Ha ha Very Funny

Long story short, I got my daughter a new mare for Christmas, a lovely little 6 year old QH, and I have started to ride Matt instead of Dude. Dude has been getting what he always wanted, which was to stand around and look pretty. However, Dude was pressed into service on Saturday with hilarious results.

My 21 year old nephew came over to unload a trailer of hay I had bought and Nephew brought a frined with him, also 21, whom we will call Goober. Goober says he knows how to ride, so I put him on Dude. LOL. Nephew was riding the new mare, Queenie, and I was on Matt. Matty loves to lope, so as soon as we were warmed up and on the woods path, I started an easy lope. Gobber starts squealing like a little girl because Dude is tossing his head and kicking out a little. "Welcome to my world for the last year). Goober talks my nephew into switching horses with him. So, now Newphew is riding Dude. Goober says, "That horse has it in for me!" referring to Dude. Hahahaha. Anyway, Dude goes through his initial little crow hops with newphew and then quits and acts right for the rest of the ride until...

I decided to have one last lope up the fence line in the general direction of home, but not to the cool down part of the trail yet. Dude decides he can "win" this "race" by getting rid of this pesky rider. Dude was running third when he ducked out from under my nephew and bolted past Queenie and then past Matt and me. I had already stopped because I realized the boys were too fa behind while I was loping. Just then, dude ran past. Matt, of course, started prancing, but didn't go until I said "go" with my cues, Matt took off to overtake Dude. The wind through my helmet vents took on a high-pitched whine. Now, Dude had on the old dressage saddle with real old-fashioned heavy irons, which were flying wildly as he galloped past. The reins were still up over his head and I almost had hold of them when Dude saw me out of the corner of his eye and really put it in gear and left Matt and me in the dust (actually, mud). I watched in dismay as Dude disappeared around the corner of the path in the direction of home. I wondered if he would stop behind the house, jump the big ditch to the house or continue all the way around and come down the subdivision road home the way we usually ride. But, I barely had time to wonder all these things for seconds later Dude reappeared galloping toward us just as fast as he had left, irons flying, divets being thrown out behind. I yelled to the boys to look out, as it didn't look like Dude was going to stop anytime soon. Dude ran past me and Matt, past Goober and Queenie and, when he came to where my nephew was standing, he turned on the forehand on a dime and stopped facing his former rider head on, head down, docily, panting happily. LOL.

As no one was hurt, I can laugh, now. I wonder how far Dude got before he realized no one else was coming. Like, at what point did he say to himself, "Where is everybody? I better go back." My nephew thinks Dude slipped and that's why he came off. I didn't even see it happen and I can tell you Dude ducked him and ran.

Retirement

Just to put some closure on this ordeal, I will explain what has led to my decision to give up on Dude's training. Some time in November, we went on a nice trail ride with some friends who have Tennessee Walkers. I replaced the bolts in the divider and put it in again. Dude had busted it out again by the time we got to the B&B where the ride took place. I got us there early so I would have time to deal with his saddling issues. Dude wouldn't take the bit and was excited to go smell mares's butts. So, while I only had the halter around his neck, he took off. I held onto the rope a long time, running beside him. he glanced back, saw me and leaped to get away. I really thought my finger was broken, but a later x-ray showed it wasn't. it still hurts. He stopped running when he got to a mare's butt. I got him saddled, finally. The wrangler at the B&B had been watching me and he wouldn't come tighten my girth after I got mounted because he was scared of Dude. LOL. I waited till we were on the trail and got off and tightened it later. In the morning, we were with a large group and it was kind of boring and frustrating for E who wanted to run on the trail called "Loping Lane." But, we had a nice enough time. Went back to the trailer for lunch and such and then took off with just our 2 friends after lunch. their Walker went lame and they turned back, so it was just my daughter and me after that. Dude was good and we loped on loping lane, loped on a bunch of trails, jumped some sticks, went all over the trails and had a great time. He didn't balk or buck. Dude loves exploring new trails and not being in an arena. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cool. The trails were idyllic and mowed. We ended on an extremely good note.

A few days later, my daughter went to camp, taking Matt for 3 days. The came home the Wednesday night before thanksgiving. On T-giving a.m., Matt collicked and we spent a lovely morning at the university vet school. Thank goodness, Matt turned out to just be impacted and some oiling got him straightened out enough to pick him up the next day. Boy, did he load easy to come home.

So, decision time to be had all around. Matt is too old and fragile (turning 23 come Jan.) to take all the activities that E wants to do with him. My original plan to get Dude ready to trade with my daughter is not going to work. I'll never be able to trust him with her.

The farrier thinks, and I agree, that training would be a waste for Dude as he will be good for Ms. Dee and then come home and go right back to his old ways. I am 47 years old and the wage earner; i.e., too old to risk getting seriously hurt. So, its time to start looking for a new horse for my daughter and for me to ride Matt and to retire Dude. I toyed around with getting him pasture board somewhere and still am looking into that. But, I'd have to go make sure he's trimmed, groomed, wormed, hayed and all so it would be easier to keep him at home.

On the first trip out horse shopping (although, to my credit, not the first horse I looked at) Ms. Dee went with us and we bought the mare. She's a sorrel mare between 14 and 15 hands, skinny and rain-rot infested, but has racing blood top and bottom. She's got TB on her papers and is reg. AQHA. Ms. Dee said she would have bought her if we hadn't. So, we got Queenie for Christmas, I'm riding Matt and Dude is standing around looking pretty. Pulled Dude's shoes when Bill came to trim the new mare's black, iron, huge hooves. Squeeeee. Bill is keeping an eye out for someone who wants a companion horse who will take good care of Dude.

When I mentioned to Bill that the new mare had rain rot and was too skinny, he commented that she is in the right place, now. that made me feel good. The farrier knows who takes good care of their horses, so he will find a good home for dude when the time is right.