When we got to the farm, Dee and Margaret were busy finishing their chores, so Mom and I pitched in and helped clean horse poop out of the front pasture. It didn't take us too long. It's physical work, of course, but it doesn't smell bad--horse poop is way more organic than the stuff I regularly scoop out of the litter boxes at home.
We helped groom the horses we would be riding. Margaret would ride Eddie, Dee would ride Buck, and Mom and I could choose between Zulu and Doc (a newbie to the farm). Mom ended up on Doc, leaving me with Zulu, a dark Morgan who is a total gentleman.
Dee always wears a helmet, and she requires everyone else to, as well, for safety reasons. No problem! I'm happy to protect my noggin. I'm not afraid of horses, but I have a healthy respect for what can happen. As Margaret said, "Some people say, 'Oh, my horse is bomb-proof.' There's no such thing."
Doc has these stylin' Mary Jane boots...
...and a handsome face.
Buddy watches the proceedings, bummed that he can't go along with us.
Buck waits patiently
Doc takes the bit
Zulu (left) and Eddie (right) are ready to roll.
The view from Zulu's back
Mom on Doc, ready to go.
We set off for a nearby trail. We had to ride along the road for a few minutes, which was nerve-wracking for me, but Zulu's a pro. He wasn't phased by passing cars at all.
The first few minutes of the ride were a little uncertain. The last time I was on a horse, I was fifteen--half my life ago! That was a trail ride at Bryce Canyon, and those horses were trained to follow the leader. Zulu, while a gentleman, is used to being ridden by someone who at least knows what commands to give.
I got a crash course from Margaret. To stop him, sit back in the saddle and push forward with my feet, saying "Whoa." Pulling too much on the reins would make him back up. I could give him a loose rein, but it won't hurt him to pull back when he decides to munch on the trail!
The best part was definitely the trail, which is gorgeous. Northern California is beautiful in its way. In another few weeks, this will all be brown and yellow from the heat, so I enjoyed the flowers and green while it's there. There were tons of birds, and I could hear woodpeckers in the distance. Fortunately, we ran into no snakes, and no rabbits darting out under the horses' feet.
Another view from Zulu:
I started getting into my stride. Zulu likes to keep up near the lead horse, so he would trot from time to time. The first time, it surprised me, but I didn't panic. I just pulled him back to a walk. He and Doc had Mom and I in stitches, reaching out as we walked along to grab a mouthfull of grass to munch on. Every time we stopped to get everyone back together, Zu's head would go down to the ground to munch.
We were out for about an hour. It was a lovely ride, and I'm pleased to report that I'm not even sore today!
1 comment:
Sigh. I miss Cali!
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