This is going to get boring, fast

Not for me, but this blog will get rather repetitive.

"At least it's not about saddles or hooves!"

Quiet, Mom.

I have, as described by Anne-Marie, a "boring" horse.  I like my boring horse.  This Spring has just been amazing and we've had so many good rides.

Well, our ride on Saturday wasn't so stellar, but afterwards we understood why.  When first starting out, Peanut did wonderfully. Soon, however, he planted and just stared into the distance.  He even tried to turn back home, but I wouldn't let him and so we just stood there.  Rick ended up making Gene walk out in front and Peanut finally followed, but both horses were agitated for the whole ride.  I kept thinking that Peanut was anticipating something horrible - like someone took him out riding and beat him.  When we finally got back and got the horses naked and cleaned-up, the sky started to darken.  We started walking them up the driveway and the temperature suddenly dropped and the wind started howling.  We barely missed getting swept up in the exodus from the pond as the people fishing from the pier suddenly ran back to land and their cars.

Peanut and Gene both took the wind, cold, and minor spitting very well.  It didn't phase them, but we understood why both thought that it was a dumb idea to head out on the trails.

Fast forward to last Monday when I rode out with Mona and Clue.  Mona was being... well... a mare.  Clue was being... I don't know what to say about him but he was not happy.  Peanut was being a rock star.  I realized that he, at coming 11, was the old man there.  Mona will be 7 and Clue will be 10.  It's a shock to not have the inexperienced baby, and also a shock to have the most together, well behaved horse out of them all.  In fact, I was the only one who didn't receive a buck on that ride.  :)

We took the last trail that we explored - the difficult one - to help make Mona think about working and not being... well... a mare.  At one point there is a pretty steep drop downhill followed by something like a 20 foot steep climb uphill.  Peanut and I were at the top of the downhill when a biker flew over the opposite hill and down the big drop on his side.  He looked up from the bottom, skid his bike to a stop, and pulled it over to the side of the trail while apologizing profusely.  Peanut just stood there.  We started down, passed him and I said something about how it was ok, and thundered up the big uphill at a happy canter.  We were going at a good clip down the trail since I didn't want to get in the way if Mona and Clue took the hill fast, when I looked behind me and realize Mona is coming up fast - too fast.  I stopped Peanut and blocked the trail, causing Mona to stop, and learned that she had spooked the whole way there.  Same with Clue.  I had no idea.  Peanut took it perfectly, leaving me in awe of my horse while Anne-Marie and Heather discussed bicycle desensitization.

At other points Peanut would get a bit of speed going (a slowish gait, mainly after going uphill) and Mona would just start trotting.  I would look over my shoulder, squeeze my upper legs, and Peanut would easily come down to a walk.  Anne commented at one point how she saw that, she saw how casually I asked him to slow down and he listened.

Later, as we were heading back we came to a flatish, straightish stretch of wooded trail - the same part where Mona cantered before.  I checked to see if everyone was ok with some speed... and took off.  Peanut and I flew down the narrow trail, and at one point I SWEAR I felt a funny hitch in his stride and his canter smoothed out right before a turn in his good direction.  Did he flying change?  I'm dying to know, but no one saw it.  I really think that he may have gotten up to a gallop - it was certainly much faster than normal - and behind us Anne had her longest canter on Mona yet.  Right before a little hump that I didn't want him to take at speed I slowed him down.  Anne and I were glowing.  :)

Life is good.

Edited to add: don't take me wrong - Peanut is not dead in the head.  He's just, as Rick put it, dependable.  He still has his opinions and we still talk to each other with our bodies during the ride, but he's just awesome.