Ridecamp is sorta like Endurance. Sometimes you are so
low, you swear you will NEVER do another ride. Then sometimes the
euphoria is unbelievable. Sometimes you can get really fed up with
Ridecamp, but then sometimes you don’t know how you lived without
it. However, when it comes right down to it, it’s about the
horses.
Joan had never been around horses until she met Sunny.
He is particularly mood sensitive. He can be aloof, affectionate,
arrogant, gentle (particularly with little kids), and sometimes moody…as
in “go-away-don’t-bother-me” . More and more over the years,
he has become “her horse”. He will rest his nose in her hair
when she’s brushing him, and his attitude is more consistent around her.
My guys are in at night in the winter. Although I
could leave them out 24/7, I want them to have Bermuda,
Alfafa, Omolene and Beet Pulp in their diet every day, since that’s what
they get at rides and grass is sometimes not available. Our routine is that I
clean the stalls and feed. Joan is the office manager for a dentist and
usually gets home about 6:30. She takes the guys from the pasture to the
barn and grooms them while I fix supper.
Dealing with schedules and appointments all day can be
somewhat stressful. She told me a story one day about this guy who called
to tell her he would be late for his appointment. He called her while
sitting on the john to tell her he was constipated, and if “grunt”,
“wheeze”, he could work this out, he would give her a call and
reschedule. You should hear her tell it!
Anyway, grooming the guys, particularly Sunny, is the
highlight of her day…And I thought I was……<grin>
Anyway, she also occasionally writes poetry. I found this one on the
counter. I’m probably gonna get in trouble for this, but thought I
would share.
