No Such Thing As A Safe Horse

Now that I am a gamma (grandma), I have to come to terms with something.

Sad to say, there is no such thing as a safe horse.

My second horse, Mica, was a bomb-proof, child's, beginner horse.

When I bought him, he was seventeen years old. A leopard appaloosa, 16.1 hands tall, about 1000 pounds.

I was actually his second owner. His original owner had him for their two girls. They bought him as a young horse. Okay, maybe I was his third owner. He took the two girls through many years of horse shows and jumping events.

He was considered a beginner horse. Bomb-proof. A horse of much experience.

And he was. He helped me become a horse person. He taught me many lessons.

One of those lessons: No horse is a safe horse.

He and I were out on a trail in the desert one day. Just he and I. Great day! Great weather. Just he and I. No problems. Just perfect trust.

Loping along, a nice easy lope. Perfect.

Then out of no where came a stumble. He just stumbled over his front feet. Down we went.

Perfect horse, perfect day.

Where'd that stumble come from?

There is no safe horse.

That is something I now think of as a grandma.

That bomb-proof horse, the one anyone can ride, the beginner horse, that perfectly safe horse, is not a reality.

Then comes Bear. Another almost bomb-proof horse. He is young, so there are still issues, but a very layed-back horse. A Duh-Duh-Duh, horse. Nothing much bothers him. He's the one we put the grandbabies on. Yes, we are leading him, but we trust him to take care of things.

So, I'm having a riding lesson on Bear. Remember I have a fear factor of riding. He is my one horse I trust to help me through this. To once again give me confidence.

Yes, he is young. But I was the first human touch he felt. I was his mamma after his mom had to be put down when he was only two weeks old. I was the first person on his back. I was the first person to take him to a trot. From the time he was very young, I had taught him using natural horsemanship methods. The relationship had been built. The foundation was there. There was definitely a trust on both sides.

Then my fear factor of riding reared it's very ugly head. I had been working very hard at getting past it. But there it was.

So, I was having a riding lesson. My instructor asked me if I was ready to try a trot. Today I was not ready. We (Bear and I) had been there before, but today was not the day. My comment to my instructor was, "I'm not ready today, but you know enough that if he gets stupid at the trot, you will know how to handle it. If you want to go first, go ahead." So, my instructor, a very accomplished rider, a rider who had put herself through college on her barrel racing winnings, was going to take Bear to a trot.

And she did.

Bear is a very sturdy, stocky horse. A go all day at the walk horse. 87.5% mustang.

So my instructor felt comfortable taking him to a trot. I had no problem with it. My thought being, if he got stupid, she could handle it.

She had him at a walk for one circle around my round pen. Then she asked him for a trot. He easily went to the trot. He made it about the length of two panels (twenty-four feet). I was in the middle of the round pen, watching. All of a sudden he stumbled. All I could see was his huge white rear end going sideways. Going down. He stumbled and didn't catch himself. He went to the ground with my instructor on his back. He landed on his side with her leg still in the stirrup. Her leg caught under his 1100 pound body.

Luckily, he landed, and immediately started scrambling for his feet. After landing on his side, with her leg under him, he got back to his feet.

She was hurt. But, it was only minor. A sprained ankle and toe. Nothing major. Still, it could have been major.

Why did this happen? I sure don't know.

There is no such thing as a safe horse.

But that doesn't matter, we will still be out there riding them. Riding, and loving it. Still putting our grandbabies on them. Hoping they will love the horse and the ride as much as we do.