A TRUE STORY

A few years ago I  tore my ACL and MCL so badly that I almost severed the arteries which would have resulted in amputation. I couldn’t ride for five months and during that time my horse had watched me on crutches, smelling them and me and wondering what had happened that I was not walking or riding. My instructor told me that this usually hyper horse would not be that way when I returned to the saddle as he was well aware that I had been injured and needed his help. I thought that was a joke, but when I returned to ride this wild and crazy guy that I love, he did exactly that. He stood perfectly still while I mounted carefully, which was almost impossible for him to normally do, and gave me the calmest ride he had EVER given. When I went to dismount, my soft cast caught the buckles on the side of my saddle and I was unable to remount or dismount and was stuck on the side of him with one foot in the stirrup. He stood completely still. Totally out of character. It was amazing. I still remember it and the concerned look in his eyes as he waited patiently for my husband to free me by uncinching the saddle and removing me and the saddle together as he could not free me. My horse NEVER moved! And much to my amazement, he then proceeded to climb in to a completely dark trailer that he hated and usually hit his head on, willingly and as if to say, “I’m here to help you”. It’s amazing what they sense and how they see you. That was a lesson I’ll never forget about how much in tune they are with their rider. I asked how long he’d be that calm, kind and concerned and my instructor informed me that it wouldn’t last long and that when I was completely well he’d return to his normal skiddish self. He did indeed a few weeks later.  It was an amazing lesson for me.