Okay as I eluded to on the last blog, I came off AGAIN. This is my third time this year. And my fourth time in 4 years…. So frankly I think I’m done! Yesterday I wanted to ride very badly, but I also wanted to decorate the outside of our house very badly, and the bf wanted to spend time with me very badly… so that leaves little time for a really good ride. So after pruning some trees of their folage, I was dressed in my smoking hot horsey gumboots (my newest favorite thing to wear), my cracker pants, and a thermal jacket. That seemed perfectly fitting for a trail ride. Once I got to the barn, I knew I did NOT want to saddle up my horse to ride in this Deliverance looking outfit. So I got my horse, took off his blankets, threw on the light blanket I use to cool him out in (and we are talking blanket, no straps or buckles) I contiplated even not bridling up and using his halter with a couple of lead ropes – but that’s a bit too over the edge of hickdom. So I put on his hunter bridle, so no figure 8 or slow twist, something easy for him also. I looked at my helmet, and thought – ah screw it, I’m only going around the quick loop, and I am wearing my baseball cap. So I pulled him up to the edge of the fence, because bareback of course there is no way I’m getting on from a mounting block. And off we went.
Now the loop I’m talking about is probably 1 – 2 km around, and its mostly cut trail, little small incline work, but really it’s the loop we do for green horses, or to cool horses out. All fenced in, no heavy trees for cougars, no cows. As I trotted – yes I trotted bareback up the inclines, I thought, damn this is great. It felt like I was back at 13 years old again and just hopping on my QH, Spooky and tearing up the field at a full gallop, bareback, no bridle, no helmet, and usually in flip flops… typical teenage horse loving girl. I was able to work on my heel down/toes up and forward, feeling him on his sides… and for the first time ever, it just took a little flexition in my calf muscle and he would break into a slow trot… it was wonderful. I was ever cautious that there were deer all around us, and that I didn’t want him to bolt. So I kept my eyes and ears open. Then I totally relaxed, he relaxed and I rode, with my pinky holding the reins at the buckle… just feeling all carefree and at ease. We were coming around the hill, about ¾ of the way around, just about at the corner you take before you can see the barn again. And to my left I notice 7 or 8 deer, and they were all staring me down – I stopped Oz, again, just holding on at the buckle, and leaned forward to tap him on his left cheek so that he would see the deer to his left. I wanted him to be prepped for when they took off, which they looked like they were going to do. I sat back looking at them, and Oz turned his head to look at him, when out of the ravine to our right did a flock of birds come flying out. Deers exit stage left, birds exit stage up, and Ozzy spooked from the evil killer birds, (think they were chickadee-ya-to-deaths) taking a deep body moving step left. At which point the blanket I had been sitting on started to slight right. And I completely not expecting any of this… first thought was OH SH**, second thought was I’m not wearing my helmet, and my third thought was GRAB MANE GRAB MANE… But by the time the third thought came to me I was bouncing on my back on the ground, still holding onto the reins, so thus pulling on Ozzys mouth and making him take a step forward so that he’s standing on my heel. So there I lied in the slightly snow covered ground (not enough to cushion my fall, only enough to get me wet), thinking damn this is going to hurt in the morning, and if Oz doesn’t get off my heel soon – I’m pretty sure he’s going to break it. And of course because he was standing on the inside side of my heel, it made shifting to sit up to push him off that much more difficult, and as he really looked REALLY tall at that point, I got nervous thinking he would bolt again and step on me further, so I finally pushed him off my foot, and crawled to my feet. At which point, he thought, well mums good so I’m going to munch on the tall wild grass.
I wasn’t too sure who I was more mad at, Ozzy for being a spook, for me for riding with no helmet and no tack, or the damn birds for making this all happen. But I was mad, I think more at the thought of what do I do now? I could walk down to the barn with him, but that’s not really what I want my horse to walk away thinking is acceptable. So about 500 feet away I see a big rock, so off we go to it, I climb aboard it, and think, now if he steps to the side while I’m trying to get on, I’m going to fall and smash my head open. And its not like he’s used to me ever riding or climbing on him bareback, as this was probably the second time in his life that I’ve done this ever with him. But I got on, wrapped my legs firmly around him, took a feel of the rein and off we walked to home. There were no problems after that, and really it was my own fault for not being prepared. Had I been sitting in the saddle, I probably wouldn’t have felt anything at all, and even with a proper bareback pad, it has the OH SH** handle in the front I could have grabbed onto for support.
Thus my body is aching today, feeling every bit of my age in every muscle in my back and neck. But have I learned my lesson – um no…. looking forward to my next adventure bareback again! Although I will wear my helmet and not ride so much on the buckle.