2.5 hours Dawnseeking

Claudia said she'd be at the barn Wednesday but I didn't count on it. When she showed up I asked her if we would be riding today. She said "Sure, either with my first outing today or afterwards; I'm riding with a friend today but you can come along if you like. Or not."

I said, "I'll do it."

I got Mag ready really fast and since I had no time to warm him up in the arena (which is also a check-in with his emotions), I chose to lead him out the first 15 minutes.

Argo has been having herd troubles lately, and I was unwilling to let Argo and Mag play or work together in the arena lately. The herd order was disrupted by the lead gelding leaving the herd due to lameness, and Argo went nearly insane trying to take his spot. I saw a lovely peaceful horse become obsessive and nasty. I kind of hesitated when she wanted to ride out with me.

Mag, as you know, has had great fun chewing holes in his hide, listening him to him squeal the entire time passively. Would this ever be possible again?

Do you remember our last outing, where Argo and Mag attacked each other simultaneously and Mag fell down on the street?

I had some hesitations.

But I cannot be picky at this point, if someone offers to go on a training ride with me.

Mag was quite "up" - trotting behind me, actually, as I led our group out of the gate.

Claudia on Argo followed as I led Mag a while and then she started talking and I focused fully on every word, letting her stories take me from any worries.

I got on, and we headed down the Talsperre valley, with the great wall holding all the water back. Ugh. I really don't feel well down there. Have you ever ridden to the bottom of a dam? Did I watch too many Saturday morning cartoons?

Mag was fine. Not balanced like a mature horse on that slope, neither down nor up, but he gave it a good try. And no losing touch with gravity today!

At the top I commented on the many many Liebeschlosser on the gate at the top of the dam. Love locks. Claudia shook her head. I said Americans love the love locks! I have one, myself! (But I haven't figured out where to place it yet. Certainly not Cologne, where the locks are threatening to drop the bridge into the Rhein.) Hm, maybe here in Wuppertal!?

A Haflinger came rushing down the hill toward us, a full white mane hanging down both sides of his neck, to his forelegs. What a horse!

Mag was frozen, watching him approach. I patted him, "It's fine, this is our company today."

Mag's world expanded as, for the first time, a strange horse greeted us and then joined us and then eventually parted from us as we continued. So many new things.

The Haflinger is only 6, like Mag, but the Haflinger was pissed off!

He showed it by tossing his luxurious hair in circular, angry patterns. "I want to RUN!"

His rider complied with Claudia's request that we only walk today. She seemed amicable and answered my questions and we chatted about our surroundings. I told her how much Claudia has helped me in the past weeks, how valuable she's been to me.

I kept backing Mag off from the Haflinger, because Mag was so close and I didn't know him. What I found not so great was Claudia had Argo halfway past Mag's body so we were all crunched together, and I know Mag felt that I was worried about that configuration. And there was nothing I could do, but watch their horses' ears and faces, hoping to avoid a conflict.

Then a tractor came, right down the trail. WTH.

All three horses were alarmed. We moved them to the side of the road/trail. The tractor crept politely by us, but I saw Argo's eyes pop in worry. Mag seemed fine....

Then the tractor was by, and just as we relaxed a moment the tractor hit a branch or something, and a loud crack rang out. All three horses spooked. But no one horse spooked more spectacularly than any other. In other words, Mag held it together.

Claudia said, "OK, then, wow, Mag is good, a typical young horse would have bolted."

We proceeded down the Gelpe valley and eventually arrived at Zillertal, which you all know about from our excursion recently.  I was *riding* Zillertal again, how awesome, after doing it with Tolima, Galim, and then Baasha.

The conversation was lively enough that I was able to truly relax and enjoy.

They took me to that creek where Mag almost pushed me into the deep end, and asked me if I wanted to go into the water. It took me a moment, but I conceded when I saw what trouble the Haflinger was having, refusing to get his foot wet, in that very "wet, wet water" as I termed it to his rider.

Argo paced through the creek placidly. I finally took Mag down and he just walked right in, of course, he loves water. Why was I worried?

As soon as Mag was in, he pooped. Yes, I have another water pooper. I've owned two geldings and both of them immediately expel upon water entry. In America this is no big deal because we see it as a part of nature. But in Germany, no, it's our water!

I had to laugh.

Eventually I felt good enough to offer to lead the group.

And lead we did. In fact I started to worry (cuz worrying is a default in my family) that Mag was enjoying being in the lead *too* much. Cuz I really really don't want to repeat my mistakes with Baasha, where I had a horse who must lead or fight me. That is just a form of insecurity, the fear of being left behind. An insecure horse will choose to face dangers and be responsible for the group because that cost is lower than the cost of potential desertion.

I will not make that mistake again. To be fair, if you mostly ride alone, you're setting yourself up to fail in this regard, and I mostly rode alone.

Every so often the Haflinger would misbehave and start fighting to rush and it made Mag uneasy.

But, as we rounded a turn, Mag leading, forward marching happily, I suddenly recognized where we were. I'd ridden here at night, and turning that corner the full moon greeted me through the pine trees. It was such an amazing sight I painted a picture of it (using MS Paint, ahem) and posted it to my blog. And since my blog is not searchable, I will never find it, even though I think I called it "Riding to the Moon". Have you ever been to Going to the Sun?

The ladies chatted behind me and I felt my joy returning. I laughed at how Mag prefers the down side of the slope, and I told the ladies my theory is horses prefer the cliff side to the hill side of the trail because their enemies, the big cats, hunt them from above. So slipping down a cliff is the lesser danger. This is just something I've pondered as it seems that all my horses prefer to place their hooves along the precipice, instead of the safe side of the hillside trail (road).

Dogs, nordic walkers, strollers, bikes, it was just one thing after another on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. I was wishing the clouds would roll in and erase all these users from the picture. There was one dude underneath his car changing a tire and that upset Mag enough he wouldn't pass, so we let the Haflinger lead.

Mag, leading, for the most part, dealt with it all fine. Again, I did let him hide behind the Haflinger when one family had three dogs and a baby stroller. But I was astounded, honestly, at how much of this day Mag was confidently in the lead. I wonder if it's cuz he knew I was worried the other horses would kick him, so being there relaxed me too. Hm.

Stumps and benches were no problem for Mag in comparison to our last outing with Claudia, where he was frozen in fear. On this day there was a dog in a down stay on the trail beside us and I thought for sure he'd leap at us as we passed and ruin our day. But no, nothing bad happened. It just kept going on and on, this ride, and nothing bad happened.

A deer ran across our path 50 meters in front of Mag's nose and still nothing bad.

The ladies commented how calm Mag is, how not typical that is. I said, "I'm just discovering it for myself!"

Then we came to a small village and rode through it on the paved street, what I hate to do, and I was not comfortable at all, but I recognized that village from 10 years ago. I'd ridden through it often when I leased Galim. I knew where I was...sort of.

Then the Haflinger and its rider parted ways with us, and we turned back toward the woods.

Then there was, exactly as I recall, a herd of baby Haflingers in a field adjacent to the trail, behind a barbed wire fence. And on the other side of our narrow trail, another barbed wire fence. Good grief.

I asked Claudia if the Haflingers would come over and she said, "Not for my horse, maybe for yours."

Sure enough, the youngsters came a-cantering toward us. Oh boy. Barbed wire on either side of my horse. Mag was thrilled but did not lose it, thank God. WHY why do they have barbed wire at all here?

Claudia told me that Mag kicked a hole in the neighbor's wooden privacy fence. WHAT?

She said, "I'd gone to get him for the evening, (I had no idea anyone other than Willy handled Mag), and on the way to his stall I stopped to talk to Isa. As I stood there talking, suddenly, for no discernible reason, your horse kicked out and put a hole in the fence!" I was shocked. I mean, I know he kicks out at random, but this is the first time he's done it where no one, nothing is touching him at all. So it can't be pain. And the vet and chiro said it's not pain. So what!? Ugh. I hate this because I never feel totally at ease under him or around his hind legs. Every day I clean his hooves and wonder if this is the day I'll get kicked in the face. I have no idea what to do about it, besides all the desensitizing stuff.

Anyway, we rode around the Talsperre again completely on the way home, making our ride even longer. Then something happened that still bothers me. Since these trails go through naked forests, you can see all the trails around you. We were nearing home and following Argo as he picked up the upper trail in a valley. The lower trail was only a ways below it, and Mag suddenly preferred it, because he could see that it was a short cut.

Mag said "no" and quit following Argo and took the lower, easier trail.

This is the thing I've been predicting about my horse for a while now. That he's so lazy, he'll refuse to go where I point him. And here was the first iteration of the problem.

It had been over 2 hours and Mag was done.

I pulled his head around toward Argo and the upper trail and Mag said "no."

I said, "Let's just follow uncle Argo now!" cheerfully and he budged, bent, and then changed his mind. Whew. I mean WHEW. No fight, just opinion. Acknowledged.

I like one thing about this - he was not glued to uncle Argo's butt for security. He chose another path.

This is something Baasha would never do in a million years, but Mara did very well, especially at the foot of a big hill (sigh).

Once Mag complied and my relief washed waves of emotion over us both, I dropped the reins on his neck and we climbed the hill toward home.

Claudia had her feet out of the stirrups, stretching her legs as I used to do on long rides, reins hanging over Argo's neck, and I rested my hands on Mag's neck but let the reins hang as we meandered home.

Mag gimped on some rocks over the day, so I will complete his set of hoof boots eventually. Only a few times, nothing urgent, but something to note.

Funnily, he walks right off trail as if the concept of "the path" is unknown to him. It's so cute, the young Haflinger did the same, so we'd both find ourselves off trail, our young horses just finding their own way, as Argo dutifully stuck to the trail, never wavering, never losing his balance at all. I laughed to Claudia, "This is exactly what Argo does in the arena, he stays on the ganze bahn the entire time, those are the rules!"

Argo started coughing up the last big hill, and Mag snort/coughed once.

I was able to trust Mag to maintain a walking pace even over ditches and gulleys, nothing major, but for him, those were a challenge. He is really getting it that trail riding is walking only. I love that. I would be happy to walk for months on him (with just little trotting bursts). Because in it we can find our calmness.

Mag pooped three times during our ride, and I was able to convince him to keep walking "WALK AND POOP!" I say, twice, but not once when we were on a very steep switchback and we were both worried. OK 4 times if you include the water stop *lol*.

The Haflinger kept slipping in the mud, because he was so hyped up, and not caring about his hooves. Argo and Mag never slipped, on the same mud. I look forward to the day where Mag can descend a truly steep mountain,  hocks underneath, with confidence. I realize that this is the first time in my life I've wished for this. With Baasha, I didn't know what I was doing. With the others, it was already there. No, I didn't want a baby. But I must admit it's a tiny bit fun to see details I took for granted illuminated for me as projects.

Our ride was 2.5 hours. Mag has never been ridden so long in his life. I would say an hour would have been the max. I know his mind was blown by it, he didn't place it in the realm of possibility that a horse could carry a person for so long.

I was in bliss. I see his potential and his "hold-it-togetherness" and see much happiness in our future.

I didn't want a baby. But I got something interesting and new and special and really, really energy-conserving. : )

***

When we got back, we let them both loose in the arena to roll and well, to give Mag a chance to chew on Argo if he wanted. And after much rolling, Mag chewed on Argo, and Argo stood there squealing like a girl and loving it.

In fact, if Mag would walk away to go investigate something, Argo would toss his head, trot over, and place himself in front of Mag perpendicular, so Mag had no option but to chew on the big red Warmblood. How funny, considering how unstable Argo was the last few weeks! I couldn't believe a horse working to master the herd would beg a youngster to chew on his hide until he squealed. WTH! Anyone have an idea about this?

They did the bite-face, then rear up game for a while too. Argo would not let Mag leave him. Maybe it just simply feels good for Mag to sink his teeth into his hide and chew until he squeals. It must, cuz he kept positioning himself in front of my horse, "Bite me."

*lol*

What a great day.

I'm just glad no one saw me get off my horse. After riding that long, and being tense for so much of the time, pushing my heels down severely, my  knees were frozen. I felt like an old lady trying to walk after getting off. It was not 50 miles. It was not even 10. But my poor knees. Gotta learn to relax: )

I hand grazed Mag an hour afterwards, and I think my praise was unnecessary, he knew how great he was.

***

I texted Claudia that night, "Many thanks for a great day - I'm so happy! You and Argo are wonderful!"

She said "Let's go again Friday!"

I hope so, so much.




Fuer Xofi