After my triumphant gallop across-country the other week, I had yet another week where reality seems to come crashing down.
It all started (not at work, that's never a 'high' and always seems to be crashing around your shoulders) at riding, of all places! A good ride makes the world seem accessible and adventurous, a bad ride makes you lucky to be alive and shaking next time you see a hill!
I took a friend for a gentle trail ride and yes, it went very inauspiciously. However, while tacking up I spotted a dime. Yep, I am that ridiculous, I grabbed it triumphantly (way more worth it than a penny!) and banged the crap out of my head on a shelf, lurking above. Yeah it fucking hurt.
Not be outdone, while I was tacking up my friend's horse, the western stirrup slipped off the horn and whacked the same soft spot that had taken a beating only 5 mins earlier. OUCH.
Yeah that was karma trying to tell me something, maybe it doesn't like it when I think too much...My head hurt for the entire ride, and was tender and sore for the next 2 days.
Then...It gets better. I go for a ride under bad cirumstances (hungover, no sleep, exhausted, up from a midafternoon nap) and get my ass out on the trail with 2 friends. They let their horses gallop up a very steep hill and at the first jump, I was already starting to shake loose. My horse was not to be left behind, so she heaved her huge heifer ass up as fast as she could, nevermind her rider frantically clinging to her nonexistant appy mane. I fell off mid-hill at the gallop and bit the dust, landing luckily on my ass/side and not hitting my head again. I was a bit shaky after that, so I walked her back down the hill after we caught her.
This was turning out to be the trail ride from hell--lesson to myself, never ride hungover. We continued our trail on safer ground, less hills, and came across a big white-tailed deer, who took flight and spooked the younger horse. Mine spooked because she spooked, but only a little, enough to rattle the already shook up me! We gathered ourselves up and continued, only to...
Come across a man sleeping in a mini-bobcat. He woke up and again, startled the crap out of our horses. Leaping sideways, snorting, prancing...
Ok. We collected ourselves once again, feeling a little on the hairy side, and continued. I heard a car coming, and it sounded loud.
Right around the turn, a huge dumptruck was steaming full speed. He braked next to us. We were between a dumptruck still running and a cliff 20 yards away. The young horse was very unsure, my horse was unsure because of young'un and I was feeling very, very unsafe. I made an executive decision and leapt off, only to have the asshole masquerading as a 'man' let off his 'J' break and a huge gust of exhaust, which was very loud. Next to horses, next to a cliff.
I was very glad I had jumped off. The young horse almost lost her mind, and was safe only due the quick actions of her rider, who wrestled her under control and we continued out of the asshole's way.
Right now, I'm sticking to ring riding. That was too close for comfort, and I've never been a confident trail rider in the first place. Also, my ass hurt for 2 days after that ride.
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