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July 24, 2012: Betrayal

My friend Heather rode Maggie in the competitive trail ride this past weekend. And Maggie, who I surmise is an ex-barrel racing horse, did what she does best – run hard. It was clearly an instance of Mr. Toad’s wild ride. In the book The Wind and the Willows there’s an illustration of goggled Mr. Toad, a deranged look on his face, flying down the road in his sports car at top speed.

I was there early on. Pete and I left before Heather, who soon caught up with us. Maggie roared up behind Raudi, who did not want to be passed by this upstart, and a few times kicked out at her. Thus, I was of little help to my dear friend, who was saying something about Maggie

Heather and Maggie
Heather and Maggie

being out of control. I lost sight of horse and rider at the first pulse and respiration stop, where Heather later said, Maggie pitched a fit. She caught up with us at noon, back at camp. I noted that Heather was pale, and she was shaking. In a near quivering voice she told me about the rest of her morning. She spent it clinging to Maggie, who would not slow down. The one saving grace was that she was befriended by two riders on calmer horses. Apparently, the afternoon was no better. The two barreled up and down Bald Mountain, and at one point Heather came off. My friend wisely withdrew from the ride on Sunday morning, and took Maggie home.

I know it pained Heather to do this because I had a similar experience two years ago. The difference was that I did not go for the wild ride. I instead wiped the manure off my face, and called it a day.

This morning, Heather sent me an email saying that Maggie was now ignoring her. This got me to thinking – could it be that Maggie now feels betrayed? She could very well be thinking that she trusted Heather to do good by her, and Heather let her down. This is, of course, Maggie’s jaded perspective.

This sounds way out there. But from what I can see, Maggie is different than most horses. She’s an old soul who all her life has been seeking out someone she can trust. And in her mind, this person has not yet materialized. She has good reason to think this, for her past is undoubtedly very checkered. I think that Maggie was too quick to judge. Heather IS trustworthy and will do good by this horse. The two are just going to have to start over and begin their relationship anew.

Next: 229. 07/25/12: Tipping Points