced off at the first opportunity” Yup, thats my Gemmiecakes and the reason she now has the job of getting fat and carting Wyatt around.

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    1. I’ve never tried to pony Gem, though I’m sure she’d be fine with it. The issue is that H’Appy isn’t experienced enough on trail for me to attempt it. He needed Gem’s lead over the creek and the bridge and I don’t need him refusing anything while Wyatt is sitting on Gem. Plus, having Dusty there helps Wyatt’s confidence. He isn’t super brave and this was a BIG DEAL for him to ask and do. I woulnd not trust H’Appy at all to be ponied from Gem with Wyatt on him. Nope.

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  11. I Literally clicked the like button five times in a row trying to like it more (It only unliked it then liked it again LOL). YAY so much fun! What a great day and what great company! SO COOL I hope Wyatt wants to do it again sometime!

    And no that appy butt does not make your butt look big 🙂 HA!

    I always haul tacked up (or I did for short distances) because Remus can be such a goober tied up at the trailer (literally he is on the trailer all the time till it is time for me to ride then he goes back in while we wait at shows!! I just bridle him when I get wherever i am going. I even hauled him to the show in October tacked up.and it was a farther ride. just easier!!

    YAY Again!! And give Dusty a hug for me, what a guy (tho Mark did offer to walk Tate if I wanted to ride Remus….um..no LOL)

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      1. Pete does fine. He is used to me carting Gemmie all over creation even overnight and leaving him behind. He screams like a girl for a bit then settles in. Always meets her at the gate when she gets back home.

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