We made a few laps around the arena. There was a lesson going on, plus more people showing up.
And I couldn't do it anymore. Cuna and I slipped out the side gate and headed down the road. It really is a good thing that Cuna is the world's safest horse--at one point on the way over, the road went up a hill, the shoulders dropped away into nothing, and pastured horses came galloping straight at us. Fortunately, the cars went slow and all was well.
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| We are so dramatic |
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| The hills are so close |
Love this shot. Cuna and I were both thrilled to be out of the arena. He LOVED getting to gallop (sort of) over the grass, and I loved feeling his enthusiasm again. Neither of us thrives on arena work.There was a stone wall, a ditch, and some jumps... We may have to go back there soon and have a pretend XC school on the cheap. That would be fun.
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| My wild man |
It is fun to watch people's reactions to him when we're just out and about. Pedestrians stop to talk, drivers pull over and wave, and bikers seem to like seeing him. It sort of makes me understand why some cities have mounted police--people love horses and they are a great conversation starter.
My non-horsey friends tune out when I talk about him, but seeing a giant adorable red man in person seems to change the conversation. I love watching kids' faces as they go by, pointing and waving at the horse.
I spend so much time wrapped up in the 'horse world' that I forget there's a whole population out there who have never been up close with a 1200lb animal and don't understand that kind of power, grace, and connection.
Anyone else do meet and greets with the public?
I suppose that's true. My friends tune out when I talk about my horse too but they are always dying to meet him. And I will usually end up halfway through a conversation before someone says, "Quarter horse - so that's like a thoroughbred, right?" It's always nice to show off the lovely four-legged men in our life. Great photos with the hills in the background, by the way!
ReplyDeleteGah, those hills are gorgeous! We are way too far from civilization to do meet and greets on rides, but the Hoosier Horse Fair was sort of like that. There were horses everywhere, but almost no one would open up the stall doors to let little kids pet their horses like I did all weekend with Connor. For some of them, it was the first time they'd touched a horse. Totally cool.
ReplyDeleteI used to ride in a conservation area during the summer and would always get pulled over by families with kids or summer camps. Most had never been up close with a horse before and were just in awe. We'd also get the occasional cyclist who would challenge us to a race, which was always fun.
ReplyDeleteA trotting track sounds like a lot of fun, as does a mini cross country school. Glad you guys are having cooperative weather. The hills are looking gorgeous.
That looks like so much fun! I'm hoping to get Lex out on the trails soon, and there are always bikers. I'm hoping she'll allow herself to be patted and doesn't just frisk everyone for treats.
ReplyDeleteWhen Roz was being leased he lived a few houses down from the arena where he was ridden. Every time you talk about Cuna being good on the road I think of Roz becuase he is awesome. You can be passed by a school bus a couple feet away and he's fine.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I also forget what a novelty horses are to most people. When we take horses to the beach we always get a lot of attention. :)
I used to be a guide for trail rides, it was hard work, but sometimes so fun to see that moment when a non-horsey person converted and fell in love. I am super jealous of your friends yard. i really miss trail riding, it was so head clearing (most of the time).
ReplyDeleteGetting out of the arena is the best!
ReplyDeleteSo, uh, I have a Haflinger. Long blonde hair (usually in a few braids on both sides of the mane), absolute social butterfly, and 90% of the time, decked out in hot pink. Most of our trail rides are in the neighboring state park, which is quite popular with all sorts of hikers. It's an odd ride when we don't get any comments from the non-equestrians! We don't always stop and chat, but about half the time we do make that effort, and there have been a lot of very happy little girls as a result.
ReplyDeleteActually, we've gotten enough attention that I've come up with a fairly functional theory. Most guys see the blonde and comment on how pretty she is. Most women see the braids and comment on those. We do get a few guys that notice the braids, and of course the kids notice the pink, but I swear this horse would be a supermodel or actress if she were a mere human.
I've fallen victim to the lure of trail riding this winter - we've worked on practically nothing I said we would and have instead been out and about all over the countryside, so much so that everyone on our road knows both of us by name. I doubt I would meet so many people without my horse to break the ice, we get random people stopping to say hi all the time!
ReplyDeleteI started out at a barn that was about a mile down the road from horse trails. We rode down that road at least every weekend in the summers. Unfortunately, most people could barely be bothered to slow down when they passed. Every once in a while a family would slow down and you could see the kids staring out the window in awe. That was always cool.
ReplyDeleteI like meet and greets with peeps on the road, especially when little kids want to pat the pretty ponies, or when whole families come out of their house and feed our horses apples. Horses = smiles
ReplyDeleteI love showing non-horsey coworkers and family my horse. He usually puts on a good show, making funny faces and such, and they often comment on how big he is. This is funny, because at 15.1 hands, he is not very big, but I guess he looks that way standing next to me (or in comparison to the family dog).
ReplyDeleteHarley gets comments even from horse folk, because of his light buckskin coloring. Many comment that they have never seen a horse of his color in person before. People will even stop and snap pictures of him, sometimes hanging out of the car window.
We live in a semi-horsey town, and ride on the trails on the greenbelt behind our house. We're always meeting people who haven't seen a horse up-close before, and they LOVE to meet ours. We try to be good ambassadors whenever we're out, but loose dogs are always a huge concern.
ReplyDeleteWe also occasionally ride to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings, and we always attract a crowd. Loads of kids who have never seen a real horse (!!?!? We're in Texas!?!?) or people who used to ride but haven't been around horses in years. We had one older lady in tears as she petted Red - said he reminded her of her childhood horse. Red was happy to stand for a photo op and eat the carrots she went and bought him from the market.
I sort of think that horses are like therapy dogs... there's just something abut them, you know?
I always have little kids coming up to me and asking if they can pet my horse.
ReplyDeleteThere's a brilliant raised flat field (that never seems to be used for anything other than picnics) by one of my favourite places to hack. If we're in the mood for some fun after a trail ride, sometimes I'll run Cadence through a dressage test or practice some of our flatwork to get some show prep in. Since the field's just a short hike away from the parking lot, people sometimes just sitting down and watch as they pass by. I'm not really one for being the centre of attention, but I do love seeing the joy people seem to get out of seeing "a real horse" in action ;)
ReplyDeleteWe routinely hack to a Tim Horton's (yes, we have gone through the drive through) and every time there is at least one little girl just dying to pet the horses. Mine is still being desensitized, so we get to do happy little circles and try not to back over things while they pet the babysitter horses, but I still feel like I'm a part of the magic ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha! I forget that too lol. I LOVE the pictures! You both look great!
ReplyDeleteFun!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
ReplyDeleteI make an effort to go stick a pony nose in a child's face at competitions. Everyone likes a pony nose:)
Sounds like a great ride!
ReplyDeleteStory of our LIFE. I cant go 10 feet at a show without having to talk to someone about Pongo. He thinks he is a BIG DEAL...and it turns out, he's right, LOL!
ReplyDeleteIt's one thing when you are riding them. Hook up a cart or carriage and EVERY outing is like a parade. Seriously. Kids faces plastered to the window of the car as they go by, everyone waving and smiling...
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of fun though, isn't it. I see the look of older folks transform as they think back to their days on the farm. That is really cool.
Love those pics!! Wow gorgeous (scenery and of course you and Cuna). We are very blessed to be horse crazy.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fantastic ride/day.
ReplyDeleteI always take my horses down to the beach and around the little town down there. People are always stopping to ask about the horses and we have stopped many times to give pony rides to kids. And when I take them swimming we always draw a crowd to come watch.