Trail wimp

Another eureka moment I had when I came back to horses was the day I realized "I'm a trail wimp".
These moments are hard for us re-riders because ... well there are a lot of them, but this one really hit hard.

I got to my horses one morning with my sister, we were going to take a ride with a dear friend who rides the trails often. I get Red saddled up with a western saddle my sister decides to ride bareback......now I have to say little Fancy the horse my sister was riding was like sitting on a couch she was comfy, so don't feel bad for Gina this was her choice.
Anyway we head out in to the great beyond the wind blowing in our hair.....just a beautiful day and our mounts were fabulous as always.
As I trailed along behind my friend I was sort of day dreaming of days when my body was much younger and I used to race through the "jumping trail" in Bridle trails state park across from our house......yes, I would haul through there with my Thoroughbred jumping everything with precision......wow what a great trail rider I was.
I even went further back to living in up-state NY, I would ride with a neighbor or alone, didn't matter, I was out in those trails bareback most of the time running for glory.......yes those were the days!
Just then I realized they are by far not over...NO.....here I am still riding the trails, YES I am as kick ass as I ever was.....me and my big bay horse.....yup we bad and we know it!

As the ride went on my friend took a small trail off to the left on the logging road.....see I know where that sucker is to this day.......anyway she was scooting along on her very energetic Morgan...beautiful horse and a good trail horse, my sister was coming along behind me on this fun little trail it was rather nice good footing yes I liked it.
Now my big bay horse would take his time but we stayed in fairly close proximity to those in front and behind..........but all of a sudden I looked a head and my friend had vanished......my word she had just vanished.
I called out her name and she called back, I rode a few more feet only to reach the top of a vertical drop.....wholly mother of beat all, there was my friend at the bottom of what looked to be a serious fall off of a cliff.......so of course I yell are you OK....."of course" she says are you coming down........I'm thinking the woman had fallen, she couldn't have pitched herself and her horse off this cliff willingly, could she?
Well yes she had, she had intentionally taken her horse down the cliff and she wanted me to do the same.....good God this was not happening......so she yells up "do you want me to come back up?
For the love of Pete I'm going to have to plunge to my death on my faithful big bay horse just to save face....OH GOD WE"LL DIE!
Now my big bay horse was only 5 years old at the time and the trails were new to him, however he loved heading in to them, he loved these trails.......he was not as perfectly sure footed as the Morgan she is a trail master, but he held his own..........more than anything I trusted him, trusted him to do his very best always.....my sister, well I know she was thinking the same thing I was and yes she was bareback, YIKES.
I stood at the top of the vertical drop I calmly took my reins and hooked them around the saddle horn then I silently said a prayer......at which time I closed my eyes and urged my big bay horse to lunge over the cliff, the big bay horse did take a rather large jump over the edge but then he realized he needed to slide on his butt or he would fall.......well that big bay horse was no fool and he did not want to fall......he also knew I was atop having an out of body experience so I was of no use to him.....he tucked that big butt right down and made his way down the vertical drop with out incident........in fact the only incident was my sisters little gray horse giving out a big buck for joy when they hit the bottom of that cliff my friend calls a hill!
Yes we made it safe and sound, me with white knuckles wrapped around the saddle horn my sister kinda white faced and my dear friend with a look of puzzlement on her face.
Nothing more was said that day about my near death experience.....however I knew at that point that I was a trail wimp.....oh that hurts.....not my big bay horse nope he was brave, just me, I was the trail wimp.
I remain to this day a "trail wimp" not that I don't go out in to them I do, I just have to swallow my pride and let others know.... I am Gerri and I am a trail wimp!

Until next time .....happy trails!

The Bumble Bee halter

When your horse prances out of the barn in a brand new bright yellow halter with black fuzzy covers to make it not only comfy but fashionable, it is obvious to those around you that you are an older woman who is suffering from the early stages of empty nest syndrome.......I like to say it's the re-riders syndrome.

Yes indeed I spent many many years dressing up those little princesses........those days are over and I know it, but that doesn't mean I have to stop, no just change who I dress up and so I have.
I love going to the tack store or the feed store anywhere there are new bright, pretty things to purchase for my horse, I need this, I want to buy a pretty then take it to the barn put it on my horse and beam. However when your horse is at a stable where there are hard working young people who spend the day polishing their horses performance under saddle then throw any old brown halter on their horse, you have to do this on the down low.....which is hard to do when the new pretty looks like a bumble bee.

I recently had a rather embarrassing moment with my horses trainer........I got to the barn to find my horses pretty black halter with little silver horses running on it, broken in to pieces.
I was told that my sweet little mare got very angry at being tied to the wall while others were being worked so she sat down with all the force of a mac truck backing up and broke her pretty.......oh well I said no worries I'll get her another:)
In my mind I was thinking YES a good reason to go buy another pretty, so I did. I found the buy of the month staring right at me it was bright yellow and pretty......but better yet I found the fluffy black comfy halter covers to make it even more comfortable for my sweet mare to sit her extra wide quarter horse rear down and break this one......what a buy.
Except, when I got back to the barn and realized that I wasn't going to live this one down easy, I not only purchased the brightest halter I could find I was rewarding her for breaking her other one. So I had to try and keep it quiet ..... then the moment came when the trainer asked is that Flirts new halter, the one that looks like a bumble bee? Oh lord she was smiling and I know what she was thinking so I used this to my benefit and said no I'm going to use it on White, her horse that had a head injury, he will be comfortable in it.........she knew, oh yes she knew, but that was that White had a comfy new halter, of which he does deserve.......and yes I ran myself back to the tack store and found a bright green pretty with little silver horses on it for that halter breaking sweet girl of mine......and in my car to this day are white fuzzy halter covers which I will put on the NEW pretty I spotted, for the day she graduates from training......oh what fun!

Until next time happy trails, and hold your head high when you ride by the others with all that bling on your horse .... I do!