Memory Of My Last Ride

Howdy,

In a few weeks it will be two years since I was able to slip my leg up and wrap my legs around my horse and mammoth donkey’s warm belly, feels like forever.  Oh how I miss riding my horse the fun trail rides we had, trail riding is serious business!  When I was a kid trail riding in this area was no big deal, I rode my horse every day after school in this same area.  Moving forward thirty-four years it is not the same sport.

The area I would ride by our home is beautiful thousands of acres of trails and in these trails were others wanting to enjoy the same trails.  While Lily and I were trail riding we encountered; lots of wildlife, coyotes, deer, and birds and even a cougar (the cougar ride my trail buddy was dumped from her horse) and I stayed on.   Lily and I took off and retrieved her older well-trained gelding (a safe trail riding horse ha, ha) this was another day I was really grateful to GOD.   We encountered the highway (traffic noise) people shooting in a distance, joggers some with big dogs, some loose not on a leash, bicycle riders and one motorcycle rider. 

Trail riding was euphoric for me it was truly a special time to escape life!  Safety is number one when stepping up to trail riding it is best to ride with a buddy.  Have a cell phone I like it turned off, map and I was about to start carrying a spot as safety is the most important consideration for me and my equine. I quickly made friends with anyone who could ride when I could ride for safety.  Working around schedules of work, families it was challenging and I was looking forward to Rio growing up so my husband could go ride with me.   I call these people trail buddy as they have been long gone since the car accident, I guess I really knew this was all the friendship was but I did not see it until the semi-truck accident.

I was so proud of myself after all I had trained my young filly all by myself.  A very big accomplishment for women in her late forties out of shape and a little lost in life after leaving my long time career in the big business world of twenty-three years.

Wow the last trail ride memory was a big one!  Lily is an extroverted horse she loves to explore new things so each time we went for a trail ride Lily would lead the way with my trail buddy riding her/his horse following behind us.  It was a beautiful day warm for winter not too cold and not raining just right. Soon Lily and I were in our groove I could feel her every move, her body was relaxing, ears forward and she was super calm.  We found a part of the trail where I would let her trot a little trot (western riders call this a jog).  I was posting, holding my stomach in her ears were forward such a wonderful memory.  The next thing I remember is picking me up off the ground a woman with her gigantic Rottweiler was jogging but she did not have her dog on a leash.

What happened to my trail buddy?  She got dumped off her horse too!  The dog came out of the woods into the trail we were on in seconds to Lily no doubt the dog looked like a big bear.  Lily spun on her big quarter horse cow butt and went the opposite direction.  I fell off.  All of my training was important now unlike any other time as she was running away when I yelled “WHOAA Lily”.  Lily stopped turned around looked at me on the ground like hey I did not realize you were not on my back.  She came back to me.  The lady with the Rottweiler was sorry for sure and I made no big deal out of it.  Just got back on Lily and my trail buddy got back on her mare, we parted at the trail head where my horse trailer was parked and I went home alone.  

My trail buddy had a bad accident the summer before while riding with other trail buddy’s I was not on this ride.  She had such a bad trail riding accident that she was airlifted to Harborview and had surgeries and pins installed in her foot. Thinking back now as we rode our mares out of the trail her face looked white and pale, this was the last time I saw her. I loaded my horse, drove home, cleaned her, brushed her, carried my saddle into the house and sat down.  The pain started in my left side.  The next day I went to the doctor after x-rays I learned I had fractured one rib on the left side. As a kid I don’t recall breaking any ribs and I fell off a lot.  At age 49 I guess I don’t bounce.

Before the car accident I was healing from the one fractured left rib, I was getting close to being able to ride again and I had a new plan to stay safe.  Funny thing is I thought one broken rib was insane pain; my point is any kind of pain is pain and we need to address what it causing it.  Never say it is no big deal our body does not give out pain signals for no reason.

While waiting for the left rib to heal I was making plans to ride in my arena, finish my horse Lily after all the arena is soft and riding is well “riding” it is the art of keeping our legs wrapped around our equine. Fewer obstacles in the arena than trail riding.  I was planning on getting Rio started as he was getting older not such a little baby donkey anymore.  I am happy to report both Lily and Rio are patiently and happily enjoying their life while I work on rehabilitation from the semi-truck accident.   Happy trails to you!

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

https://www.facebook.com/Donkeywhisperer