I can show you the world
How did this happen?!?
Everyone always asks me "So....What are your plans for Finn?" I have always replied, "show him the world. Show him there is more than being ignored or beaten and sold down the river. Show him there is life and fun and love. Even if that is just ponying him all summer long, I want to show him the world."
Fast forward a few weeks since our last entry, but then rewind a week prior to this picture! Two weeks ago spirithorse21 and I ponied a perplexed Finn through the hills and hollers of Salamonie Reservoir. Threading the needle between am storms and pm wind and brimstone, we squeaked in 8 miles of galavanting. Finn was a fantastic pony-er and seemed to enjoy the creek splashing, mud stomping and shenanigans trail rides always include. He just seemed to be thinking to himself "well this is kind of fun... whatever this is!". When we returned to the trailers, he practiced wearing his saddle like a big boy, but still had a few brain farts to work through. I let him work it out for himself tied to the hitching rail, as he soon realized this was the same game we had played all last month. Of course Spirithorse and I had to repeat the fun as soon as possible, and promptly decided to head out the very next week for a much coveted destination of getting a Story Inn beer at our favorite trails end.
Alas, on our way there this week with a quick perusal of their website, we soon realized they were closed half the week during the off season- of course on the day we were there. Not to be dissuaded, we picked another great trail there with a fun lunch stop (and some liquid courage packed in our saddle bags). I announced to spirithorse21 that it could be the Xanax (its been a week!) and coffee talking, but my intensions were to ride Finn back from lunch. We quickly made a "if things go to poop in a porter potty" plan of scooping my remains out of the nearest tree and catching said potentially rogue horses, and then hit the trail ponying Finn. Sugar has been the best of the best guide horse and so have Cimmeron and Doc. Finn has quickly learned to plow through a trail like only Arabs, Saddlebreds or Walking horses can, and he is not shy about plunging feet first into the raging brooks or mud holes we've encountered. This time, however, Finn was going to be ponied with his saddle and bridle on like a big boy the whole time, to which he had no shenanigans regarding the saddle and then even bridled himself. (Perhaps he likes this new trail riding game?)
We climbed hills and hollers, up and down and back again until we worked our way up to 5 Points where 5 trails converged on the top of a huge hill. Our lunch was a welcome break to a Clydesdale, who at this point traveled around 4 miles at Arabian/Saddlebred speed (which he's just fine with), and he hitched to the rail with a calmly cocked leg. After some fabulous conversation, a lovely lunch and liquid courage, I knew it had to be now. Focused on calming my thundering heart, we prepared the horses for the rest of the trail, except - this time it was Finn I nudged to the mounting block- not Sug. A deep breath, a toe in the stirrup- up and over and away we just...went. Down the trail. Like every day for the last 8 years of his life some lady hopped on his back in the middle of the woods. As soon as he took those few confident steps away from the mounting block to follow Doc and Sug down the "mountain" my body relaxed and my eyes welled up and my heart swelled. I knew the rest of the ride would be just fine, and it was. We trotted up hills, plunged through creeks, stomped through mud, led the trail a few yards a couple times- completely relaxed and on a lose rain- and, dare I say, a curve of a smile on his lips. He chose to jump a few ditches and itty bitty logs across the trail and I encouraged him with a woop of glee! He was as steady as I could have ever hoped, not a bobble or a spook. This is truly his element -out in the woods. At one point, I even got a sassy little head flip- which for someone who was a mere hollow shell of a horse when I found him, I'll take confident sassiness! He is just a lovely side to side, smooth ride. Those glimmers of relaxed walk and relaxed trot I got in the arena were full on 100% on the trail. It will be a long time before I even attempt to ride him in an arena again, for all the trauma that occurred in them for him. This is what I had been promising him and whispering in his ear. Just learn in the arena Finn. Just try to see what we're trying to teach you because there is a whole wide world out there ripe for exploring that is way more fun than four walls, just try, and I'll show you as soon as we possibly can. We arrived back in camp with the biggest smiles on all our faces. A hearty thanks to spirithorse21 for putting up with my hair brained ideas and being the foundation of my moral support out on the trail for these experiences. Its all down (and up and down) hill from here, I cannot wait to see how this tenacious little horse blooms.
