Tyra, our youngest horse, is extremely precocious. It’s sort of like dealing with a gifted child. I do not want to push her, but at the same time I want to keep her motivated. She’s only four years old but wants to be active. So I made the decision about six months ago to start riding her. At first I thought I made the wrong decision because she didn’t at first take to this. She stopped a lot and would not move.

But two or so months ago something clicked and she began moving. And once she began moving she started to enjoy it. Problem is, she is still young mentally and physically. I am trodding the middle ground here, by riding her limitedly.

Today, for the first time, she went on a trail ride with big horses. We did the Moose Wallow loop, which is about four miles or so in length. Tyra grew up around Icelandic horses, so her interaction with larger horses has been minimal if at all. So there she was, all the sudden, at the base of the driveway surrounded by Deb Moore’s posse, eight or so very big horses.

Tyra was more curious than fearful. I sometimes wonder if fearful is even a part of her cognitive map. She looked at the bigger horses, they looked at this little horse and off we went, up Oceanview Drive. I first put her behind Raudi and tried to keep her there, but she wasn’t wanting to be there. So I decided not to micro manage her. Rather, I let Tyra be where she wanted to be. Heading up Murphy, she moved at a fast walk, went right out front. Then oh oh, the little chestnut mare realized that everyone was behind her. So she hung back and observed that everyone was ahead of her.

A few times on this ride, Raudi balked. Tyra then went right ahead of her, which surprised me. On the ride itself she wove through narrow trees, dealt with a tarp that was covering moose parts, walked through mud puddles, and dealt just fine with slippery trail terrain.

We picked up speed on Raudi’s Raceway, with Tyra getting way out front. Then, when we got to Murphy, she began moving slowly, which allowed the other horse and riders to get way ahead of her. About a mile from home I hopped off of her and walked with her, matching my footfalls to hers. This is something that I am now doing a lot of.

I was ecstatic because Tyra did so well. This is not at all coincidental. I’ve been spending a lot of time with her the past year and a half – doing fun things. Now we have the playground and are doing Intrinzen work. Everything now is in the spirit of play, for the spirit of play encourages movement and the release of tension patterns.

It just occurred to me as I was writing this – I might also consider the whole yard our playground.

The ideas keep coming. It’s an embarrassment of riches, having four wonderful riding horses – something that at one time I did not see as ever being a possibility. And I sure didn’t foresee our getting another horse after Siggi and Signy’s passing – much less a small chestnut horse whose name means Spark or Glimmer.

Next: September 12, 2017: Women who Trot Alongside Horses