Misty Blue Lucky Star

 

 

 

Labor Day Ride at Pleasant Grove                9/7/09

 

I know that at some points Marie struggles with what, to her, is my new found obsession with riding my horse.  I suspect that a lot of non horse folks have the same quandary over what drives those of us who love to ride.  In my youth I mostly preferred to ride alone.  Indestructible, infallible, supremely confident, adventurous loner.  In my old age I prefer to ride with someone else.  I enjoy the company, but also know by too much experience all the evil things that can happen.  But my joy at riding is as high as it was the first time my daddy sat me on a pony.  Maybe even greater.  Riding what I think can be this great young horse, that I am so fortunate to have, makes it only sweeter.

 

Coleen Leahy came through with another beautiful day for riding.  Cloudy and mild and the rain held off till after dark and after I had passed out on the sofa.

 

The day started out for me pretty miserably.  I woke up having one of those days.  My sugar was a bit out of whack and I was ravenous.  Trying to eat enough to settle the queasy stomach and shakiness that accompanies that and not overeat is tough for me.    I ate a good breakfast but still felt awful.  I laid down for another half hour and went to sleep and then overslept a few minutes.  Then when I went out Perkins decided that he didn't want to go and didn't want to load.  I fooled with him for a half an hour before he finally decided okay and stepped up into the trailer.  Have no idea what was bugging him.  Probably jealous over all the press the mare is getting.  Went and got her and she hoped right in and we were off.

 

Then my sinus condition kicked in and I spent the next twenty minutes in choking spasms and hacking and coughing.  Had to pull over and stop at one point.  Almost called Jessee to say I just was not up to it but I had been looking forward to this for weeks now.  Still Hungry and shaky, and now coughing and hacking, and now late, I called Jessee to tell him I was on the way and asked him to stop and pick me up a biscuit or something. 

 

By the time I met him my sinuses were better and the biscuit and gatorade he had got me turned the corner on my other problems.   We proceeded to Pleasant Grove and better things.

 

Got the horses out and Star Baby had obviously had a comfortable night.  She had straw all in her mane and big splotches of Manure where she had sacked out in the big stall.  Never did get all the stains off of her.  We finally got everyone clean as we could and got tacked and got the boots on.  Star Baby had worn hers around the farm one day but this was a first trip with them.  got mounted and she was eager to go, but very controllable.  We walked around a bit and then she settled down and waited patiently for the group to assemble.  We went out with a group of seven or eight other folks, Including Flash and Jo McCullin, John and Jennifer Duffy, and Herman and Sissy Updike and a few other folks whose names I can not recall.  On and off we were also in the  company of Joe and Tracy Stanek and their little Spanish Mustangs.

 

I was again very proud of my girl.

 

We learned how to cross streams.  She has little problem with water, but she does not like to step in sinky mud churned up by the other horses.  The first stream I had to get off and lead her across.  I walked across and she flew over it.  A fourteen hundred lb horse in the air and coming at you can make even an old man step quickly.  Then I had to find an impromptu mounting block to get myself back to the top.  The next stream she followed Jennifer Duffy's horse into the stream and right across.  When we got to the River she went right in and we went out to not quite belly deep.  She stepped into a deeper pool and got a little perturbed but came right back to me.  Just a little dancy.

 

By the last stream it had gotten to be routine.  But the last one had mud again.  I felt her gather and knew we were going to fly and we did.  Jessee said the jump looked just as big as it felt.

 

These trails were much more challenging than the ones at Petersburg.  The terrain was more rugged with lots of up and down and closer trails where knees and trees had to be monitored.  There was one place where the trail hugged a steep drop off and Jessee said that Perkins had a serious slip and that Jessee's right foot in the stirrup touched the ground.  Fortunately they recovered and did not go down the steep hill.  Star Baby performed flawlessly through there.  

 

We did a lot of trotting and Jessee was riding my half synthetic saddle with the high cantle on Perkins and had a much better ride.  Someone with a GPS told Jessee that we covered about seven miles.  The last mile or so Star Baby had gotten pretty tired.  So we held to a walk and let the group ride on away from us.  Naturally we took a wrong turn and  took the scenic route back to the parking area but we arrived in due time and enjoyed another nice pot luck lunch and good companionship.

 

Did discover that Star Baby does not like others too close to her butt.  she kicked hard at Herman's horse but missed.  Jessse said she kicked another horse that passed us on the trail and I never even knew she raised a foot other than to travel on.  Guess I got to invest in some red ribbon.

 

Jessee again had the camera so no photos of him or Perkins other than Perkins ears in the center photo below.  Star Baby and I are in the middle of the group on the left photo.  More evidence of why I need a big horse.  In the right photo John Duffy crosses over a small stream and heads up a big hill.

 

By the end of the day I was feeling great.  Another hundred miles and this mare is going to be fantastic.  She has a good mind and learns well and just needs experience and getting back into shape.  Donnie had her in good shape, but I just have not had the time to ride her as much as she needs riding.  She has gotten fat and soft again.  going to try to do better about making more time to ride her around the farm.  But she just hates doing ring work.  Loves to get out and go.  I Almost forgot that while Jessee and I were alone and we rode within forty feet of a couple of deer.  Star Baby watched them but was unfazed.  She did do a pretty big spook at a piece of silt fence in some weeds in an open area, but then most of the other horses did as well.