cold night ride....

["Louise D Burton" <FIREDANCEFARMS@prodigy.net>]

My thoughts tonight while you sit warm and toasty....

I don't know how cold it is..maybe 8..wind chill way below zero.  It is too
cold to keep my eyes open, so I ride along, head down, eyes closed,
periodically opening them to keep my eyelashes from freezing together.  My
old friend.  We walk along in the pitch darkness. I can feel him change his
pace to avoid the ice in the trail.  I trust him completely.  We walk along
and my mind wanders...all the races we have done...all those thousands and
thousands of miles...our first 50...28 degrees and pouring rain...being so
cold you just have to concentrate on the warm parts...and tonight, since I
am bareback on Bo's big flat back, I think of my legs, and my feet with my
Sorel pacs on, the boots I bought when I lived in COLD weather (Eastern
Idaho).  Bo (Fa Al Badi+/) continues to walk along, never straying from
course.  I think he will walk forever and wonder just where he would go. 
Twice I try to turn him for home, and both times he refuses, pulling on the
reins to walk some more.  In this dark and cold, I feel like we have been
out all night...it has only been an hour.   Here, in the cold and alone, I
reflect on our life together, and my mind always returns to the same
picture...our first 100...the Old Dominion...walking down Sherman's Gap at
3am...it seems it is always the 100s that stick in my mind...the time in TX
where we were all galloping down the road in the predawn where it was so
dark you could close your eyes or open them..it didn't make any difference!
 I guess that it is the 100s that really secure that bond.  In both of
these instances I had to relinquish control completely and trust my horse.

After 3 miles, I turn Bo for home.  Reluctantly, he complies.  Back to
home, back to heat, back to family.

Take some time out this holiday to escape with your favorite four legged
friend.  Go for a walk, not a run.  Enjoy.  They may not be here tomorrow. 
Merry Christmas from Louise and Fa Al Badi+/ ....3000+ miles together.

Louise Burton
Firedance Farms Arabians
Oklahoma
http://pages.prodigy.com/arabians