Soul Magic
TRAIL RIDE
By Nancy J. Leslie
Mark
and I arrived at our cottage in
This
weekend, instead of a standard lesson in the arena, we did one of our favorite
things—went on a trail ride.
We
set out early on Saturday morning. Having ridden many horses at the farm where
she works, I decided, given the choice to take a new horse for my ride. I chose
Buck. Buck is the horse we take on rides with the most inexperienced riders. I
opted for an easy horse to help develop my skills rather than take a tough
horse and have to fight the whole way.
Buck
proved to be a great choice for me. He was easy. He confirmed to me that many
of the problems I had with my training back home aren't necessarily my fault, but
the fault of horses that aren't listening to me. (Not saying that I am completely
without fault, but at least with a well trained horse, he did everything I
asked without hesitation).
Due
to the LARGE bug population this year, we opted to take the dirt roads instead
of the trails thru the woods. Tanya was on a horse she is training, Princess.
We headed out from the farm and had to take to the side of the road when cars
passed. Buck barely noticed the cars and listened each time I asked him to step
away from the road and then back on. He didn't hesitate to cross bridges and
railroad tracks. He didn't stumble over his feet, nor refuse any direction. He
was a perfect gentleman.
We
rode nearly an hour and a half. Finding some interesting cornfield trails, we
got off road into the fields and found some new trails in the woods that lead
to an irrigation ravine. Though we rode thru low branches and sticker trees and
bushes, Buck never faltered. I was re-inspired by my own ability to ride on
various terrains and in unfamiliar territory. It was a beautiful day and a
beautiful ride.
Princess, however, not as agreeable. She got very jumpy when flies landed
on her (they were really big flies) and the rail road tracks were a huge
concern. But with Tanya's expert handling, she learned that not everything is
as scary as it might first appear.
After
being in the woods, it was a nice break to get back out in the field and on the
road away from the monster-sized mosquitoes. Back on the road, we rode side by
side, my cousin and me. We talked about life and our friendship and just the
fact that we have been close our whole lives and this love of horses and
horsemanship is just one more thing we share.
It
was a beautiful ride. The entire weekend was packed with visiting and fun with
my extended family, but our trail ride early on Saturday morning was a very
— © Nancy J. Leslie