Reflections

I always had this picture in my mind of what my first horse would be like ... picture "The Black Stallion". Only me, myself, and I would be allowed to ride him, he would come galloping up to me in the pasture and follow me in, no need for a halter. Ha. The horse I fell in love with came galloping in the pasture, for sure ... AWAY from me! When I groom him, he pins his ears, kicks his hind legs aggressively, and tries to bite me. And yet ...

I wouldn't sell him for 100k. He is my heart horse, a 20 year old dream finally realized. I got him for free; all I had to do was show up at the track with a truck and trailer. He loaded with nary an ear swish, and unloaded covered in sweat, and to a torrential rain storm. He made the drive from Maryland to Georgia without so much as a squeal, kick, or a bump. He had no idea how to jump, had never done a shoulder-in to save his life (neither had I!), and STILL resists me when I ask him to walk on contact. And yet ...

He has saved my rear countless times. When I get left behind because he made an epic leap to clear the chestnut horse eating monsters, he always comes back and jumps it again. I had never jumped a ditch, a bank, or flat out galloped. Together, we have done those things (and WELL, I might add!). He and I have developed our own little bond after 24 days shy of 3 years. It's not that kind of bond where he will lay his head on my shoulder and give me horsey kisses. But it IS the kind where we burst out of that start box headed to fixed, non moving obstacles we've never jumped, and we throw our hearts over and run to catch them. When I ride my boy, nothing else in the world matters. I thank my lucky stars every single day I made that wildly wrong decision to throw caution to the wind, and drive 13 hours to go get my horse. He was free, and yet his impact in my life has been priceless. I look forward to the adventures still to be had! Love you my little Ricochet, formerly known as "Roy's Legacy".