Friday, September 17, 2021

project

(I'm a bit scattered with too many thoughts, and no coherent story to them. Instead of putting off another week, here is a rough update.)

Under smoky skies I brought home Mercury. He is a 3.5 year old mustang, and very much a project. At his old place I took him on the trails a couple times, quite forward and brave. Sticky and testy in the arena, needing some serious skills upgrades. And so very baby mouthy! Argh! (That is also why there aren't many pictures. He is either in your face or trying to eat something…)

backlit roan makes for terrible pictures

The old stable I'd been at for all my time owning Major abruptly closed, which was another stress point! I found a quiet backyard stable, with trail access, that will work for now. We've been doing some calm hand walking, just learning some new skills in a new place. I'm looking for a trainer who can come to me for some more help, as I don't have all the skills to manage a horse this young and green!


Since I'm not riding Mercury yet I'm still enjoying my time riding Beau, he is a good reminder of why I like to ride. Incredibly honest boy, we have a fun time exploring the trails while his mom deals with her health concerns. A true win-win situation.

gifted Beau a new biothane bridle in his mom's favorite color

It'll be a long while before me and Mercury can really hit the trails, so I'm also still looking for an older horse, probably Arab, that I can do more with right now. WTF?  I don't know, and maybe that won't work, but not doing long adventures on my own horse is a hole in my life I'd like to try and fill.

Having another horse and riding too has not made losing Major any easier. I have multiple very bad days a week, where the memories come too close and are overwhelming. And I just roll with it and be very sad and keep moving forward. Sometimes there is even more stress (the Auburn, CA Bridge fire was too close for comfort, we were packed and ready to go) but then there is Wesley, who reminds us all that a cereal box can really be all we need in a moment, and makes me smile.