Last night I wrote this dispatch while I laid in bed. I would have gotten up and entered into the computer, but I did not want to wake Pete or Ryder, both of whom would have been annoyed. If I woke Pete up to tell him what I was thinking he would have told me to go back to sleep, that thinking hard about things takes away from sleep time.

Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, like having a firecracker in one’s hands. And a lot of knowledge, this can be a far more dangerous thing, like having a nuclear bomb on in one’s hands. I do know a lot now, about horses; this is because I have had the luxury of time off to read, study, ponder, think about, and interact with six of them. And because I know so much, I have assumed that others don’t know squat and that

Pete taking water sled back to house

they would benefit from learning what I have learned.

Last night I came to the realization that this is reverse logic. My friends have much to teach me, and so I should be more open to what they have to say. My horsey friends, Dan, Heather, Terri, Deb, and numerous others and I have a commonality in that we all truly love equines and are open to learning new things. They also have attributes that I lack, each and every one of them, the most common and maybe the most important being that they are very calm, patient people. They all think things out when they are on the ground and riding, and the horses they interact with seem to pick up on this.

I decided I should emulate this (and other characteristics). Maybe I should join Horsey Anonymous “I’m Alys and I have several problems. I’m brash, opinionated, willful, quick to pass judgement on others, and loud to the point of being shrill. Pete and the animals here put up with my bad behavior because it’s all they know.”

For instance, when I ride with Pete, I offer directives. My back seat driving makes him tense and also makes poor Hrimmi tense. In AA they say that acknowledging that you have a problem then enables you to deal with it. So today, I decided to work at being like my dear, dear friends. Out on the trail, I rode in front, on Raudi. I was far more quiet than usual – I still chattered at my horse. But it was a start. And I left Pete alone. I had a really good ride, and I think that he and Hrimmi did too. It was warm out – life here in the banana belt is pretty good.

I suspect that there is going to be some backsliding. But the will is there as is the intent. And half of my DNA is from a woman who was a regular smoker and then in her 60s decided to quit and did quit.

Next: 3. 1/3/18: The Horses’ Life: Tinni’s Acupressure Session