I didn’t have a whole lot of time for homeschooling today – just three hours, in the late afternoon. But three hours is better than no hours. This was enough time for all the horses to each teach me a few things. Dog knows they try. And I am a tough study. I don’t learn as quickly as I’d like. And I forget what I was taught the previous day. It’s a wonder they don’t confer with Ryder, who wants to turn me in to the humane society. I’m sure that if they all got together that they’d come up with an acceptable plan.

I got out at 4 p.m. – the plan was to ride Raudi and pony Tinni. I tried this the other way around a few weeks ago and Tinni let

it be known that this was unacceptable. He kept raising his head high, which is his way of saying that he’s going to bolt.

I groomed and saddled up Raudi and got Tinni ready. We are now off trail because they are snowed in. The heavy snows came way later this year. In this respect we were lucky. We did get in a lot of riding time the first few months of winter. So lately, we’ve been going around the loop and down Murphy Road.

What the two taught me today was to be more trusting. Right now, the loop road is very icy. The pair took it very slowly – Raudi’s reasoning (and she is able to reason) was that avoiding the icy patches requires concentration and common sense. I tried a few times to get her to move faster, but then I realized that, indeed, she knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. A major lesson here, from the two older and seasoned trail horses.

I next took Hrimmi out, ponying her off Raudi. Earlier in the day Pete intimated that Hrimmi is probably going to be our trip pack horse. He added that she walks fast, which would be an asset when being ponied. Actually, she has a very long stride. The pair affirmed what Pete said when I took them out together. Hrimmi, who used to stop a lot, moved right along. Twice, Hrimmi’s new bridle came off and twice I got off Raudi, picked it up off the road and put it back on her. The horses didn’t race home; rather, both waited for me to complete this task. I was successful because I did as they expected, and remained calm. I also repeatedly praised both horses.

Lastly, I got Tyra out. I did the same route that I’d done with the other three horses. I first walked her down-road, so as to increase the likelihood that she would be forward. Getting on her was challenging – I had to climb up on a berm but she stood still as I flopped around like a fish out of water. Like the others, Tyra picked her way around the ice spots. What she was teaching me was to trust her judgement, which I most certainly did.

Trust, patience, kindness, they all worked hard to reinforce these attributes in me today. I am fortunate to have such good teachers.

Next: 83. 3/24/18: The Horse Life: Holding Pieces of the Puzzle