"Your horse can pee while walking?"

I just got back from a great ride with S2, what I'll call the 2nd S I know, who coincidentally keeps her horse in the same little private barn as S1. The bad part is this is an hour away by foot/hoof and in between is mostly city streets. So it's not convenient to ride together, so I rarely do, with either Ss. (As far as I know, S1 and S2 are not friends.)

The good part is that I live closer to the better trails, so these ladies often ride over here to the Bayer loop. It's called that because the trail begins at a Bayer convention center.

Finally S2 could meet with me today, and from the not-large collection of horsey people I know here, she is the very best. She's laid-back, a good conversationalist whilst riding, doesn't give opinions unless you specifically ask, and has the best trained horse in our town. I think I mentioned before how she can sit in a chair in the grass and her horse Chili will stand beside her and not try to take a bite of grass, however long she sits there. Chili is a 10 year old bay Haflinger/QH cross and nothing ever seems to bother him, he's a walking sofa. S2 wants to enter him in the big Western riding competition in August, the one I went to last year and had such a bad time "crewing."

We met at the halfway point which is  a busy city street so I was leading but as soon as we got off the road I mounted. We did the Bayer loop in one hour, just walking, and it was really nice. We saw no one in the woods today, and it's Saturday!

I was able to relax and ride with one hand and talk with the other: )  There was never a moment of silence, we are both good talkers.

The trail has changed since I've been there last, but Mag has never been there so he didn't notice. We crossed water twice and both times Mag went, "Too scary!" and filed in line directly behind Chili's butt, where it was safe, to cross. I had to laugh because Mag seems to want to lead when he's with other horses, but he loses his confidence easily. Three times he hid behind Chili today, but most of the time walked beside and slightly ahead of him, ears pricked happily, and every so often they'd give each other looks like, "Who are you!?" And only once did they snark at each other.

Mag pooped a couple times but I kept him moving, which he's finally getting. He drank out of a grey puddle, he's always thirsty, making Chili wait.

Then he pooped again and I kept him moving and S2 said, "What is he....your horse can walk and pee at the same time!!!!!" And I said, "WHAT!" and pulled Mag to a stop. Sure enough, he was peeing and assumed he wasn't allowed to stop for that. S2 was laughing, "I was wondering where this water was coming from!" I fell onto Mag's neck, laughing and hugging him saying, "I'm so sorry! You can stop to pee!" Poor Mag, he tries his best sometimes.

We enjoyed the rest of our ride and then I walked a ways through town with her on the most scary gauntlet street on garbage day, with piles of yellow plastic sacks in front of every home. We rode past the American house and I still cannot get over it. Every detail imported from America.

Finally we parted ways and I led Mag the 30 minutes back home on the busy street with garbage trucks going by.

When we got home J stuck his head out the window and gave Mag a treat. He got lots of treats today, and lots of praise. I will now go send her a text thanking her for a great ride with "Uncle Chili."