Things that go to plan, and things that don't

​December 15, 2025
Lousin's balance was impressive.  Skye pushed Granite closer to the wall so she could swing onto his back.  

"I've been working with them for a long time"  Skye reassured the sisters.  Granite stepped close and Lousin slipped smoothly onto his back.

"Just sit relaxed, and don't give them any signals.  Hold their manes...they're both a little animated...they'll be following me and doing what I tell them.  If you get uncomfortable just hop off.  We're in deep sand.  You won't get hurt."

Anahit looked confident on Sand.  Lousin appeared slightly apprehensive on Granite,  but she was hanging tough.  The horses were cooperating.  As if this wasn't their first liberty practice with riders.

The second turn was less coordinated.  Granite went wide.  Lousin leaned, pulled his mane.  He started turning but not enough.  She moved her outer leg forward and her inner leg back, squeezed the outer leg.  He acquiesced.

Back down the arena, side by side, perfection.  Then the girls heard voices.

"It's mom" Anahit said.

Skye saw nothing...save for the girls flying off of their mounts.

"Good boys, good boys..."  Skye was so very pleased with the big geldings.  

Anoush entered the arena moments later on Fuego.  Lousin and Anahit could tell immediately that she was not a hundred per cent relaxed.  He hadn't been ridden in a while and although her reins were loose and she wasn't on his head, you could feel his energy rippling just beneath his impressive constraint.

Grace entered the arena on La Barilla.  They worked their vastly different Spanish horses around each other, moving in circles, passing each other, not exactly as a choreographed dance, but intriguing nonetheless.

Skye returned to the arena with Deer Medicine.  The saddle was much too big for Lousin, but she looked good on her even so.

"Do you like her?"  Skye asked.  "You look good on her."

"She's wonderful."

"The saddle is too big for me too"  Skye said.

"I'll be back with a surprise"  Anoush said, riding out on Fuego, horse and rider now relaxed and supple.  Skye heard the words but didn't really know what to make of them, and got back to discussing saddles and horses with Lousin.  Because, weather and all permitting, they were hoping to go for a Christmas ride, at some point, perhaps before Christmas.

Anoush came back with a surprise all right.  Mateo.  She had walked him down, saddled, mounted him in the arena, and as everyone watched, breathless, she rode him at the walk in a circle.  Reverse direction.  Another circle.

Mateo reared.  It wasn't his signature vertical standing rear but it was sudden and jolting.  Anoush lost her seat for a second, then regained it.

Mateo got his legs underneath him.  The next rear was all that.

Anoush was out of the saddle but in the stirrups, precarious, but still mounted.  She lost her right rein and made a grasp for his mane instead.

A moment later, her boot slipped free of her left stirrup.  The ride was over.

Anoush let go, and stepped off of Mateo rather gracefully.

Then fell more or less softly to the sand.

While everyone was focused on Anoush, Skye acted on a moment of fearless inspiration.  She swing up on Mateo...and he swung into the air.  And he he was big.  And the ground was a long ways down.  But somehow, he seemed ever so slightly more gentle with Skye.  He came down on all fours and held still for a moment.  Skye didn't budge.  A few seconds passed.  She dismounted.

Skye raised up her arms and Mateo reared.  She kept her arms up.  He held himself vertical.  She put her arms down.  Eventually, he came back down to earth.  

"If we can get him to rear on command...maybe we can get him to not rear on command?"  Skye questioned out loud.  "I'm a little concerned about his future.  We don't really need a circus horse."

Grace decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in a more mundane fashion.  Turning out stallions.  Gunner came first.

​Then Dream Boat.

Relampago en la Pampa.

And last of the day's horses, Moose.

The dogs took to the sand next.  It was getting a bit late in the afternoon to take them for a hike, but they seemed happy in the arena.

"Did you hurt anything?"  Grace asked Anoush quietly.

"I bruised my ego a little bit.  It's been quite some time since I've been unseated."

"Skye and your girls are hoping to go for a Christmas ride."

"Great idea.  Count me in." 

Three of the barn cats came to check out the commotion.

It was a happy commotion.  Many smiling dogs.

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