Happy Horsewarming

   Today Ginny invited me out to her house to meet Lee & her mom, and the two horses they've recently acquired. (And bonus: I got to meet Dawn, too. Hi Dawn!) They treated me to Chinese food. Mmm...
   Being the huge dork that I am & not being able to resist a bad pun, I created the wine label above to give to them (on a bottle of wine, of course). The look on Ginny's face when she opened it was priceless! Just yesterday she had described her horses like this: Whisper would speak in an aristocratic British accent, and Bud would say, "Dude."
   While I was there, Ginny & her mom took me to Abby Road Farm, where Whisper is being boarded until their new barn is built at their home. Abby Road has a large, beautiful barn with stalls for dozens of horses and several pastures.

One of Whisper's buddies. Horses look funny up close!

Ginny & Mom brushing Whisper:

Whisper is a sleek, beautiful horse with a smooth gait, moving effortlessly:

The training arena:

   Bud, a quarter horse/Pasa Fino cross (if I remember correctly) was already in the paddock right behind their house. I haven't spent much time around horses, but he seemed especially friendly & curious about people, a really good-natured horse! He came right up to the fence & greeted us. He tugged on our sleeves & chomped on my shoe. Then we outfitted him for a ride. Ginny's mom went first, to test out the new bit in his mouth & make sure Bud was comfortable.

Then it was my turn. (No, I didn't ride into the house!)

   I rode up & down the front yard, then moved on to the large pasture in the back. What we didn't know was that the longer that bit was in Bud's mouth, the more it was bothering him.

   Without much warning he took off with me on his back. I knew I was helpless since he was no longer following my direction, but I hoped Bud didn't know. (Bud totally knew.) I pulled on the reins to try to turn him, hoping it would slow him down. Instead, he turned on a dime in a split second, sending my legs flying out of the stirrups & nearly throwing me off his back entirely! I did my best to stay brave for the sake of the horse and went around the pasture again. And again Bud charged up the hill, spun around and nearly ousted me. At once exhilarating and terrifying, I'd had enough adventure before long.

Bud received a stern talking-to from Lee:

   Ginny's mom, a much more experienced rider, got back on to see what she could do. At first, things went well:

   But Bud was thinking, "What part of my message isn't coming through? I'M DONE WITH THIS BIT!!" and he reared up as if to underscore it. So we ended the ride for the day, with no one worse for wear. (Except possibly my hand & arm, from the death grip I had on the saddle horn!)
   The lesson for me is that this is a very powerful animal, and no matter how good-natured, all animals can be unpredictable at times. So you have to pay careful attention to their body language, and be as prepared as possible for any surprises. Which for me, might wisely include riding lessons.  ; )
   And a funny followup email I received from Ginny on Monday (while I was out at an all-day class): "...just about everyone on your staff has come up to me today and told me that they heard I tried to kill their boss, and that they were impressed with your mad riding skills. :) Hope it was still more fun than scary!" It was. That which does not kill you makes you stronger. And that which almost kills you makes you appreciate being alive!

    Joan visited Ginny & Bud soon after, and "worked" with him (at least, I assume she's doing something productive here), and this was Dave's comment: "Joan pushing that poor horse made me think of this:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cDfnQD0ws