My friend A has always loved Maddie, but has too many of her own (that she can't bear to part with) to take on another. But she came out one day in the fall of 2007 to try her black saddle and red gear on Maddie (my barn colors are navy blue and gray--my sister was the red one!).
But she got stronger and stronger on the line as we worked. I should've known better than to continue--I guess I was showin' off a bit for A. So we went ahead and bridled her with A's diamond studded headstall. (This is not the first time I've pushed my luck with a horse in a new saddle and bit: back in Montana [in another lifetime] I got dumped good when I assumed it would be no big deal.)
As soon as I started weighting the stirrups, Maddie got that worried look that she inherited from her momma, and soon she was trying to skitter out from under me.
By the way, I do teach my horses to be mounted (and dismounted) from either side--I think it's an essential skill for their versatility. (And, also by the way, Al generally does not take such (or so many) unflattering shots of my derriere, but he wanted to try and catch the "essence" of the action before him. Maybe Fugly could suggest a good photoshop program I could invest in. ;-D)
At this point I didn't want to quit on such a sour note, so I kept asking until she at least stood still, though she still had that "deer-in-the-headlights" look about her.
At this point, Maddie had managed to get me a little intimidated about her attitude towards being ridden. I'm closer to 6o than I am to 50, and my overweight and arthritic body just doesn't keep up with the young ones the way it used to. With the days getting shorter and the weather getting colder, I decide I will wait until spring to climb on her. She heads back out to the pasture with Kate.
A still wuvums her, though (especially in red)!
That red does look very nice on her! It helps that she's a beautiful horse!
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