Life's been coming at me recently, nothing exciting, just annoying. Instead of trying to pummel my last few brain cells into telling a story, let's just enjoy some pictures of Truby!
It rained all morning
Truby enjoyed the results
Winter rain means "grass"
I don't actually know what that green stuff is
but it's not really grass
Cookies????
My favorite view
Me: Look! I found this bone in the desert. Truby: Cool, I'ma eat it
If you guessed riding Truby in the Tanque Verde wash, you'd be right! I'd also accept Hugging Truby, Giving Truby cookies, Hanging out with Truby, and most things Truby related.
But the thing I'm most excited about is our ride!
It was like this, but I was on her, not in front of her
I went to the barn thinking about how I was going to take Truby for a ride on the Loop. We'd hand walked it the day before, and she was so peaceful, I thought we could handle a solo ride. When I pulled up, M was just getting on Cinco, and I asked if she was headed to the Loop. Nope, she was going to the wash. I asked hopefully if I could tag along. She hesitated, Cinco was being a twit. I assured her if things went badly, we could just go home, no problem.
She agreed, and I rushed to get Truby ready, and she went and schooled a bit in the arena. I decided to tack Truby, just in case! but didn't really get my hopes up. Cinco was a bit more mannerly by the time we were ready, and we headed toward the wash. M riding, me walking. Both of them were behaving well, and when we got to the trailhead, I decided that Truby was being so calm, and the big boulders would make a nice mounting block, and I could almost pretend I was brave...so I checked my girth and hopped on.
Okay, I don't ever do anything as graceful and light as hop, but I got on and down the trail we went! And Truby was great! Relaxed, following Cinco. Not looking for things to spook at, not barging around. Just strolling down the trail like she's done it forever.
NBD
It was really nice.
We reached the wash with absolutely no drama, and headed in. Both horses made a beeline to the water. But while Cinco went right up and started splashing, Truby hesitated when the sand got extra deep and soggy. Sand in the wash is usually fairly deep, but with all the rain and snowmelt, the middle is quite waterlogged. She lost a bit of confidence. She was unsure about the footing. She wanted a drink, but the whole thing was too weird for her, I guess my added weight made her sink and flounder more than usual. Plus I wasn't beside her being reassuring. Cinco was still playing, but I knew I had to move Truby to firmer ground before she lost all confidence. It took a bit to convince her to cross the water, but once we got to the other side, and onto firm footing, she relaxed again. Cinco eventually followed us, but she didn't care! She marched along, content and ready for adventure.
It was SO AMAZING, I don't even have words for it. I was RIDING. MY HORSE. IN THE WILD WASH. ME! TRUBY! OMG! It was happening and it was fantastic! It was like the first time you jump that really high jump for the second or third time. No longer nervous, not worried you won't make it over. But just pure exhilaration. The freedom and oneness with your horse. Everything is perfect. That feeling we all chase, the feeling that drives us to ride horses. To feel a part of them. If you know what I'm trying to say, you know. Unfortunately, if you don't...you don't. Anyone bothering to read this probably knows.
Truby: I got this, let's go!
A few minutes later, a trio of riders approached from the southeast. I stopped Truby, and she watched them intently. But calmly! We waved to each other and exchanged pleasantries and the happiness of riding our horses on such a beautiful day in such a beautiful place. I let them pass before asking Truby to continue. She paused a moment, but then walked on. I was SO PROUD OF HER! She's never been so relaxed with strange horses out on the trail, and this was the first time while i was riding. And she was excellent. I slipped her a cookie and gave her lots of pats and praise. She loved it.
Truby: I...don't...got this?
After a bit, she started to fall apart a little bit. I could sense her losing confidence. I don't know if she was just too far from home, or we'd ridden a bit too long, or if she suddenly realized what was going on, but I felt her change. I asked M if we could turn around, and we did. But it was too late. The hamster was slipping off the wheel. Cinco was starting to really be a twit, and testing M. She rode him into the water, doing serpentines and trying to keep him from getting into trouble.
Truby started to panic, just a bit, and dove towards her security blanket, aka Cinco. Despite my pony club kicking and enthusiastic pulling on the reins, I had no hope of changing her direction. While I didn't feel unsafe, I definitely no longer had control. And Tru was about five minutes away from completely falling apart. So I got off. No biggie. I waved M off to school some manners into Cinco, gave Truby a minute to recover her thoughts, and then headed back down the wash on foot. After a minute, she stopped, shook all over like a wet dog, and let out a huge sigh. Then she perked her ears up, and I could see her confidence return. She was relaxed and happy again. I laughed and gave her a huge hug. She had lost herself for a minute, but what a fast recovery! Yay Truby!
"I could eat this"
We continued down the wash, and she was completely unconcerned with Cinco being so far ahead of us. I realized though, that we were on the wrong side of the water, and would have to wade across. 3 times. Now, I hate having things not perfect with my feet. A hole in my sock is intolerable and will ruin my life. The only thing worse than having wet shoes and socks, is taking off my shoes and socks, and then putting them back on when my feet are still damp and kinda gritty. I cannot deal. But I didn't want to test Truby's recovery by getting back on, so I bravely forged ahead. My boots held! Maybe they were waterproof?!
We crossed the next stretch, and water flooded in. Boots not waterproof. The water was cold and up to my calves. My socks were instantly soaked. I decided to call it "refreshing!" and laugh it off. That's how good I felt! After one more invigorating splash through the water we were ready to leave the wash. I wished M good luck (she stayed behind to school Cinco) and walked Truby to a lush patch of grass out of sight of the wash.
...Did...did my friend leave???
We took a leisurely walk back, stopping to snack at all the best stops. My feet were soaked, but I had worn thicker socks than usual, so at least I didn't get blisters. We finally made it home and Truby got a good rub down, followed by a liniment rub. She was totally relaxed and happy on the way back, and quite pleased with herself. M and Cinco finally returned home, looking tired, but accomplished.
It took 3 days for my boots to fully dry, but it was worth it
