We rode outside. Hooray!

Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day! It was warm and sunny and perfect. I decided that I wanted to take my monster out to hand graze him for 15 minutes. Ever since that disaster of a day in the spring where he accidentally sent me to the hospital to have my head stapled back together, I’ve been a little chicken to take him out of the barn/arena/his paddock. I used to be so confident leading horses around the yard. I used to hot walk Thoroughbreds at the track for crying out loud! But of course an injury sets you back and I am a big chicken because of it. But I decided I NEEDED to get him out walking around to get me more comfortable about it. Well as I was walking to the barn I heard a combine pull into the field that neighbors the barn. “Great” I thought. But I was gonna get him out gosh darnit! I brought him out to the big patch of grass in front of the barn. He didn’t even notice the big green “monsters” eating the soy beans behind the shelter belt. He was happily eating grass as fast as he could. So after 15 minutes I thought “hey he’s being so great, why don’t I ride him outside!” I took him back to the barn and then asked my riding instructor, who was doing some Wizard duties, if she would babysit us as I rode outside. She said she’d be happy to!


I tacked him up in his stall then brought him outside. I mounted up right outside the barn and away we went. I honestly don’t know why I was so freaked out to ride him outside more. He was LAZY! Like lazier than I’ve ever seen him. I didn’t bring my “weapons” with because I thought he’d be full of the devil and adding a whip to the mix would have caused me to hit the dirt. Boy was I wrong. I know for next time that I’m definitely bringing a weapon. But we walked and trotted a bit. He of course thought he was being eaten alive by flies and mosquitos even though I sprayed the crap out of him.

My riding instructor thinks that next time a group goes out on a trail ride I should join them. Too bad we don’t actually have trails just roads and fields. Ahhh gotta love the Red River Valley!