Idiots among us

I went out for a nice ride with Shannon today. She rode Cher, and I rode Gunny. She hadn't ridden in over 3 years and so she will be sore tomorrow, and Tuesday, and I hope she doesn't need to pick anything up off the floor on weds, but Cher took care of her. Gunny wanted to buck like a dolphin when we had a brief trot/canter/leap up wolf den drive and wanted to try to race, but I knew Shannon wasn't up to that. So we were able to keep to a nice half-pass/saddle-seat quality trot up the road. As soon as we got back into the woods, he settled back onto the buckle as he always does.

Driving home was a bit interesting though. As I pulled up to the intererction of 101 and 169 the light changed. A pack of motorcyclists pulled up. They must have had a benefit ride, and two riders blocked both the left and right sides of the road so that they couldn't go. I needed to take a left but was unable to because of the motorcyclists. The blue van behind me started honking.  I am not sure if he was just an asshole, or if he really thought I was purposefully just not pulling out I front of the hundreds of motorcyclists that kept a pouring down the road. Gunny kept bouncing around in the trailer as the hundreds of loud motorcyclists sped, roaring, past us. The light above us kept changing but the motorcyclists were ignoring them. Vehicles were backing up all around three sections of intersection. The idiot behind me kept honking. I yelled back that I couldn't go forward. 

Finally the motorcycles past. The lights cycled and the car on my left and right went through my cycle. I STILL needed to turn left. The oncoming traffic wasn't going to give way, so I had to wait. Idiot behind me kept honking. 

The light changed. Left and right had their turn. The light turned back to me, I finally got to go. I pulled wide and turned. Asshole behind me started to clap and hoot and holler. I guess he thought he was hilarious. He earned himself a good middle finger and the FU! I wish people could learn some patience and respect for the other people on the road. 

Suspicious minds

I played unfair today. I parked at the airline trail station instead of our normal spot because it was closer, and I was tired and in a hurry. The sun is going down faster now, and I am still learning my new schedule with my huge diet change.

Cher unloaded well but snorted as a few bikers sped past us and went to their vehicles. They never said a word to us. I wish we could educate bicyclists that they are inherently scary to horses BECAUSE they are so silent, but as soon as they talk, most horses are able to file them as HUMANS, and therefore, not ALIENS. Luckily, Cher is not usually bothered by the average biker.

So I tacked her up, and I was able to get her trotting down the trail fairly quickly. She definitely wanted to mention that this was NOT her trailhead and NOT her evening trail spot and that there was a possibility that she was not coming back alive, but she is a good mare and settled into a working trot and working canter pretty quickly. 

UNTIL, we hit the third section of trail- Covell Rd. to the RTE 44 bridge. I am not sure what she heard or smealt, but she suddenly acted like there were bears in the woods. She started to breathe hard, I could feel her heart pounding through my boots. She braced againstthe bit to peer into the woods, she skittered off one way and then skittered off the other, I kept her going forward into a trot to see if she would settle into movement. She rattled her nostrils in dismay. She was in control but not happy. I asked her if she wanted to go faster. She leapt forward into a glorious gallop. Absolutely in control, totally straight, and just wanting to not be where we currently were. I could feel her panic slow. I made her slow to a canter, then trot and then a walk as we came up to the bridge. The echoes of the stream and cars above us bounces on the water and the cement around us but she was quiet as we walked under the bridge. She blew as we past the bridge from her exhertion, but was finally back to her normal self.

After that we had a fairly normal ride past the swamp, turned around. She was up and slightly nervous again in the same spot going back, and immediately calmed down as soon as we crossed Covell Rd., so I wonder what was in the woods right there.

This is my peach and I may have to cut you if you try to take it away from me. Did I mention I am am trying to figure out my new diet. 

New here.

I figure that there will be a learning curve here. Eventually, I will want to delete all of this, but perhaps I will find writing helpful in my journey over the next few months. I am a horseback rider and veterinary technician trying to lose weight and on doctor supervised starvation. Which makes me cranky. So here is a cute picture of a kitten. 

I am sorry

I know not of which not I write... what I write... how I write... only that I can say that I am sorry, that I have a potty mouth, and there with be far too many pictures of my animals and things you will not care about.