So, we went on our first training trail ride today. We had one young horse, Sue and two nice slow calm horses.
I decided that the young horse should ride behind a calm horse who was put in the lead. Then my friend on her calm horse would ride third and Sue and I would bring up the rear.
This was working great, but my natural impatience exherted itself. When my friend’s horse slowed down to a near stop and failed to keep up close to the front two horses, I rode around and kept behind the front two horses. This was working great. We made it 3/4 way around the 40 acre field when we stopped to regroup. My friend and her horse were about 50′ behind us and she waved at a neighbor. This prompted Sue to spook. We might have spooked 10′ and came to a stop. I did get a little bit unbalanced in the saddle.
Now here’s the really sad part. I got angry. I was angry that my good friend was behind me. Why couldn’t she obey me!
Oh yes, I was also scared. Scared and angry meant bursting out in dry tears. Oh yes, it was that bad. You should have seen the shocked look that my friends gave me. Of course bursting out in tears made me angrier at myself. What a clod.
Sue and I “huffed” off.
I yelled at the group that I couldn’t ride with them anymore because I had become emotional. I told them just to ride without me. Sue and I were huffing off down the middle of the field.
They didn’t move. They said things like, we’ll be here when you want us…blah blah. nice things. Good kind people. Understanding people. It just makes me sick!
Shortly thereafter, I came to my senses, tried and succeeded in relaxing and rode back to my group. They had not moved.
So, we made it back to our halfway point. This time I told friend Barb to ride behind me and wave her arms. The front two riders rode side by side…but a distance from one another so Sue and I would have a place to “spook thru”. It was planned like a drill team. We rode the entire way back to the place where I emotionally freaked. Once Sue sped up a bit…that was it.
We rode all the way back again, still with friend in the back waving her arms. No problem.
It was time for me to get off. I’m having a knee problem and pain was running from foot to hip.
Good GAD! I feel like I’m going thru emotional fitness training school.