Riding Poker

[april]

Poker loves the exciting thrill of competition as much as I do, but it’s just as great to just relax together on the trails. The lightness in his step and the way he arches his neck and tosses his head tells me how happy he is. He’s full of high spirits and a love of life, and I let him show it with little sprints down the trails off and on. One of our favorite parts of our trail rides is when we go off the trails and just cut loose by galloping full speed through open meadows. I make sure to include some of that time today. He loves being able to stretch his legs, and moves so fluidly it’s like his legs pour themselves over the ground. His steps are so light that it feels like we’re flying. Riding him bareback makes it even that much better. That’s when I feel the strongest connection with a horse, no matter who I’m riding, and I hope it teaches me to be a better rider too. He has such a perfect rocking horse feel to his canter, and he’s so comfortable to ride this way. After we’ve galloped around the meadow to our hearts’ content, I slip off Poker and I let him flop in the grass and have a good roll. Since he’s not wearing a saddle, no damage is done to any tack by his rolling. It looks like so much fun that I flop down and roll right with him. I giggle at the amazing feeling of just hanging out with my horse. I lay in the sunshine while he grazes on the grass, clover, and some apparently very tasty weeds around me. I laugh and say “You must really like those.” I laugh even harder when he looks up at me. He looks so silly with a big clump of clover blossoms hanging out of his mouth. We’re in an old pasture that used to be part of a farm that was abandoned years ago, so all I have to do to keep Poker from wondering off is to shut the gate and he can run around and play. Remembering how Poker loves playing in water, we head for the stream when it’s time to continue our ride. It’s a very gentle current, and not even close to knee deep on her, with a soft sand bottom, so there’s no harm in riding her in the stream itself. In fact, I bet it will strengthen his legs. He loves the feeling of the cool water flowing around his legs, especially during summertime like this. I know it must feel so refreshing. Since he’s not hot, I let her lower his head and take a nice cool drink. When he finishes he paws in the water excitedly, acting like it’s the best toy in the world. We ride in the stream until it runs alongside one of the trails, and then I ride her out and we take the scenic route home, enjoying a brisk trot here and there with me petting her and talking to her the whole time. It’s been an amazing day for both of us. Poker’s as refreshed by it as if he’s had a week off.