Are you willing to break the law, for me to show you a new trail?

Seli was kind enough to agree to a ride with me even though I told her I'd be on foot the entire time due to Mag's back cysts. How sweet, I don't know many who would be OK with that. (Or, I guess I'll find out in the next week or two: ))

I loaded Mag up, attaching the saddle bag to the surcingle that left his lumpy back exposed to the air. Included were my water bottle (for him to share) and treats, and brush cutters. And Chapstik, of course, cuz it lives there.

I'd medicated Mag in the morning.

Twice today Mag reached around and bit at the Dexamethasone/DMSO that had dripped down his side: ( It must itch/hurt.


I put some random photos in this blog post to break up text, though they are not from today. I believe this Haflinger is Momo (but there are a lot of Haflingers at the Haflinger farm and most of them look just like Momo). Check out the width of this horse! And both-side mane.


Seli rode Momo to my house, so nice (she's only 10 minutes away) and her dog was alongside, of course. She was riding in a funky get up - a Western felt saddle pad held in place with an elastic band.



Photo credit J's sister Sunny, Spring 2016.

Seli brought Momo to a halt and said, "Whereto?"

I said, "Are you ok with breaking the law?"

"Sure."




Of course she's ok with it: ) I took her down a new trail (ha, I still have a few she doesn't know about, though she's lived her entire life here) and then pointed to an abandoned logging road, with a huge sign: Do not enter under punishment of law, blah blah blah. TL;DR. Or, Too many big German words; Didn't care to interpret.



(I'm looking at Sunny's photos and realizing it's true, Spring in Germany is the only mud-free time of year. Look, it's...dusty!)

She gasped when she saw me heading for that abandoned road. She said, "Down THAT thing?" I said, "It'll be fine. Tell your dog to go first." Actually I hadn't been there in 3 years and I had no idea if it was even passable. That is why I had my blackberry clippers in my saddle bag. And it's a good thing I did.

Seli carefully led Momo down the slope which included some steep steps and mud slides, but it was fine. At the bottom we were at the water.



(This is Wuppertal, not Wermelskirchen, where I live, but shows how Mag drank today, as he always does when he spots a puddle.)

At the bottom, wow.......GORGEOUS. It's another world down there, no one is allowed, it's perfect privacy, nothing but watershed and trees. Two swans drifted by and Mag stared, he's still not used to swans. And I don't like them at all, as majestic as they are. I've been attacked.

Seli's dog went running off and I said, "No worries, guaranteed, there's no one down here."

Her dog spotted a flock of geese that were so, so loud and was off.

Then he found two deer in a meadow and took off after them, and it was the most amazing sight, those deer leaping through the "wilderness" with the reflective water behind them. (You must always put quotes on "wilderness" in Germany.)

Seli said, "OMG I have to take a photo, this is so gorgeous."

She tossed the reins over Momo's neck and left him grazing in front of the big water, and started taking photos of him. I used this time to practice standing still with Mag (we do standing still practice every day now - I have an entire lesson plan written down and we're following it).

As we led our horses through the tranquility we talked and talked and the dog left and returned, and Seli did get a little frustrated with his running away. She admitted, "He really shouldn't run off like that."

I noticed Mag was paying much more attention to the dog if I was in front, than if he were just following Momo. So I asked to be in front today. I hope he's learning to be OK with the dog, it's just gonna take time, who knows how much.



(Holy crap he was almost dapply last year! And with a dark mane!)

Mag bit Momo on the Popo (butt in German), repeatedly throughout the day. I would say, "Go ahead and kick him Momo!" and thankfully Seli didn't mind. She is so laid back, compared to most Germans.

And since Momo never flicked an ear even though Mag was not gentle with his teeth, I realized I could believe Seli when she said he's never kicked another horse in his life. So I grabbed his tail, and tailed him up all the hills today. Usually horses take some time to adjust to that feeling, but he was great. He was my rope-tow. However, he does stink. He has that smell of a horse that sweats often and is never rinsed off. I remember when I was a kid, I loved that smell. Now I think it's kind of gross.

 Seli checked her cell phone and said, "Hey, there's a trail going up from the water from here, and I think it will lead us back home." I said, "Let's go for it!"

Halfway up that hill (tailing Momo), I looked around and said, "I've been here. 8 years ago with Baasha. I know where this goes, I'm almost positive."

Then I realized we were going to crest the hill and find ourselves on the wrong side of the big fence. Most of the watershed is surrounded by a very serious fence with massive, unclimbable gates.

Sure enough, at the top, was that massive gate, and fence going into the brush on either side. Except.....wait. Yes! It's still there, the little path I'd used 8 years ago to get in. But it was totally overgrown.

I tied Mag to the huge gate and got my clippers out. Momo was loose, as usual, grazing. I told her I'd cut the path. She felt bad for Mag and said, "I'll hold him so he can graze too." I said, "Sure!"

I'm sure Mag had this thought, "Why is my owner *gardening* out here?" *lol* Cuz he watches me garden at home, and when I trim roses, he gets to eat them.

I cut a ton of blackberry, it took 15, maybe 20 minutes but I wanted to make it through without us getting cut up, or Mag getting stuck and freaking out.

As I got a little beyond the gate, I cracked up laughing. Cuz the gate had a big NO HORSES sign, next to another of those long legal consequences for trespassing signs. I said, "Seli, you have to see yourself, standing there with two horses on the other side of a no horses sign! Give me your cell phone!"

So I got some pics, even though from her perspective on the other side, it wasn't particularly funny. She did laugh when I handed back her phone.

I told her to email me the photos and she said, "You know you are the only person I know who does not have WhatsApp, therefore the only person I actually SMS with.You know, cell phones are really cheap these days." I said, "It's not the price" and didn't elucidate.  I did say that J's entire family complains to us that they cannot WhatsApp us.

She got back on Momo. I asked her why she hadn't ridden down there by the water, and she said it was too muddy (even though it was perfectly flat). Interesting. Perhaps because he's half blind/mostly blind? I appreciate how she takes care of him, and it makes it nice for me to not be the only person leading my horse. Oh, what will happen when Momo and Mira are no longer with us? I won't have anyone with decrepit horses to go out with: (

As soon as we parted ways, I asked Mag to just stand on Hohestrasse, and he was fine even when  a bus passed right by him. Then I let him graze along that street, and then we went home, and every so often he'd break into a joyful jog behind me, not worried, just having fun.

When I got home I realized he didn't make a false move all day, and that was almost 3 hours. At one point he lost his balance in the mud and ended up somehow wrapping his lead rope around a front ankle. I saw a potential freak out, but I said, "HO!" and pulled the rope free, letting it slide under his fetlock. Fascinating - he trusted me and just stood still for that. I practice at home but you know, it's all different out in the wild. I remembered that 2 days ago I had a dream he got his legs tangled up in our electric wire, and he collapsed in his struggle and died. This was totally different than that dream: )

HEY, Seli just sent me the photos!!!!



(Momo, reins dropped to the ground.)




(I come from a place of ocean  and sound and many lakes and magnificent rivers and waterfalls. This is the only semblance I have of home, and we are not allowed here.)




She rides him in a sidepull.




It's not funny on the other side of the fence, trust me.




Seli says, "Pose, put the ears forward!"




My husband said, "You are not going to put those photos on the Internet." I argued, "They know no names!" And my blog is semi private, I have no worries that Seli herself could Google and find this blog entry. 

If I'm wrong, you're the first to know: )