I'll tell you all one thing thats for certain, it was cold out today. However I really needed to go for a ride so I bundled up in a toque, scarf, chaps, and warm coat. I hurriedly saddled up Tango, bracing myself against the cold wind. I had felt a moment of guilt when we drove up and found him by himself backed into the horse shelter, he wasn't a big fan of the wind. However he was my horse and I selfishly wanted to go for a ride.
Ready to ride I bailed on and headed for the field. However once we got there I discovered it hadn't been a very wise move on my part. The wind had blown the top layer of snow till it had formed a thin layer of ice. When it was broken it could be proven to be pretty sharp. I thought once or twice about turning back, and that's all Tango was thinking about. But I had set out to go for a ride in that field and I wasn't going to let him think that he could turn around just because he wanted to.
So I did something, that I believe every horse person should know how to do, I made a compromise. I decided I would go to where the fence turned a slight corner, not even the length of half the field, and then I would let Tango turn around.
We were trotting back up the little road to the barn (I know its not a good idea to let horses hurry towards their home however I was feeling a little dangerous today) when I saw my mom's van. Wanting to know why she was back so early I kissed Tango into a lope and discovered I had a bit of a problem.
One of my stirrups was a little too long so my balance was thrown off. This along with the fact that I have never really been good at loping in a straight line made the ride a little bit uncomfortable. My legs were flailing here, there, and everywhere and I felt like I was about to pop out of the saddle and land on the ground where my horse had been just a few moments before.
Finally I achieved enough balance to sit down in the saddle and get Tango to stop without having to reef on his face (I really do hate pulling on my horse's mouth). He stopped and I got off to fix the stirrup. Once it was fixed I quickly baled back on, applied slight pressure with my leg and enjoyed a rollback that any cowgirl would be proud of. Then we were off again. Once I reached the end of the lane by the grain bins I said whoa and to my surprise, and slight horror Tango had found himself a patch of ice and slid for a couple of feet before finding enough traction to complete stop.
After he had steadied himself he very enthusiastically executed another roll back only to put his head down and race back towards the barn. He was maybe a bit too happy to be going back to the barn for my taste so I slowed him down a bit and then eased him into a perky trot. After a few circles he was happy to stand.
Exhilerated and only slightly numb from the cold I hopped off. Since we were just a little ways from the barn door I pulled the saddle right off, threw it over my shoulder and told Tango to follow me. He waited patiently while I put the saddle away. Coming back out I took his headstall off and opened the gate for him. "Okay Tango off you go." I told him, expecting him to be pushing past me to get back to his shelter, protected from the bitter wind. But nooooo, what does that smart alecky horse do? He reaches out, grabs the gate in his lips and swings it shut.
Well I laughed, I was surprised that he wanted to stay with me, even go for a longer ride. With a smile I lovingly stroked his neck before wrapping his reins around it and leading him back into his pen. I gave him a few sugar cubes which he enjoyed immensely. He licked his lips in pleasure and I rolled my eyes after he nodded a yes to my question of whether or not he liked them. Sometimes I swear that horse can understand me.
So I just gotta say a big THANK YOU to Paige and her Papa Bruce for giving me the best horse I could ask for, a horse with a big ol' attitude to match mine. :)
