I Still Love My Horse!

I still love my horse, I still love my horse, I still love my horse! This has been my mantra for the past 8 weeks.

It was a beautiful fall Monday afternoon, the beginning of my "new" life, well new for me, just another ordinary day for my horse. You see, I had just retired from my job so that I could spend more time with Trouble. Yes, my mare's name is Trouble. Her barn name, anyway. Her registered name is Veno's Mirage and I remember the phone call like it was just yesterday to the barn in upstate New York where she is from originally.

"Hello I'm calling to inquire about Veno's Mirage."

"Who?"

"Veno's Mirage."

Silence...dead silence on the other end of the phone.

"OH you mean Trouble!"

For a second I thought about hanging up the phone right there and then but my curiosity got the better of me. The story goes that the former owner's husband saw his wife longingly gazing at Veno's Mirage and immediately knew that he was in "trouble" because a purchase was imminent.

So the story goes...Trouble was a 9 year old never raced Thoroughbred when she arrived at her new home in Northford, CT. And let me be the first to say, she most definitely lived up to her name. If it moved, she spooked. If the weather was bad, she spooked. If I looked at her the wrong way, she spooked. I think you get the idea.

Almost 16 years later, she and I have come to terms with each other. It has been 16 years of patiently telling her that the world is really not out to get her. 16 years of constant work to remind her that she is smart and talented and that she shouldn't be afraid. 16 years of lovingly reassuring her that I would never let anything bad happen to her. And it has been wonderful!! Until 8 weeks ago.

So it was the first day of my new life, as I mentioned, and I was so excited to ride without the pressure of having to be somewhere at a specific time. I sat the first 2 bucks and my friend commented on how effortless I made it look. I assured her that if Trouble wanted me off of her back she would succeed and that those bucks were nothing. I know it sounds cliché but...famous last words because no sooner had I uttered them, I was landing on my back and head with such force that I really couldn't believe what had just happened. Of course, Trouble just stood there looking down at me with those dark, penetrating eyes telling me, "Well, don't say I didn't warn you".

I thought long and hard about that warning in the several weeks that followed. I couldn't ride for about 4 weeks because the pain was too intense. And you know what? I survived, granted I had severe horse withdrawal, but I survived. Don't take life so seriously.That was what I learned from Trouble on that beautiful fall Monday. I was so focused on getting started with my new found life that I didn't consider that perhaps, someone forgot to tell Trouble about it. There will be other days to ride, or do whatever it is you love to do.

I sill love my horse. Perhaps even more now than 8 weeks ago.