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Not my horse! Off the Wall May 24, 2007
A while back, while reading The Latrobe Bulletin, I happened to chance upon a couple of paragraphs that talked about horses. In it, the author stated that "This animal remembers everything you tell it." Now, I can't say I've often come face to face with these four-legged beauties. Throughout the years, I had several encounters with them, most with positive outcomes. I remember one time one of my employees took me to a stable in Greensburg where her Arabian was being kept. She warned me ahead of time to be cautious, because horses can always tell whether you feel them a threat or not. So, I decided to set my mind in gear and give off an air of love in my heart hoping the senses of this stallion would pick up on my vibes and we would get along famously. Shortly thereafter, I was led into a large ring where supposedly she and others could ride their animals or do what they do in this sheltered oval space. Bonnie walked up to her horse and began talking to it. I can only assume she was preparing it for my arrival. If the article was right, the animal was taking in everything she was saying and would greet me with similar affection I planned to give it. Well, her little talk worked, because we hit it off right from the very start. It was like love at first sight. She even told me, her pet usually doesn't take to strange people as easily as I did to it. That must be my inborn pizzazz with the animal kingdom! Often during vacation trips to Cook Forest, we would yearly book horseback trail rides with a guide leading. As long as there was a group, everything went very smoothly. If there was one way to describe them, I could pretty much describe them as being robotic. In a sense, I felt sorry for the horses, for they did the same thing over and over again. I could see in their expressions, they sure weren't happy campers, at least not like we were. But if there was ever a time that proved that horses do not always comprehend everything we humans say it was back in 1959 while I was attending a private boys' school in Potter County. There were three of us who were put in charge of the horses and barn work. Part of our chores included daily grooming, feeding, watering and the wonderful task of cleaning up after these "beasts." After all, every one else had jobs there, so mine just took a little getting used to, but all in all worked out in the long run. The two fellows who worked along side of me were experienced riders. They could jump on one of the two animals and ride them bare back. I was more of a saddle creature. Of course, riding bare back was out. On a saddle strapping me down on it would have been better, but, I had to settle for just riding on it hoping that the horse would follow my commands. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Since I was a bit new at this, Mr. Experienced, or Tony, rode his horse behind me. I led. We headed off toward the far woods. Our plan was to make a wide circle bringing us back to the barn. Sounded like a plan. Half way along our journey, which was going swell, by the way, my horse decided to take off into a speedy gallop back toward the barn. I had no choice but to hold on for dear life. Here comes the good part. All of a sudden the saddle slipped and I was riding underneath the horse looking up at its bobbing head. No matter what I said to this beloved breed, it would not heed to my commands. Who says a horse listens to everything one tells it? Not my horse!!! Now, you kind of have to put yourself in the position I was facing. Imagine riding underneath this animal, your head no more than a foot from the ground, which, incidentally is moving past your face at an incredibly fast speed. To the right are numerous trees with trunks of various widths inches from the horse's side. Should I have ridden it out, cursing obscenities, at this creature that didn't understand clean American commands, waiting until we got back to home base for a break in the action? Thinking quickly, I decided to "hang in there" until I saw a patch of clearing where there weren't any type of growths coming out of the ground. I then pushed off from my leather seat, landing on the leafy soil, thankful I wasn't hurt. I guess horses, as people, may understand you, but don't always do as you wish!
Paul j. volkmann 4/14/07 |
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