A Baby Boomer Dreams of Arabian Horses - The Maiden Season Part 12

Part 1 of the Baby Boomer Series

Part 1 of the Maiden Season

What happened next still seems like some surreal dream? As the expression washed across the young Arabian horse's face, telling me he knew that he was loose, the horse decided to make the most of his new found freedom. He wheeled around and galloped off towards the show ring.

I hollered, "Loose horse!" as I raced off after him. It seemed like horses and handlers scattered every which way as the horse breezed by with me in hot pursuit heading across a large paddock and into the show arena.

The gate keeper was an old gent half snoozing in a chair. The arena was so large, the class was going on at the far end. The gate keeper hadn't even bothered to close the gate like he was "hired" to do making it possible for the young stallion to run straight into the show arena.

So my young two year old Arabian stallion, who has bred mares (which everyone on the grounds knows by now) was now running free in the Purebred Arabian Mares Halter Championship class. Of course, I was still hot on his trail for what good it was doing me. No way could I keep up, let alone catch this horse.

The mares were being stood up by their handlers so the judge could make her final selections for champion and reserve champion mare when my horse raced bellowing in to the ring. By the time the stallion got near the mares, one of them broke loose from her handler and joined my horse running free.

People again were scattering everywhere. I haven't a clue what happened to the other horses in the ring but I assume they were part of the commotion as they tried to exit the ring. Several people, including the judge and the ring steward, were now involved in trying to catch the two horses as they raced around the perimeter.

As the horses ran Legs tried to jump on the mare a couple of times but he was never dropped. It was more a playful kind of "play with me" gesture than an "I want to breed you" jump. Because the jumping slowed the horses up a little, I nearly caught the young stallion. He tossed his head at me and put on the gas.

In desperation and frustration, I struck him on the A _ _ with the halter whip just as he peeled away from me. I remember thinking at the time how stupid I'd been to strike the horse. But it was too late, I couldn't take it back. I had hit him and probably only scared him. After all these years, I have never forgiven myself for doing such a dumb thing.

Finally, it looked like we were getting a break, the horse was heading down towards the in gate where several people were located. If the darn in gate had been closed, like it was supposed to be we would have caught the young horse. However, that old man was still snoozing and by the time our screaming "close the gate" aroused him, the horse was out the gate and heading back across the paddock.

By this time, this poor horse had a boat load of people screaming and yelling and trying to catch him. But he avoided everyone of them. He ran across that paddock straight up to the only person out there that didn't look threatening to him.

This woman was one of the hugest people I have ever seen in my life. The woman was so large when she did move, it was slowly. There she was quietly standing on the far edge of the paddock. Legs ran straight up to within a few feet of her. There he stopped. Walked the few remaining steps and dropped his head wanting her to save him from the lunacy. She carefully reached out and grasped his lead and took to petting him.

I walked over and retrieved my horse thanking the woman. I was relieved his escapade was over. Then we went off to find the rest of my equipment so we could be ready for our class.

I toweled the sweat off my horse as best I could cleaning him up to show. I brushed the dirt from my clothes and tried to get focused for his futurity class. I don't really remember the details other than Legs was named the Region 5 Amateur Owner to Handle Futurity Champion.

Pretty much the rest of that morning was a blur except for after the class when the owners of the mare accosted me. They followed me back to my stalls screaming, yelling and swearing at me. They went on and on about how inept I was and how badly I'd screwed up their mare. They wanted me to pay for all the harm I'd caused. Oh yes and here is the best part. They were dam_ well sure I was too blinking stupid to be handling any stallions. I can tell you after the year I had just had, I wasn't so sure that they were not right!


To be continued............

The Legacy Continues


This is a good place to take a break (yes that means the mishaps are done for a bit!) and catch up on some other things including an update on Echo and Suede, a tag I am still needing to address and where Rachel and Grandma might just be today. Once I get those done, I will pick this story back up with the coming foals. Yipee, I love babies! BTW this picture is of Legs. It was taken the day after this happened!!


baby boomer Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse dream horse loose stallion horse breeding halter horse loose horse