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.