An Unplanned Adventure

Heading down home road

Last Thursday I decided to take Truby for a nice long walk to stretch her legs. While riding in the arena is fine, hand walking in the arena is the WORST. She had a bit of a cough, so I didn't want to ride her two days in a row. I opted for the good ol' Loop. But when I was walking her there, she was really dragging her feet and soooo slow. I did not want to have to keep whacking her with the lead rope all the way around the Loop. So I thought...what if we come someplace new???? And kept walking down the road. We'd done this once before, many months ago, and it was Very Exciting! While she definitely perked up, she was still calm so...we turned down the main road. Since Truby lives in an equestrian estate neighborhood, 'main road' is a bit misleading. The speed limit is low, traffic is usually only for the neighborhood and most people are used to horses being ridden or led on the road.

On main road

This was a whole new road we were going down, and Truby was really enjoying it! She was striding along nicely, interested, but not tense. I knew the trail to the wash was not far...could we make it all the way there?

I love this picture

We turned down the trail, which was Scary, because there was a couple of large rocks across the entrance in an effort to keep ATVs off the path. But, we made it past with just a little snort and a whole lot of side-eye. I actually had no idea how far it was to the wash, but there was new winter grasses for nomming, pretty scenery for looking, and a beautiful afternoon for enjoying.

She was super suspicious of this couple,

even though they said she was beautiful

It wasn't super far, but a nice stroll. I was super excited to see water reflecting the afternoon sun, and let Truby graze for a few minutes before heading down.

Being in the wash blew Truby's mind, but not in a bad way. This horse *loves* being in the washes. She likes wide, open spaces, and being able to see everything. She was definitely 'up' and super excited, but very in control.

And then the horses came. A large group of trail riders came jogging down a trail. They slowed to a walk when they saw us, and we all waved and Truby tried not to lose her mind because, omg, HORSES. They splashed through the wash behind us and we continued the other direction.

After giving them a chance to get out of sight, I turned Truby back the way we came and headed toward the water. I wasn't sure what she'd think of it, but she charged right in, stopped and took a drink. Best. Desert. Pony. Ever.

splashy-splashy

We splashed around, and for a minute I thought she was going to drop in and roll in the water. It was a bit chilly (and the water was cold!) so I'm glad she didn't. I realized the trail riders were headed back out way, and decided it was time to wrap up.

Found out my boots aren't waterproof

As we left the wash, I heard one of the riders tell the group to cross the wash and head straight. Thinking they were coming towards us, I started to hustle Truby down the path. I wanted to get her to a more open area, so we could get well away when they passed.

Truby was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, and this was just a bit Too Much. She got Super Prancy, and although it was really pretty, I was dismayed to see the tension and nervousness start to take over. And by the time I realized the group wasn't coming our way, Truby was quite wound up. I let her prance to burn off some nerves. She wasn't pulling and staying right next to me, and her racehorse-going-to-the-post prance wasn't getting her more wound up.

And then the bike came.

I pulled her well over, stopped her, and encouraged her to graze. Luckily, the cyclist was very aware I had a potential horse-dragon kite, and slowed down and actually walked his bike past. We chatted while Truby STARED, and once past us, I continued home. Thank you, bike guy! You're the best.

Once we got back to the road and heading home, Truby slowed into a walk. She realized where she was, and where we were going, and I'm so proud of her for being to chill.

And the the Prime Van came.

I don't think the guy was speeding, but he certainly didn't slow down at all as he came up behind us. Luckily, we were at the corner of home road and main road and there was lots of room to get off the road. But Prime Van definitely did NOT slow down as he turned onto home road, and Truby lost her mind.

DUDES. SLOW DOWN FOR LIVING THINGS ALONG THE ROAD. JEEPERS.

Luckily he turned down one of the first driveways and was out of sight by the time Truby got all four feet back on the ground. We headed down the road, into the rapidly setting sun. As we passed the avienda that leads to the Loop, Truby dropped her head and heaved a sigh. She knew exactly where she was. It was so familiar. She was almost home.

I let her loose in the arena for a well deserved roll, and then tucked her into her stall for the night. As I grabbed her haynet and headed to fill it, I realized I hadn't closed the door far enough. I had enough time to think "oops, I need to close that" and then Truby pushed through, and went galloping down to the turnouts where the boys were. Oh Truby.

It was really cute though. She ran right over to Cinco, and thurst her head over the gate, as if she just had to tell him all about her adventures! "She took me someplace new! It was kinda cool, and there was grass, and I got to splash in the water, but then there was a BIKE and this van tried to run me down! And I missed you!!!"

Telling Cinco about her day

Having told her tale, I was easily able to grab her and put her away (again). She grabbed a mouthful of hay, let me rub her face, and was ready for bed. We're both ready to go again. The few mistakes are easy to fix, and she's always better each time. Hooray for new adventures!

If you look carefully, you can see the trail riders