Today I got on Precious and took her out on the trail. She was not the only greenie on the trail today though. Jordan got on Patches and took him out as a second rider. It was the first time we have had any two people out on a trail together since we got here. It was Jordan’s first time on the horse out of the arena. It was Precious’ first time on the trail since we arrived here. Patches behaved as expected, and Jordan panicked as expected too. Precious behaved very well, which was unexpected.
Jordan had been bragging for weeks about hoe he was going to get on the horse and ride like a cowboy from the moment he’s allowed to ride. So today I had him put on his new helmet that he has to use as a precaution, and had him mount up on Patches. As soon as I rode past him and said to come along, Jordan started saying “I can’t do this! I can’t do this! I can’t do this!” I turned and said, “Yes you can JJ! You have been going on for weeks about how great a rider you were going to be from day one, so kick that horse and let’s get out the gate!” David had to come along and walk Patches along, leading him out the gate and down the road a couple of times to help JJ feel secure enough to go. That done, we took to the trail across the street from the driveway and rode up to the top of the hill where you can see the whole valley. We took it in, and I think Jordan was pretty glad that he got on and came for a ride.
We took the horses out for about half an hour in all, and when we got back, I laid down in the sand to play with my daughter, and Jordan came along and pointed his accusing finger at me and said “That’s another thing you have forced me to do that I have really enjoyed!” Well, that was the idea JJ! Besides him learning to face things without fear so he can live a life full of the things he enjoys, and is unafraid to try new things.
Patches is a great horse to ride. His only fault is that he likes to reach for a snack. If we cold break him of that, he’d be a perfect trail rider. Precious was really surprisingly well behaved today. I will like to try her again before long, and see how the two do together. At the end of the day, if training her is a matter of riding her with Patches in lead, then so be it. She follows commands well, and Patches is calm when the quad bikes and cars and such are around. As a herd animal, Precious should do fine so long as Patches does.
Kelsey J Bacon