Sister A Meets Legs

Part 1

I totally left out one very important element of Sister A's personality. The woman cries over everything and when they do it's like a dam broke. She apologizes profusely for the waterworks but doesn't really get to why has caused it. There's no rhyme or reason to it that I can see.

She cried when she touched Percy and she cried just looking at Tag. She cried talking about her family and she cried talking about God. I never know when they're coming next.

When I next saw Sister A, I was working Legs in the arena. Sister A came flying down the hill with her arms flailing and screaming her usual greetings. "Hi!................Hey, Lady!........I said Hi..............God loves you!..................Hey Lady, I said GOD LOVES you!..........I love you too, Lady!"

I wasn't sure what to expect from Legs with his issues about strange things going on when the horse is trying to work. I moved him off my leg to the outside hoping if he was doing something tough he wouldn't have time to think about the whirlwind approaching. I don't know if it was my distraction that kept the horse in line but Sister A's approach didn't seem to bother Legs at all.

I stopped the horse on the rail where I knew Sister A would land so we could visit for a minute. I figured if I made just a little time for her, she'd let me go back to working in peace.

"What's this thing you got on this horse's face?" queried Sister A. My mind raced for a simple answer. I knew Sister A's attention span would not handle my usual response to someone her age. I figured if I kept my answer more in line with what I would tell a small child, we might both be better off.

"A bridle" was the first thing that came to mind. Lucky for me Sister A received that information just like most small children would. A shrug of her shoulders and the woman's mind raced onto something else and nothing more was said about how I dress my horse.

"This horse iiiiiiisssssssss P U R D Y! ! ! !................What's his name?..................Can I pet him?.............God loves his horses!"
Legs didn't seem to mind Sister A messing with his muzzle and the tears were flowing. I don't know how she could see the horse through all those tears.

Funny, if I tried to fiddle with the horse's muzzle like that, Legs would be throwing his head up into the air voicing his displeasure. Not as intrusive as the two year old child who examined him here at this very rail, Legs seemed to know something about this woman that's not visible to the rest of us.

Sister A rambled on about God saving me and God saving her. All the while she played with Legs' face. The horse just stood there like a rock.

I gathered up my reins and used my legs to move my horse forward. Sister A immediately reacted "Oh!..........Oh!...........I need a hug!...............Come on, Lady!..............Hug me, Please! I'm not really sure what goes on in my head at times like these but I decided a hug would not kill me. Although as I was bending down over the rail, I was thinking maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I sure don't want to fall off because my horse spooked...........and with my luck.........that's exactly what would happen.

There were more "God loves you"s and more "I love you"s and some "I love horses" thrown in for good measure before Sister A was finally on her way. As she ran off up the hill talking to herself the whole time, I heard Legs let out one of those tell tale sighs. The horse may have tolerated her intrusion but he was definitely glad she was gone. At this point in our relationship, I have to say I felt exactly the same way.

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

A Challenge

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An Arabian Mare...........Now What?

It's been a while since I last posted about the situation with Faye. A Mare.......A Van...........and Life Ever since A Sad Day...........
the status of this mare has been up in the air. I was getting conflicting information on whether the mare was going to stay or not. I just didn't know what was coming next.

Since my last post on the subject, These Are the Details I Know............ a number of things had happened. Nothing definite had come from any of them that I knew of. The status of this mare was still hanging.

I'd had a couple more conversations with Sherri's step daughter. From what I could garner from our conversations, her father wanted nothing to do with Faye. I guessed the mare had become a physical reminder of that horrible accident that had caused the death of his wife. The man just couldn't bare to see the mare.

In the meantime I'd gotten an offer of a ride home for Faye from a blog reader. She was making a trip to Wyoming and would save a spot for Faye if I could pay the fuel. It turned out that Faye's location was way off to the other side of the state from where this woman was travelling but for $300 she would gladly pick up Faye.

That kind of figure may not seem like much but for me, it was an impossible number. With Dave being out of work for a year and a half, not being paid for the mare, and a lawsuit pending, I just was not in the situation where I could come up with this amount. I asked the step-daughter if there was any chance they would be willing to spring for this amount to get the mare off their farm. She said she would talk to her father but I could tell she was uncomfortable.

Later I called the step-daughter back to clarify. I hadn't explained to her why I couldn't pay for this trip. I knew it sounded odd me asking them to pay the return trip if I had made money on this mare. Since that had not been the case, our transaction had not been completed because I did not receive any funds from Sherri, I was in a bad place.

I tried to explain had not been in a bad place, the mare would have never gone to Sherri in the first place. I would willing take her back but I needed to have help paying for the trip. Before we got through this conversation our phone call was dropped as most of them were with the step-daughter, I presume because of the remote area in which she lives.

The step-daughter called me back later wanting to talk about Sherri's plans for Faye. She wanted to understand what it was about the mare that made her special to Sherri.

I explained about the Gamaar breeding in this mare and how difficult it is to find such bloodlines as close as they are in Faye's pedigree. The woman didn't know who Gamaar was so I did a little explaining about the contribution to the breed made by this much revered stallion.

At one point the woman told me she would like to keep the mare and was going to discuss it with her father. That was our last conversation about it.

Then I received a call from the woman willing to transport the mare. She needed an answer. She had someone else wanting that slot in the horse trailer. I left messages with the step-daughter and got no response so we ended up losing that spot on the horse trailer for Faye. There was no way I could tell this woman she could pick up the horse if the people having the horse in their possession were not on board. With no communication I had no idea what their plans for Faye were at this point. It just was not my place to commit to this ride without some sort of response from Sherri's family. I suspected this would all come back and bite me.

A few days later I got a phone call from the original hauler of the mare. They were making a trip this direction and were told they could take Faye as well so she was checking in with me. I let her know I could not pay to have the mare returned. If I couldn't pay $300 for that slot earlier, I sure couldn't pay the entire price for a haul.

I also told her that last I heard the step-daughter thought she wanted to keep the mare. At this point I really didn't know if everyone was on the same page or not. The hauler gave me the phone number for Sherri's husband so I could find out for sure what his plans were for Faye.

Then the hauler told me they had not been paid for the original haul as well. They figured they would just write it off. It sounded like they would bring Faye back if they could get anywhere near here with an open slot. They were taking a mare of Sherri's back to Canada. The closest they were going to get to me was Spokane. If they could get a haul on this side of the mountains, they could bring Faye as well.

That was two weeks ago. Since then I haven't heard a word. To be honest, I have not used the phone number to call Sherri's husband. I misplaced it for a while but with everything that's been going on I just couldn't bring myself to intrude on his grief. As much as I wanted to get things resolved about Faye, I didn't want to force him to deal with me. It seemed to me if he'd wanted to talk with me he would have called before this. It also seemed to me if he didn't even want to look at my mare, he sure didn't want to deal with me.

That's pretty much where it's been up until now. This morning I got a call from the hauler. Faye is in Spokane on their van. She will be home some time tonight. It's been a strange winding road getting to here. I have no idea how or when or who pays. All I know is Faye should be here sometime this evening.



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Sister A..............a Lesson Learned.........

part 1

Sister A didn't know what to think at this point. She was so intent on getting permission to touch the horse she hadn't digested a single word I'd said. I could see the puzzled look on her face as she tried to understand what this all meant.

The woman stopped talking long enough for me to explain again about predator behavior. "You're scaring him. He's just a young horse and he doesn't understand your actions so he's trying to protect himself by running away."

I explained to Sister A she could pet the horse if she let us approach her. Then she needed to move slowly putting her hand out for the horse to smell. I instructed her not to touch the horse at all but to let the horse touch her. I knew that Percy would not be able to resist and outstretched hand without smelling it.

Sister A did offer her hand in an appropriate manner. As petite as this woman is it almost looked like the hand of a timid child as it approached. When the horse responded like I knew he would, the woman squealed in joy.

That was enough for Percy to go flying backwards again but this time Sister A seemed to understand it was her fault. The moment the horse began to retreat, the woman's face changed and the sound stopped emanating from her lips. Her eyes showed the disappointment at this outcome and her posture changed. The woman was definitely deflated by scaring the horse again.

Because she stopped squealing so quickly, Percy stopped his retreat. The horse was just a couple of steps away and he stood there watching the woman again. I reached up and stroked his neck assuring the horse he was ok. Then I asked him to approach Sister A again.

As Percy and I came closer, I instructed Sister A to speak softly and reminded her not to reach towards the horse. "Let him come to you." I turned the horse so he was against the rail so when Percy reached towards Sister A she would have access to move slowly towards his neck to pet him. I explained as I relocated the horse what Sister A could do and how to do it if she wanted to pet Percy.

When I got Percy lined up next to the fence, I turned his head towards Sister A's outstretched hand. Again the horse reached out to sniff her. This time Sister A resisted the urge to scream. Instead she studied the horse closely. Then very carefully and slowly she wiggled her fingers just enough to touch Percy on the nose.

The horse was ok with this intrusion so I instructed Sister A to ever so carefully move up his head just a little bit. She followed my instructions every so carefully scratching Percy on the jaw. From there she moved her hand cautiously towards the horse's neck.

Sister A just could not resist the urge to talk and probably the urge to move. She wanted to know about this horse. Who he was? How old he was? The questions spewed from her mouth like a geyser erupting. As she spoke her arms and legs moved like all those functions were connected. At least this time she retracted her hand before she reached that point that blows people off course.

Percy didn't seem to mind her loud presentation as long as she wasn't flailing her arms or trying to grab him. He stood there quietly as I relayed pertinent information about the horse standing in front of this overly energetic woman. The horse flinched a couple of times when Sister A's actions got too big and Sister A seemed to realize that she'd caused this reaction in the horse.

During this discourse I learned that Sister A has always loved horses. From the sounds of it, I think she loves horses as much as she loves God. Nearly every other sentence was about God and prayer but any kind of reaction from the horse could easily turn her attention from God to horses in a heart beat.

Sister A just couldn't resist the opportunity to try and convert me. God is her best friend and she thinks He should be mine. I reminded her that we all worship in different ways and that my way may not work for her but most certainly works for me.

Percy must have felt the need to intercede. The next thing you know he pushed me to get me on the move. Sister A squealed in delight at this overture from the horse, "Look at him!"

With the subject now changed, I walked the horse out of the pen and got back to work. Sister A doesn't stick around for long. Like a bee buzzing in the garden from flower to flower, Sister A must move on to the next project in her mission so when I headed for the gate Sister A responded, "I love you...................God loves you!.........Did you hear me, Lady?................I LOVE you!...........I have to go, Lady!.................I love you, Lady!.............I love horses, Lady............" and Sister A disappeared from sight.

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

Sister A Meets Legs

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Sister A...............Meets Arabian Horses

It was the very next day when I saw Sister A again. She was running down the same path towards where I had my horse trailer parked. This time I spotted Sister A before she spotted me. Not sure if she would react to my presence the same way or not, I decided I needed to be prepared for whatever might come our way.

This time I was in the smaller arena at the park. The 4-H kids use it for warm-ups and maybe lunging. I prefer to ride my young horses in that smaller enclosure because the other arena is absolutely huge and can be intimidating to a young horse.

I believe I was holding Percy at the time. It was one of his first times to this facility and he was already sure there were trolls hiding everywhere. To let him sort out his fears I was not riding the horse at all. I focusing on working on the lunge and moving up my requests only as he came down from his heightened state of anxiety about this new strange place.

I had just finished lunging the horse bitted up in a very loose frame. I wanted him to think about working but not have more than he could handle. I did manage to get the horse past that excited trot that has at least a foot of added loft in it. Thinking that was a good place to quit, I'd gathered up my lunge line and my horse only to turn right into the vision of Sister A running down that path right towards us.

I had my hands full with the lunge line, the whip and the horse so I turned quickly moving towards the fence. I wanted to get things out of my hands so I had more freedom to control the horse should he spook at Sister A's antics.

I flung the coiled up lunge line onto the fence with a little too much force and poor Percy threw his head up into the air. That kind of stuff wasn't going to help my horse one bit. Fast is not always better in controlling a situation with a horse. I apologized profusely to Percy stroking the Arabian horse on the neck and telling him he was ok. Then I loosened the reins so the horse wouldn't bump himself again if he was startled.

Just as I got the reins free I heard Sister A's loud exclamations. "Hey!..........Hey!..................I SEE you!...................Hey Lady!............Lady with the horse!..................I SEE you!............Sister A here.................I love you!" I took a deep breath patting Percy on the neck and braced myself for the onslaught.

"God LOVES you!...................I love you!...............I LOVE horses!" exclaimed Sister A as she barreled toward us. At least we had the fence in between her and us. I was hoping that barrier would help Percy deal with this situation.

Still flailing her arms in the air, Sister A ran all the way right up to smack dab in front of us. Percy's eyes got huge and he raised up but didn't fly backwards like I'd expected. I raised my voice over the top of the screaming woman's, "Sister A, remember what I told you about horses! You must approach softly. Get smaller not bigger is you want to be accepted."

At first I got that blank look I had seen the day before but slowly I saw my words register for Sister A. As soon as the woman realized what I'd said she came down to a reasonable posture to approach a horse.

Percy responded in kind. The minute to woman got smaller in her demeanor so did my horse. I tried to take that moment to explain to Sister A about horses and predators. If she wanted to be near my horses, she had to not act like a predator. The horses can't deal with that kind of behavior from someone they don't know without wanting to flee.

Of course, that's an over simplified statement but getting Sister A to take in the most elemental things are difficult. Her attention span seems to be short. Just like with the horses, as long as we can make progress, I'm good and I think Sister A will be as well.

The woman did ask if it was ok to pet my horse. I answered in the affirmative never thinking her response would be to jump up onto the fence and fling the upper half of her body our way. Sister A could hardly contain the prospect of actually touching my horse. Poor Percy flew backwards in an instant and the lesson I'd just tried to teach Sister A was finally learned.

'You've made yourself bigger than the horse, Sister A. You must get down from the fence if you want to touch this horse." For an instant I saw a look of sadness cross Sister A's face and I felt for her. I understood the exuberance of a child's heart being dashed in an instant by her own actions. It was heartbreaking, even if it was for just for a flicker in time.

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

A Lesson Learned



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Meet Sister A

Riding at the park has some advantage. The outdoor air is wonderful except when the wind is so strong I can't breathe. At least we haven't had much of that lately. There are always people coming and going so there's the opportunity to meet new folks. Then there's the spook factor that's ramped up a zillion notches over there. That's good for Legs.

Sometimes the spook factor is tied right in with the people. One such example would be Sister A. She's a born again Christian on a mission. Not that that's a problem for me but Sister A's unique personality tied in with her religious zeal makes for quite a combination.

The first time I met her I heard the sound of someone screaming. I looked up to see Sister A running my direction shrieking at the top of her lungs, "Hey!.......Hey!...........Hey!...........I love you!...........God loves you!" as she came flying down the hill waving both arms in the air running straight towards one of my young horses.

Now, it's not that Sister A is an imposing figure that might scare a horse just by her size because she's not. She's a medium height, very petite (maybe 100 pounds soaking wet), black woman. She wears her hair greased back slick to her head like I've never seen up close before.

She's usually wearing some kind of running suit. She's wired for sound and I think she talks to herself when she's not screaming at other people. Still, the sight of Sister A running straight towards a Young horse tied to a horse trailer got an immediate reaction out of me.

I didn't want to scare the woman nor offend her but I didn't want to have the horse frightened either. I moved in between the approaching woman and the horse making my way quickly towards her wanting to cut the woman off.

Sister A, however, was not to be deterred. She wanted to see that horse. She was on a mission. That's for sure. I had to do a little arm waving of my own to break her concentration so she would listen to me. "You'll scare the horse. You need to approach quietly, slowly. Give him a chance to see you."

Sister A's expression immediately changed to one of questioning. I think that brief moment as she tried to shift gears to comprehend my words are the quietest I have ever heard the woman. She did listen to me and toned her actions down a lot. She even asked if it was ok for her to pet my horse.

We visited for a little while as Sister A tried to save my soul while she loved on Tag. He was a pretty good sport once he realized all that commotion was just a person but I could see the tension in his body. The horse was behaving but still not sure what was going to happen next.

I managed to convince Sister A that God and I were on pretty good terms even if I don't go to church. There are more ways to worship than on bended knee. It's what's in your heart that counts. Sister A just smiled and nodded her head saying "Maybe you're right about that." Then she grabbed herself a hug before she headed off to finish her jogging.

Only after she got out of earshot, did poor Tag really relax. I heard a deep sigh and saw a drop of his head. Those were definitely signs of relief but I had the feeling we hadn't seen the last of Sister A.

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

Sister A........Meets Arabian horses

A Little Work in the Woods

The weather here hasn't really been conducive to riding lately since I am now schooling my horses outside. However, sometimes in the rain I can still ride at the park back in the wooded section. The trees act like an umbrella, a leaky one maybe. Still I don't get nearly as soaked riding under them so that's what I do. It's better to get to ride a little damp than to not ride at all.

The arena has been so soggy many days it isn't raining it's still been to wet to ride. It's been absolutely soupy out there until Wednesday. Even I had to pick my path around the wet, deep, or slippery spots, some of them all rolled into one.

It's taken a couple of days of temperatures in the 70s to get the thing dried out. Still there are some spots that look ok but don't feel good when we ride over them. Legs grunts when he gets in those spots. Can't say as I blame him.

Riding back in the trees we're doing a lot of hill work to build up his back. I circle him around so we go up and down some steep but short grades. Don't know that he likes those much either. He's doing them enough times to know they're work.




At the flatter locations I work on collected work. He grunts at those places too. He really thinks being in the woods should be about gawking around and watching the work, not hard work.

I tried to take pictures of some of the grades but I guess I didn't get the angles right. I cut part of Legs head off too and didn't even get his cut little ears centered in my picture. I know better than that so don't know what I was thinking. After looking at the rest I realized that Legs was dodging the camera. I'd line the pic up and he'd move just as I hit the shutter........bad Legs........bad! Mommy has enough trouble taking pics from horseback.

All I can say is trying to work and stop and take pictures too does not go together well. So this will probably be it of my adventures in the woods with the camera. An extended trot, canter or lope are not good with a camera hanging around one's neck. Legs didn't seem to mind but I got beat to a pulp. Maybe he figured it was my time to get punished.

Aidol's Story....................Wrapping Up...........

Part 1

It wasn't all that long ago I ran into Karla Moffitt at a horse show. We talked for just a bit about Aidol and his new life and the people in it. It was at that time that Karla told me she thought that Aidol was too much horse for them in the beginning.

I couldn't help but wonder how that could be when things had worked out so well. Too much horse without help, I probably would agree with that and in fact had they not agreed to go to a trainer for the transition period I would not have sold the horse to them. But too much horse under their specific circumstances still doesn't make sense to me.

Maybe too much horse in the way that Scandalous was probably too much horse for me. However, Aidol was may more broke than Scandalous was until near the end of her life. I had a lot to learn and some of it I learned the hard way but it all worked out in the end. There's not one part of it I would take back or do over if I could except for that tragic day she died.

Being a first time horse owner there is a lot to learn. There is no easy way to learn it either. Karla was not comfortable with something about the relationship between the couple (Mary and Mike) and the horse but when I told Mary of my conversation with Karla, it was clear that Mary did not feel the same way. The experience of owning Aidol as her first horse was a dream come true.

Through the years I think everyone in the family has ridden Aidol at one time or another. I have no idea how many different things the horse has been asked to do. Mary spent much of her time working on western with the horse. There was lots of trail riding and in more recent years Mary was learning how to rope cows of of him.

I can imagine what a sight that might be. I can also imagine what Aidol would think if he was ever given the opportunity to really get in and chase those cows. God help the cows is about what I think.

I suspect that Mary has moved on. She bought a Haflinger yearling pony a while back and I believe she's now starting that youngster herself. To be doing that her confidence sure has grown since we first met.

I must admit I'd hoped that when the day came when Mary wanted to start a youngster, I'd really hoped she'd be starting one of mine. I'd have done what it took to see that happen. I'd still do what it took to make it happen. They've been such a great home to Aidol.

Although I must admit a young untrained Haflinger to begin with probably would make a nice way to ease into working with an untrained Arabian horse. For me, I love the challenge of dealing with the bright mind of an Arabian youngster. They learn SO fast. They try SO hard. Just thinking about climbing on board a youngster makes me smile.

Through these years Mary and Mike have done whatever Aidol needed. I know he's been laid up a couple of times and he's needed the chiropractor some times too. They've sought help when they needed it whether it was advice from me or Karla or one of the other trainers or other equine care givers. They've been a seller's dream.

For me finding a home like this for a horse is the most important part of selling horses. Knowing you don't have to worry the horse is being taken care of or that it'll be discarded on a whim is worth more than gold.

For those of you that are wondering, I think Aidol turned twenty-three this year. If' he's anything like his brothers he's still as spry as a spring chicken.

The last time I heard from Mary about Aidol's status, I think she told me he was filling in as a lesson horse at the barn. Now instead of just one kid, Aidol's got a passel of them. Can't think of anything he'd like more than ALL that energy directed at him.

Oh, and there's one more thing, that second, buyer she still asks about Aidol every time I see her. And her friend still smiles every time we talk about her ride on the horse. Aidol made a lasting impression on them as well.




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Aidol's Story.........Moving On...........

Part 1

It must have been at least six months with Aidol in training with Karla Moffitt before the couple decided to move the horse. It was over an hour communte for them to the barn and by now they'd had it with that trip. It was eating up so much time they really wanted the horse closer to where they lived.

Karla found a facility for them that was near the city they where they lived. There was a trainer working there who had spent time working with Karla. She was comfortable this new trainer held the same training philosophies and would be good to help these new owners with their new horse.

Of course the first thing that happened after they moved into the new boarding barn was someone made a comment about looney Arabian horses. The woman just smiled to herself and laughed telling me. She knew it wouldn't be long and they'd be singing Aidol's praises even if this was a barn made up predominately of other breeds.

Seems like this person considered themselves to be a dressage guru of sorts and had the opinion that Arabian horses were not suited for dressage. It didn't take long before this doubting Thomas began taking notice of the movement of Aidol. Then it was an easy step into downright admiration. Aidol was being a great ambassador for the Arabian horse.

Somewhere down the road there was another move. This time to a boarding barn that had better access to trails. Since the couple didn't have their own horse trailer, they'd been dependant on others to get to go. Now they would be able to trail ride whenever they felt.

Of course the move in had the same response as their first experience in a barn that wasn't totally Arabian horses. Right from day one someone prominent in the barn made disparaging remarks about Arabian horses. If I recall correctly there was the same attitude about Arabian horses and dressage as well.

Still Aidol worked his magic and before long the horse had won over his critics. Those most opposed to the horse at the start seemed to be most enamored with him in the end. Aidol was definitely single handedly putting a lot of those old myths about Arabian horses to bed.

Along the way the woman learned a lot from the back of this horse. Sometimes she had trouble and she'd give me a call. Other times she'd call just to tell me the lastest Aidol stories. It was clear that this horse and this woman were a good fit.

The man involved with Aidol has a couple of children from another marriage a boy and a girl. They come to visit on weekends and the girl has the horse bug bag. She was smitten with Aidol right from the start and was working her way up towards getting to ride the horse.

I'm not really sure when this actually happened. It might have been at the first boarding barn or maybe at the second. What I remember most is once it started there was no way to get it stopped.

Of course it started off slowly, maybe sitting on his back but eventually the day did come where this young lady was taking lessons on the horse. A lesson here and a lesson there have worked their way up to a pretty regular thing. This girl loves Aidol and from what I've heard Aidol pretty much loves her.

I'm going to try and contact these people to see if we can get some more recent pictures of my boy. There's still more story to tell and it would be nice to do it with some pics of them with "my" horse. (In my heart he will always be "my" horse, you know.)

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




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Aidol's Story..................the Outcome.........

Before going on with Aidol's story, I'd like to ask my readers to vote for Dressage Mom. She's one of the four finalists selected for Live from Lexington. There's a direct link over to the right on my sidebar and you are allowed to vote daily. Voting will not only get Sheri to Lexington as a correspondent for the World Games but it will also help raise money for NARHA which provides Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy programs in the U.S. and Canada. Every single vote counts!

Part 1

There were no problems with the vet check. Aidol passed in flying colors. The vet couldn't get over how "young" Aidol was for a horse in his late teens. The Arabian horse looked and felt good and we were onto getting him moved to Oregon.

The buyer had already called Karla Moffitt and made arrangements for the horse before we even completed the vet check if I remember correctly. Then it was decided that Dave and I would haul him to his new home instead of them hiring a professional hauler. They paid our fuel and took us to lunch and we delivered them their first horse. It was a great day and both of them couldn't have been more thrilled.

Of course, I called the second woman and let her know that Aidol was definitely sold. Still she wanted me to keep her in mind if there was any chance that Aidol might be returned. I doubted that would be the case but promised she'd be the first to know.

Funny how that worked out. The horse was "on the market" so to speak for quite some time. Then we had more buyers than we needed. Just shows how things can go sometimes in this goofy industry.

Not long after we'd taken Aidol to Neuberg, Oregon, I got a call from the buyer. She's just had her first lesson on the horse and wanted to share how it had gone.

She said she was riding the horse like that lesson horse she'd leased. Like most lesson horses, this one had been reluctant to move. It had taken lots of kicking to get anything from the horse.
Kicking wasn't even in a rider's bag of tricks with Aidol. The horse was startled by such a cue. The trainer had to keep reminding the woman to be subtle with her cues. Seems like they spent a couple of days getting those issues worked out before they moved on to the lope.

I still clearly remember our conversation about the lope. When the trainer decided they were ready she gave the instructions on setting the horse up and then asking for the lope. The rider thought she was doing what the trainer said but when it came to using her leg she cued the horse like that lesson horse. Aidol galloped off thinking that's what he was supposed to do.

The rider was startled but not frightened by the response. The way she phrased it made me think she probably would have been frightened if she hadn't trusted Aidol so. She knew immediately it must be her fault the horse responded with such speed. She said she could hear the trainer take a deep breath before telling her to sit down to bring the horse back down so they could try it again.

This time when the trainer told her to lope her words were, " very gently touch the horse with your outside leg." The rider thought she was being gentle but Aidol galloped off again. Again she figured must have used too much leg

There was another deep breath from the trainer along with the instructions to sit down to bring the horse down again. Then the trainer remarked, "this is a very well trained, very responsive horse. This time I don't want you to touch him at all to ask him to lope. I want you to do nothing more but think 'lope.'"

"And that's exactly what I did." said the buyer in a very excited voice. "Aidol loped off in the slowest, smoothest lope I've ever seen." She said the lope was so wonderful the tears began streaming down her checks. She still couldn't believe this Arabian horse belonged to her.

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





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Aidol's Story...............the Callbacks..........

For Father's Day I thought I'd post this pic even though it has nothing to do with this post on Aidol. It is Andy with his dad, Legs.


Part 1

You just never know what's going to happen when it comes to selling horses. A lot of things can happen from the time you show a horse until you actually close a sale. Even then things can get hinky.

What happened with Faye is a good example of that. Everything changed after the horse was on the van. You'd think it would have been a safe assumption with the mare on her way to a new home that my responsibility as the seller was done once the mare was loaded up and headed down the road. Yet, here I am a month later still trying to get things sorted out.

Obviously, this scenario with Faye is not the norm but it is a good example of how anything and everything can do awry. It just doesn't pay to think you've got it made when it comes to selling a horse. Me, I believe it when I see it.

After this weekend showing Aidol to both parties I knew enough to know even as good as things looked somehow Aidol could end up staying with us. Once the parties were gone it was business as usual back on this Arabian horse breeding farm. I didn't waste any thing worrying or planning about what might be.

Sunday was fairly quiet. Aidol went back out into the field with his buddies for the day. I think the horse even threw himself into the creek playing with Dandy. The day before may have been a long day for the horse but you sure couldn't tell it by his behavior on that Sunday. Aidol was full of himself and making sure everyone knew it. Part of me hoped he would be staying with us. I'd miss these times watching him play.

It was actually mid Monday morning when the phone rang. On the other end was the woman who had come with her husband from another state. She'd spoken with her trainer about her connection with Aidol and all the other pertinent information.

The trainer had decided horses like Aidol were hard to find. It wasn't worth the risk of loosing the horse to set up an appointment for the trainer to come evaluate the horse. If the horse passed a vet check, he was going to be moving to another state.

When I had talked with these people on Saturday, we'd spent a goodly amount of time discussing the attitude of this horse and the skill levels of the parties involved. We'd even talked about Dave's little test with Aidol since it's a great example of how well trained horses can digress given the opportunity.

It seemed to me this situation would only work if they were willing to put the horse in training and get help learning how to deal with his little quirks. The transition from the lesson horse they had leased to a sensitive, responsive horse like Aidol was going to take some adjustment time was my guess and having help would assure its success.

Arabian horses are not the breed of choice for this trainer so she made a recommendation of an Arabian horse trainer to help with this adjustment period. The buyer wanted to know if I knew of this trainer and if I thought she would be the right fit for Aidol and them.

I have known Karla Moffitt since I first began showing Arabian horses. She used to train up in this area and was here for many years. I believe it was a work transfer for her husband that caused her to leave from our neck of the woods. I couldn't think of a better choice of an Arabian horse trainer in Oregon, than her. I was beginning to think this deal might actually work.

With this being this young woman's first purchase of a horse, all parts of the sale were exciting and new for her. That meant she wanted to be here for the vet check. All I needed to do was get it set up for a time in late morning so she had time to make the commute here.

When we got off the phone, that's what I planned to do but the phone rang instead. This time on the other line was the second party who'd seen Aidol on Saturday. She wanted to buy the horse too.

She'd just heard from her trainer. He'd done just as I expected and told the woman she should buy the horse immediately before the other party beat her to it. He already knew the horse well enough to know Aidol would work out perfectly for what they had in mind.

I had to tell her that She as already too late. There was a sale pending on Aidol presuming he passed his vet check. This woman was crushed. She had me promise if anything happened to prevent the sale, including Aidol not passing the vet check, I would call her immediately.


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





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Aidol's Story....................the Second Introduction.....

Part 1

By the time the couple had pulled out of our driveway, I only had twenty minutes before the next party was to arrive. You could pretty much guarantee with me being behind schedule, the party coming would be on time, or worse yet.........early.

I headed in the house to grab a quick sandwich and make a pit stop. There's nothing that breaks up the flow of conversation more when showing a horse than the primary party taking a potty break. Fainting from lack of nutrition probably wouldn't look good either so I hustled my buns to get things done.

No sooner had I taken a bite out of my sandwich and I heard a vehicle pull into our drive. I debated about wolfing the sandwich down but figured I'd probably choke to death in the process so I tore off a corner and headed for the door.

Trying to compose myself and not spray these people with food as I talked, I introduced myself. This time there were two young woman. The one driving was the one interested in Aidol. The other came along for moral support.

The situation with this woman was different than the earlier one. She was definitely looking for a show horse for the hunter pleasure division. She had experience riding, but if I remember correctly, this was going to be the beginning of her show career. She needed a safe horse that knew the ropes.

I knew ahead of time the woman wouldn't be riding the horse today. Seems she'd broken some ribs during a spill from a horse she'd tried. She'd been told the horse was well broke but had not seen it ridden. The woman had actually intended to buy that horse until she got hurt. I suspected I knew where this had happened but didn't ask for confirmation.

I looked down the see her companion was wearing riding boots. I asked her if she wanted to ride Aidol and was surprised at her reaction. I swear the woman actually backed away from me with a startled look on her face. "Only if you do, first!" was her response. The defensiveness was not something I've experienced before but I guess considering what had happened to her friend, it made sense.

I explained I wouldn't think about putting anyone on a horse of mine that I hadn't ridden first. I think it's common courtesy to show someone that a horse really is what they are advertised to be........and mostly for me that's about safe. I let her know she could see how things went and then let me know if she wanted to ride. That seemed to reassure her a bit.

We went through the barn to meet horses and chatted for a while just as we had earlier in the day with the other couple. Then we loaded Aidol up and make our way back over to the park. Again, the people were surprised at how easily the horse loaded. Again I gave my little explanation of why that happens to be. Still it surprises me all the people who think difficult loading horses is the norm.

We went through the same routine at the park getting the horse tacked up before I rode him. I still rode him in a western saddle even though I was going to ride him in a hunter frame. I usually school that way most of the time anyway and I figured the young woman would feel more secure on a strange horse in that western saddle.

Normally I wouldn't have lunged the horse but they wanted to see him on the lunge line so went through the motions. Aidol lunged just like he was still fresh. I made it short since there was the possibility the other woman would ride. I didn't want to make him sore with all the work when he'd been playing pasture ornament instead of serious show pony.

Then I climbed on, did a little flexing and bending, then we headed down the rail. Aidol didn't even think twice about the shift in gears. The horse loves to go forward and at the request his ears sprang forward and his step perked up. The horse was ready to book.

I laughed out loud at his response. Aidol just always does that to me. I don't think it matters what my mood, the horse's joy at getting to work tickles me. I was going to miss this.

I put the horse through his paces. We did just enough for them to see that he was safe and that he knew his job. Then I asked the second woman if she wanted to take a spin.

This time her response was totally different. She stepped forward with a small smile on her face. It was clear that Aidol looked safe to her. I couldn't wait for her to see how much fun the horse was too ride.

It always helps to know someones skill level before you put them on a horse. I know people who don't even ask. Me, I always gather as much information as I can get. I try not to be obvious about it but I want to know what I'm dealing with before the ride........not during it.

In this situation I'd been asking little questions here and there ever since we first met. I knew the young woman had shown and even competed at regionals. She'd started out slowly as far as ribbons go but was now finding herself pretty regularly in the ribbons.

I asked her when she got on the horse if she wanted instructions from me or if she wanted to fly solo. She said instructions would be good so I told her to shorten up her reins and they were off.

It took a couple of adjustments for her to get the right length of rein but other than that she did pretty well. I knew how her trainer trained and basically Aidol's cues were pretty much the same. It only took the horse a minute or two to loose the concerned look on his face and move out like he would for me.

The prospective buyer and I stood against the rail watching as I gave her a mini lesson on my horse. I mentioned to the woman next to me how much fun Aidol is to ride. Her response was, "I can tell. She doesn't normally smile like this when she rides." I swear I could hear a twinge of jealousy in this woman's voice. She was wishing she could ride this horse.

Before all was said and done that day, I gave these two young woman the same shpeel I had given earlier in the day that time was of the essence. I told them about the other party coming to see the horse earlier and the fact they'd really liked the horse but needed to check with their trainer. ( Actually they liked him enough they had asked if I'd negotiate on his price. The answer was no but I figure when you get to the point that people are asking that question they are serious about the horse.)

I didn't let these women know my thoughts about their trainer's approval. It was up to him to tell them that. I don't know if they knew the trainer and I had talked about Aidol already or not but we had. I guess that conversation is why I expected he would approve her selection if she decided that Aidol was "the one."

As I watched their truck pull out of my driveway. I wondered which one of these two parties would call me back first. That was the one that would end up with the horse. I was pretty sure Aidol had just "sold" himself to everyone he'd seen that day. I remember the tear that rolled down my check as their truck pulled out of sight.

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

The Callbacks


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Aidol's Story..........the Introductions..........

Part 1

I probably knew from the time that weekend was scheduled that Aidol was going to end up with a new home. It just was not often that I even let someone come to see the horse, let alone, had two parties scheduled to come the same day. Each fit my criteria of what I believed would be a good home for my horse although each would be very different homes.

The first party, a husband and wife, travelled in from a neighboring state and arrived here in the mid morning. The plan was to visit with the horses here a bit. Then we'd take Aidol over to the country park for riding. I would take Dandy along too so we could take a short trail ride and the woman could get a feel for how the horse worked in that environment.

For these people, Aidol would be a first horse. They had leased a horse for a while but now were ready to take on the full responsibilities of ownership. I liked how they'd done their research in the hands on fashion I seem to prefer myself. It didn't hurt that the woman's dream had always been to own an Arabian horse.

I hadn't taken any extraordinary measures to have the horse ready for this visit. Aidol had been clipped and bathed but he hadn't been worked in who knows how long. I wanted them to see this horse with the most attitude he could convey just in case that might be too much for their experience level.

We had a great visit at the barn. As a matter of fact we spent way too much time talking considering I had another party coming to see the horse that afternoon. We did finally get through gabbing and I loaded Aidol and Dandy up and we headed to the park.

Of course, both horses went into the trailer like old pros. Then they should considering I do most of my schooling at other locations. Loading, unloading and standing in the trailer or tied outside it are a common occurrence here. Still to outsiders seeing horses load so easily made an instant impression.

Once at the park, I tacked Aidol up. All the while telling these folks about the history of this horse. I wanted them to know all about his rough start and the accidents we'd had. Those things are as important a part of his makeup as worming and all that stuff.

Because I hadn't ridden the horse in a while, I put him on the lunge line to "take his temperature." It's a ritual for me with most horses that haven't been worked in a while. I like to let them play a little to tell me what kind of mood they're in before I climb aboard. If they're feeling particularly hot I let them play a while longer.

This process usually lasts only a few minutes, as in under five. I am not big on lunging horses until they're tired and then riding. I like my horses fresh and happy. I think in the long run it makes for more willing horses than when you work them until they're dog tired.

Aidol is always fresh on the lunge line. He rarely looks sluggish. That floating trot Arabian horses are know for is a given with Aidol on the lunge. Throwing his tail over his back and snorting is another pretty much given too. On this day, Aidol did not disappoint.

I know lots of people see my horses lunge and think I'm crazy when I climb on with all that "fresh" still evident. I'm not sure what these two people thought as they watched me do the same. Although it was obvious it really wasn't quite what they had expected.

Once I was mounted I moved the horse laterally off my legs. I spent a little time flexing and bending and hopefully warming the horse up before I asked the horse to settle in and go slow.

Aidol knew the drill and immediately went to work. Wearing his ears and probably sporting a smile, Aidol showed these people what he knew. The ride was short, sweet and to the point. Then I got off, we adjusted stirrups and the real test began.

The horse couldn't have behaved better for this new rider. She had to figure him out just a bit to get a nice slow jog and slow lope but it was clear he was trying to do exactly as she wanted. A few laps around the arena and I tacked up Dandy so we could head out on the trails.

Aidol had not been on the trails at the park much. He was used to much bigger rides but I wanted her to see him on something new because that's what she'd have to deal with if she bought this horse. Her first rides at home would be a whole new experience for both of them. Mimicking that now was an needed perspective for all of us, I think.

I don't really remember who went in front. I think it was probably Aidol so I could see what was going on between the two of them. That's the usual for me when someone new is trail riding one of my horses.

We rode around in the back part of the park for a while. There's a section back there that is just like any trail in our area. There are lots of trees and underbrush, some little hills, wide spots and narrow ones, downed logs and even a barking dog or two. There aren't any switchbacks or streams but lots of puddles on occasion.

Aidol was a star. I think the ride was pretty much effortless. I know it certainly looked that way to me. From the look on the woman's face when we got back to where her husband was waiting, I think the woman had fallen in love.

We talked a bit more while getting the horses untacked and loading them back into the trailer. The couple had promised their trainer they would not buy without her checking out any prospects first. They would have to speak with her to even begin to make arrangements.

We went back to our place and talked a bit more before they left. I hadn't told them I had another party coming to see Aidol that very afternoon. I didn't want to put pressure on these people but I also wanted them to know that time would probably be of the essence. There were details about the other buyer that made me think she could possibly make a decision quicker than what this couple was talking about. I wanted them to know about those details so they could make informed choices along the way.

I let them know I had another party coming that very afternoon. If she liked the horse, I knew she would be checking with a trainer too. However, this woman's trainer already knew my horse. If the woman decided she liked Aidol enough to call the trainer, I expected the trainer would tell the woman to go ahead and buy. He wouldn't need to see him first. I wanted these people to know it was possible Aidol might be sold by the time they got back to me.

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

The Second Introduction


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Aidol's Story.............A Little Rehab..........

Part 1

It took some time to get Aidol over the experience from that lease. When I first rode the horse he was defensive about any kind of pressure on his face. In addition to that the horse had become confused about what the cue to go forward meant.

The horse was no longer lifting his back but instead was bracing at the base of his neck expecting punishment to come. Along with this, the horse had developed his old problem of anticipating the canter. Aidol was popping into the canter at any kind of movement on his side or any request for more forward.

There was another thing I noticed about Aidol during this time. The horse had always been enthusiastic about working. He'd wear his cute little perked ears forward and there was a spring in his step every time I asked him to go to work but now those things were gone. Instead I had a sullen insecure horse. It was heart breaking to see such an attitude in this horse.

It was time to go back to basics. I totally forgot about frame and worked on getting the correct forward from the horse. I basically threw the reins away and let Aidol put his nose wherever. The only time I used the reins was if I needed them for steering or flexing.

Of course, I did lots and lots of flexing. Getting the horse to move more laterally off my legs was the easiest what I knew to get the horse into lifting his back again. It also took his mind off his fear and gave him something to concentrate on.

Luckily Aidol loves to go so it didn't take long before the horse began moving freely under himself again. Still I gave him some time getting comfortable this way before I began to incorporate frame into our routine. I wanted the horse to solidly understand that pushing with my legs and seat meant driving from behind, lifting through his back end all the way to the front.

At first Aidol wasn't sure what to think about rounding up into the hunter horse frame again. Just the shortening of the reins caused the horse to shut down. I pushed him through using my voice as reassurance that he was OK with me and I did lots and lots of petting on his neck. Reluctantly the horse began rolling over into the bridle without sacrificing any of his correct movement.

Once I had the horse comfortable with the hunter pleasure gaits, I moved on to see what might be left of his western pleasure training. You just never know when a horse has been confused about going forward where the demons associated with that issue might rear their ugly heads.

Fortunately, Aidol didn't have nearly as many issues about collecting up for western as he had for hunter pleasure. It didn't take long and the horse was rounding up and going slow just like the day we'd bought him.

Luckily Aidol came out the other side of this experience with his perky attitude about work intact. Once the horse realized what was being asked of him and that I was going to be fair with him in the process of getting there, the old Aidol returned. Whenever I would ask him to canter the horse's ears would perk brightly forward and I'd swear his eyes twinkled. I was relieved to see the repurcussions of the lease were now nothing but a memory.

I spent a few more weeks making sure things really were fixed. Then Aidol went back to being a pony of leisure on this farm. There was still an occasional trail ride but with Dave no longer allowed to go, those were few and far between. Aidol continued on in his ways of finding his own entertainment of letting his buddies out of their stalls and making up pasture games. Most days he was always good for a laugh. We never knew what the horse might think up next.

I don't think there really was a particular day when I decided that Aidol really needed to have a new home. I had the horse listed on a couple of websites but I wasn't really doing much to see the ads were seen or to really let people know I had the horse for sale. I may have posted flyers at a horse show or two but I was really dragging my feet. Getting Aidol sold was not a priority by any means.

I guess in my mind if it happened it was meant to be. It sure wasn't going to happen because I was working hard to get it done. It was more about wanting it to be exactly right for the horse. I believed if the right people came along, I would know it. Then and only then would I allow Aidol to be sold.

Then one spring it was almost like something had changed in the air. I began getting all kinds of calls about the horse. Many of those inquiries I didn't even let come look at him. I steered them towards other horses instead. Still I could feel the change, with the number of class I was getting sooner or later one of them might just come from the right people for Aidol. I was beginning to believe that day was coming soon.

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

The Introductions


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Aidol's Story.........A Lease

Part 1

When I first decided I wanted to breed Arabian horses, I had no thoughts of ever finding another home for Aidol. Scandalous' first foal was as much a part of our family as the others who had been born here. We all thought it would always stay that way.

It was only after the tragic death of Scandalous that things changed. Going from a breeder with a single mare to breed to a breeder with a young stallion to prove changed everything around here. The biggest effect was in the sheer numbers of horses that I would own.

With a single mare at most the number of horses here would rise one each year. With a young stallion to prove the best way to accomplish that was by starting out with multiple mares of varied bloodlines hoping to find the right nick. The number of mares directly affected the numbers of horses around here. Before long I was running out of stalls and still not sure which mares were producing the best.

The obvious solution was to cut back on the geldings taking up space here. By then that's pretty much what Aidol was doing. I was too busy to devote time to him between breeding and foalings and taking care of our growing numbers. That meant considering finding the right home for Aidol. If any only if that could be accomplished we might just be willing to part with him.

Before we finally came to that decision, the opportunity presented itself to lease Aidol to a young woman that we had met. It looked like it was the right fit and we thought maybe it might even work out to be a permanent solution for both Aidol, this young woman and for us.

During the terms of the lease Aidol was to be kept at the place he was born. The young woman was to take lessons from one of the trainers there since she was intermediate rider. That way I knew she'd get the right kind of guidance to do right by my horse and by herself. She seemed to have a good set of basics and if she stayed on that path she and Aidol should make a great team.

I also knew the trainers there would be keeping an eye on the horse for me. This way I could assure that Aidol was getting the best care and hopefully eliminate the possibility of any kind of mistreatment that arises when situations get out of hand because a new owner doesn't know what to do in some situations. I certainly knew from personal experience there would probably be lots of those kinds of things along the way. A little guidance would be good.

I don't know if it was the newness of their relationship or what but things started off very well in the beginning. The horse was happy to be getting the one on one attention he so craved. Working on a daily basis always was Aidol's idea of a good time.

Aidol was shown in hunter pleasure at the Daffodil Summer Show by this young woman. They actually got second in a class of around ten or so. The horse loved going forward and the two seemed to be a pretty good pair.

By the following summer Aidol was shown in the preshow of the Region 5 championships. The horse again got second in his class but this time the class was smaller and the horse just didn't seem to be as happy as he'd been before. It was clear they were having some issues.

For the regional championship class the horse did not place but then that didn't surprise me with the developing issue between horse and rider. It was clear that there were some missed communications between the two. Talking with the young woman later I heard some of that talk I always hate to hear.

I think anytime a rider blames a horse for issues, the odds are those issues aren't going to be resolved. Horses and their riders need to be a team. each looking out for and trying to help the other. When that relationship isn't based on mutual respect and understanding true teamwork is out of reach.

It was clear to me watching them work that Aidol was confused. The horse was trying to do what the young woman asked but he wasn't really sure what that was. Listening to her, the horse was just being a jerk. Having spent the number of years with him that I had, I knew that Aidol wasn't going to be a jerk. If he wasn't giving her what she wanted it was because he didn't get it. If she wanted the desired response she was going to have to make it clearer to the horse.

By this time the young woman was getting some "help" with the horse from a friend of hers. I don't know about the qualifications of the friend but what I do know is before long I received a call from a trainer at the barn warning me I needed to get my horse out of a bad situation. I exercised the escape clause in our contract and immediately brought Aidol home.

I was sad for the young woman. I know that losing Aidol broke her heart. I also knew that she was no longer willing to listen to what it might take to fix her problems with the horse. She just couldn't or wouldn't see the problems with the horse had developed because she wasn't giving the horse a release when he needed it. As long as that was the case there was no point in subjecting to horse to a situation in which he could never get what he needed to do his job.

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

A Little Rehab



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Aidol's Story.........The Elbe Hills Wreck

Part 1

By this time Aidol was an experienced trail horse. Just getting the horse out of the trailer you knew he was ready to go exploring. His ears would be up and his face bright and expressive as he looked around at the landscape.

Aidol had never been to the Elbe Hills before but the horse had been on enough rides of similar terrain for me to know that he was up to this days' ride. He was familiar with switchbacks and steep grades and Aidol knew how to hug tightly up against the side of a hill. He was always surefooted and confident no matter what type of ride we chose.

Nope, the problem on this trip wasn't the horse, that was for sure. If anyone else is thinking like Terri from Mystic Equus that maybe Dave fell off the side of the mountain, they would be right. Unfortunately it wasn't just Dave that took that fall, Aidol went with him.

I'd spent a lot of time reminding Dave to keep his horse pushed up tight against the face of the hill. It wasn't that the horse was ignoring Dave's request. It was Dave wasn't asking at all. He just kept laughing at me, shrugging off my advice with that same old statement, "Aidol's gonna take good care of me." Believe me, Aidol did.

We must have been half way up the steep grade when it happened. One minute Dave and Aidol were right in front and me and the next the path beneath the horse's feet collapsed. Both horse and rider were being carried down the hill caught up in the slide.

The minute the ground gave way the horse threw his head up into the air and I could see the panic on his face. Despite the very steep, treed hill, Aidol managed to fight the slide and get himself turned around facing uphill. The loose falling dirt was up to the horse's hocks as he struggled to find solid ground. He appeared to be swimming in the dirt but somehow he managed to get himself out of the soft stuff, over still enlarging hole in the trail and up onto the high side of the bank.

On his way across the trail, the mare that was being ponied by my friend let fly with both hinds feeling the need to protect herself from what can only be described as a launch from Aidlol . The horse swerved my direction to avoid getting kicked but never stopped his forward motion. In the blink of an eye the horse was up high on the bank, flipped around, looking down and snorting at the dirt slide still taking away the bank.

Dave's eyes were wide but only for a moment. As soon as the horse settled the man was back to joking around like nothing at all had happened. If I could have gotten my hands on him I'd have strangled him right then and there. This was no laughing matter.

Either or both of them could have been killed..........or worse, maimed for life. Dave may have been laughing but I wasn't. I was as mad as it gets. We got through the rest of the ride without me killing Dave but I vowed I'd never take him trail riding again. As long as he wasn't willing to take responsibility for this wreck, I wasn't going to put the horse's life at risk for the man's stupidity.

Unfortunately, it took many tellings of this story to other horse people before Dave finally realized the seriousness of his antics that day. For some reason me telling him what could have happened just didn't seem to matter. Even me telling him I could leave him at the bottom of that ravine but I wasn't going to leave any horse of mine, didn't seem to impress the man. Dave just didn't seem to want to get the seriousness of what happened that day.

Somehow over the years, and some not kind looks from other horse people about his lack of concern, it finally sunk in that this had not been just another fun adventure. By then we no longer had Aidol and I never did take Dave on another trail ride.

When I think about what could have happened, it still makes me shudder. They could have rolled *ss over tea skettle all the way down the side of the mountain. The horse could have broken a leg. He could have been impaled on a tree stump. Worse, things could have happeded to Dave.

To this day, I have no doubt that Aidol saved Dave's life that day. If the horse hadn't been so talented and so driven he never would have made his way up out of that slide. Aidol definitely took good care of Dave. Too bad Dave didn't take better care of Aidol.

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

A Lease




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Aidol's Story.........The Elbe Hills

Part 1

We did a lot more trail riding with Aidol before he left us here. Sometimes Dave would be the one riding his horse and other times not. With the goofy schedule Dave had at work, the horse got way more time on the trails than Dave ever did. Then there was Dave's belief he really didn't need to pay attention to his riding because Aidol would take care of him that got in the way sometimes. Dave's last ride on Aidol was such a story.

It was Dave's first ride up in the Elbe Hills. That particular park is one I don't ride in much. I only go if someone who knows their way very well is going. Being geographically challenged (and before GPS I might add) I just don't take risks of getting lost let alone up in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

At the time I had a friend who was conditioning a young horse for endurance. She was ponying that mare up in the Elbe Hills so I'd gone with her a couple of times that week already. Dave just happened to have the day off on our next scheduled day to ride so he was invited along.

We all met up in the late morning at the Elbe horse camp. I took Dandy and, of course, Dave had Aidol. My friend had her regular mount and then the mare she was ponying. We took our time getting ready making sure that Dave had Aidol tacked up properly for a long ride.

The Elbe Hills are deep in the Cascades. They are not far from the entrance to the Mt Rainier. The Nicholson Horse Trail System there is maintained by the Back Country Horsemen and is a beautiful way to explore the Cascade Mountains.

There are 70 miles of trails in that park and unfortunately I've never seem most of them. From above the Beaver Creek Camp you can look right up at Mt Rainier towering over you. You can also see the mountain looming from the Sahara Horse Camp which is the base camp for this horse park. There's no closer way to see Mt Rainier other than to be standing in Mt Rainier National Park, standing right at the base of it. From the back of a horse, the Elbe Hills State Forest is the way to go.

This is typical forest lands for this side of the mountains in Washington State. There's a little bit of everything, challenging hills or gradual climbs and descents you can make this ride what you want if you know your way. All along the way there are wild flowers, creeks and streams, lots of beautiful ferns and Oregon grape, Douglas firs even a bit of old growth timber. The Elbe Hills are a cool relaxing way to met Mother Nature up close and personal from the back of a horse.

It was a dry summer that year and there were parts of the trail that were very powdery and loose. Most of these places seemed to be on some pretty steep switchbacks. Hugging the hill was important to assure the path stayed beneath the horse where it belonged instead of breaking away and running down the hill.

We hadn't been doing anything particularly challenging in our previous rides. We worked the hills but nothing that would make a beginner nervous, no sheer cliffs or bald faces to make one feel vulnerable about falling off the side of a mountain. This was just going to be a nice trail ride in the foothills not tryouts for some reality TV how risky can you live mega thriller.

My friend took the lead with her grey Arabian gelding ponying the chestnut Arab mare right behind. Dave took the middle position with Aidol so I could keep an eye on him. I didn't want to see him searching out any logs to jump or holding back so he could gallop. The man's been known to get himself into trouble if left to his own devices.

It's not that I didn't want him to have some fun, it's that he doesn't always look before he leaps. His choice of location to do such things can cause a wreck and wrecks are not high on my list of adventures to have when trail riding. I prefer relaxing time in the saddle, none of that high stress, what's going to happen next kind of drama for me.

Bringing up the rear meant I could see what Dave was up to even before he got himself into the thick of it. I could let him know where a better place on the trail was for him to experiment with his horse. That way I hoped to bring both home safe and sound instead of spending most my day in an emergency room somewhere, or even worse getting to know the local vets. The Elbe Hills location is a place where trouble could find you if you weren't paying attention.

I hadn't really thought about this dry condition of the trail. Dave has ridden on similar switchbacks before and managed quite capably. Still on this particular ride it was really important to be paying attention and keeping the horse pressed up tight against the hill. I admonished Dave several times to push his horse over. Most of those times Dave just laughed at me, "Aidol will take care of me."

I hate it when I hear those words coming out of Dave's mouth. It means he has no intentions of paying attention to any of my help. I'm a firm believer that consequences are a great teacher but I didn't want the horse to have to deal with them, only Dave. In this particular situation I was worried about the horse having to pay the price as well.

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

The Elbe Hills Wreck




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Aidol's Story.........A Little about Games........

Part 1

Aidol always has been quite a character. His energetic spirit drives him to seek out interesting things to do. Never content just to graze in the field, we never really knew what the horse would get into next.

Aidol earned the reputation of escape artist while he lived with us. If the horse had any kind of access to the latch keeping him stalled, you could bet the horse would find a way to get it undone.

However, Aidol was not content just to be free from his stall. To his way of thinking he needed to share that freedom with someone. If we went out in the morning to feed and found Aidol loose, we knew to begin looking for other loose horses as well. Aidol never escaped without taking at least two even three of his closest buddies right along with him.

Back when Dave built my trail obstacles for me, he decided he'd just build them right in the field I planned to use them in. That way, I guess, he wouldn't have to worry about moving the things after construction.

The only problem with this plan was that Aidol and Dandy had turnout in that field. Dave just figured the sound of sawing and hammering would drive the horses away but neither Aidol nor Dandy were concerned about such sounds. Instead they were consumed with curiosity.

Dave found himself with both horses right smack in the middle of the mix. They were picking up boards, tools and even the container of nails. Dave spent more time retrieving his stuff from the horses that he did putting the boards of the bridge in place.

As Dave hammered the planks of the bridge in place, he knelt on the newly forming deck to position the next board. Both horses were right there in the thick of it trying to push Dave aside so they could test the new deck too.

When Dave changed his approach and moved off the deck into the hole between the sides, Aidol moved right up onto the bridge inspecting each new plank as Dave hammered it in place. Each time Dave would add a board, Aidol would move up to keep up with Dave. Before Dave put that last board in place both horses were standing on top of the bridge waiting for Dave to finish so they could play with their new toy.

Aidol didn't just have to have people toys for entertainment. The horse was known for coming up with games with whatever might be available around him. The horse could be seen creating his own obstacle course jogging around bushes, jumping logs, ducking low branches and crossing the creek in a pattern that became obvious with his repetitions.

Then the horse could be seen encouraging one of his pasture mates to play along. The horse would go figure out his course and then bug Dandy or Mark to pursue him through it. Before long all three horses could be seen running this little pattern and I swear you could see them laughing at all the fun they were having.

One of Aidol's favorite games had to do with the creek. It didn't have to be warm for the horse to play it either. If any of his buddies were grazing anywhere near the water, Aidol would go up and slash them. Just plopping a hoof into the water was not throwing enough water for Aidol's liking. The horse was notorious for throwing himself down into the water to make the biggest splash that he could.

There is a particular hole that lends itself quite nicely to this endeavor. Aidol knew how to lure his buddies up close to this spot so he could make a surprise attack.

Dandy was never one to ignore a challenge. If he was the victim of Aidol's drenching, you could bet that Dandy would retaliate. Before long both horses were taking turns throwing themselves into the depths of that creek.

The water would spray in all directions sometimes as high as ten feet in the air as the Arabian horses did cannon balls at each other. No time was taken for shaking off or regrouping. The bombardments continued like a string of exploding firecrackers. The only pauses were to accommodate the water returning to it's place in that hole.

Even if we were off working in the barn, we'd hear this commotion. There was so much water being displaced by the force of the horses launching into the small pool it sounded like we were actually on some crowded beach with a bunch of rowdy boys playing rough with each other.

The only guarantee to stop this sport was if I tried to get a picture of it. To this day I have not one picture of these water fights but I can still see them clearly in my mind's eye. Every now and then Dandy still throws himself down into that hole and I can't help but wonder if the horse isn't missing his brother, Aidol, when he does.

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

At the Elbe Hills




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Aidol's Story................He Might Be Country but I'm Definitely Marx

Part 1

One thing I didn't count on when waiting until the last minute to ride in this flat seat saddle was how slick my "new to me" saddle seat suit might be. It wasn't until I got my hinney in the saddle heading up for the ring that I realized that saddle felt slicker than snot.

My horse could feel my trepidation and getting him to move out wasn't easy but I did get it done while in the warm-up arena. It was heading on into the show ring that proved to be the challenge. Aidol was convinced that my worry had to do with something other than this new odd feeling saddle.

The horse sucked back bigtime. The amount of impulsion I had was more like a kid in a walk trot class who hasn't quite convinced his seasoned show horse that he is ready for this new challenge. My forward moving horse had lost pretty much everything having to do with forward. I tried pushing him with my posting but my bottom seemed to slide across the seat instead of driving down into it. I don't think I ever did get the true beautiful trot from the horse that I'd been getting at home.

At least this lack of trot gave me something to focus on besides the squirrelly feel of my pants against the saddle even though I remember clearly thinking I needed some kind of sticky to get a grip.

The whole time I was in that darn class I felt mortified! Mortiried my horse wasn't doing his job.........and even more mortified at my appearance.

What was wrong with my appearance you might ask. Well, that hat I ordered I had checked for size but I hadn't really checked to see how it looked. With my short (then) curly head of hair, the size of my head and the length of the hat's brim (or maybe lack of length might be a better description) I'd caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror getting ready for the class and realized I looked like I was impersonating Harpo Marx instead of trying to show a country pleasure horse.

There was no time to fix the hat and I really wanted to see how Aidol would look next to the other country horses so I'd ignored all instincts about my appearance and ridden that class anyway. Each stride reenforced it had been a mistake.

I guess the good thing is I did make it around the arena. I didn't fall off and I didn't break gait or do the wrong gait or even get a wrong lead. I've always said a ride is good if you get through it going the same direction as everyone else. I managed that just fine. It was just really obvious to me that country pleasure is probably NOT my thing.

The USEF steward at this horse show had spent a lot of time with trotting horses. She thought that Aidol was cute and showed lots of potential..........but me, I wasn't impressed. I returned the saddle and pretty much gave up on the idea of showing Aidol in country pleasure. The next time I rode the horse it was back on the trails.

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

A Little about Games



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Aidol's Story....... a Little Bit Country.......

Part 1

So much has happened over the last couple of months I got off of Aidol's Story and onto more current events. With Daffodil and the Morgan show out of the way, I'm supposed to be working on schooling for what's next but the weather is so erratic schooling is erratic as well.

I'm currently in the house watching the sideways rain and waiting for the possible appearance of funnel clouds. Can't believe there have been three of those things spotted on this side of my state in only a couple of weeks. Norm for this climate would be that many in my lifetime. This year's weather is definitely weird. Instead of posting about it I'm heading back to finish up Aidol's story. He contributed so much to our beginnings as horse people here.


Back when the horse had first been started in the long lines, both Linda and I had thought Aidol would be a suitable country english pleasure horse. It was his owner that decided he should be a western horse so that's the direction his training went and that's what he was when we bought him.

Once I got through healing from my injury and was ready to maybe show the horse, Aidol was no longer eligible to be a junior horse. That meant to show western the horse had to go into a curb bit, something I hadn't done before.

Then there was the fact I already had a western horse. I sure couldn't show two horses in that discipline unless I wanted to be showing in the open. I was barely hanging in there in the amateur division, no way I was ready to take on the pros so I figured I'd give Aidol a try at country instead.

The only real problem I had with this plan was the issue of tack. Unfortunately each new discipline has it's own requirements for tack and I'd never even thought about showing saddle seat. I had a couple of western saddles and a hunt saddle but nothing resembling a flat saddle.

My friend, Linda, told me she could loan me one. I meant to make the two hour trip to her place to borrow it but something was always coming up. In the meantime I just schooled Aidol in my hunt saddle thinking it wasn't THAT big a difference. Boy was I dumb in those days.

Aidol really liked the idea of going forward. Being the energetic horse that he is all that forward was right up his alley. By the time I was ready to fall off from exhaustion, Aidol was just getting warmed up. I swear he pouted when our schooling sessions were over.

I don't even remember how much time we spent schooling for country. I do remember I entered the horse in classes at the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Summer Show one year. I think the week before the entries were due I began looking for clothes to wear. I was going though the motions for this country thing but not really taking it all that seriously.

I went to Stirrups and Stuff, a used tack and clothing store, to find myself clothes. I bought a beautiful navy blue saddle seat suit that had sleeves long enough and pants long enough for me. That's about where the "good" in the fit ended. The previous owner had been heavier than me and rather odd shaped with little tiny knees. Most places this suit was way too big but I could barely fit into the knee portion. Still I was determined to make it work.

I ordered a hat from a catalog. It looked good in the catalog. Of course, I'd done the same thing I had with my first western hat, I'd gone for cheap instead of for quality. They all looked the same in the ad but obviously not the same in person. Without much time before the show and not being sure country was going to be my thing, I just went ahead with what I had.

I did some "tailoring" on the saddle seat suit. Just enough really to keep the pants up. I figured it things worked out I'd send the thing off to a real tailor and get it fixed up right.

I forced myself into making the trip over to Linda's to pick up that saddle but only the day before the horse show. For some reason the idea of riding in that flat, flat, flat saddle was really messing with my mind. I put off riding in the thing until the morning before my class.

Obviously waiting to ride in a different type of saddle until right before I was to show in it was NOT the smartest thing to do. I couldn't get over the difference in the feel of that thing. I felt like I was totally out of balance but it wasn't enough to stop me from showing in the thing.

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

He Might Be Country



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