Black and blue and a little purple is a rather cliche color combination. Just to hear the colors "black" and "blue" spoken in the same phrase makes one wince a little. These are the new colors of my skin covering my hip, a small spot on my thigh, the inside of the other thigh, the heal of my palm, and the top of my foot. What caused me to change the very natural color of my skin? It was a whim, really.
I put a saddle on Brandy yesterday and led her around at a walk and a trot, over ground poles and around pole-bending poles. I then put one foot in a stirrup to see what she would do. I did this a few times. The first few times I put my foot in the stirrup she moved away. After a while she just stood there. I did this on both sides and found that she was more comfortable with me on her right side (didn't surprise me). I held Brandy's head turned towards me, placed my foot in the stirrup and hopped. No response. I repeated the action. Nothing. I took a deep breath and slowly put all of my weight in the stirrup and stood suspended in the air with a rather relaxed horse beneath me. I stepped down and tried again. This time, I put my leg over her back and eased myself into the saddle. Barely daring to breathe I waited. I waited for the dancing, the buck, the bolt. It didn't come. I dismounted and Brandy licked furiously, putting her head into my chest. "I think I'll try that again," I said to myself. While in the saddle the second time, I dropped my stirrup and relaxed. Brandy looked at me with a calm but attentive eye. Then an idea hit me. It should've been shot down by the voice of reason in my head saying, "Don't do it, she'll bolt." I ignored the still small voice. Arguing, instead, that as long as I kept her head turned toward me, I could jump off in an emergency. Tentatively I said, "Walk." Brandy turned her head a little more and looked at me as if to say, "Are you serious?" I asked again, and again, but Brandy wasn't moving. At last I figured that just sitting on her was enough. Just as I decided to dismount, Brandy decided to grant my request. She took to steps to the side, realized I was still on her and bolted to the other side of the arena. The first buck came and I thought, "Oh shoot, I won't stay on if she bucks again." She did. I landed hard in the dirt. For a little while Brandy and I stared at each other across the arena while I tried to get my barings back. At last, being in a little pain and shaking from the adrenaline and lack of food in my system, I unsaddled Brandy and put her away, promising that we'd continue training on Thursday.
I woke up this morning with the bruises I mentioned before, an aching hip, and sore from head to toe. That's what I get, I guess. Next step, learn to stay on the bucking, bolting animal.
*This note is for my mother. The bruises are really small except for the one on my hip. See you Tuesday!
1 comment:
I have to say it because, well, I am your mother. Please listen to the voice in your head more often.
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