My new ride.
When I first see him grazing in the field next to Dottie’s horse, I think to myself, “How nice. They bought a companion mule for Fannie.” Now this wasn’t meant to be a slight, I actually like mules and have heard wonderful things about them. The thought just popped into my mind when I first saw him, his coloring was so unusual, and well, mule-like.
So when I ask Betsy, “Can you tell me where I can find Adrienne’s horse, Duncan? I‘m riding him in my lesson today,”and she replies, “he is the Palomino in Fannie’s field,” I am taken aback.
Now I have seen many Palominos as they were popular where I lived in both Florida and Colorado, and this is not a Palomino, well not in the classic sense anyway.
“Well, what do you know?” I say to myself. I walk down to the field and put on his halter. I think he looks like he is part draft, too.” I proceed to lead him into the stable to tack him up for my lesson.
He is extremely well mannered, as are all of Adrienne’s horses. Adrienne has been working on developing Jaliska’s manners, and I have to say she has been coming along quite nicely, that is, until I came back into the picture.
“Victoria,” Adrienne said the other day, in an accusatory tone, “Jaliska has been acquiring some bad habits since she has been back at the farm.” Busted. I have been letting her graze on the rich, green grass abutting the fenced pastures while walking her to and from her paddock. She has since began pulling at the lead to grab a mouthful every chance she gets during her daily commute.
“Only when you allow her to, can she graze,” Adrienne instructs me.
“Duly noted,” I reply and further add, “I promise to do my best to keep her in line.”
Back to the matter at hand. I ask Adrienne, “What breed is Duncan?” “I don’t know,” she replies as a matter-of-fact. “I bought him in Aiken for my Mom, but he proved too tall for her.” “He’s only five,” she adds.
I hop on him to begin my lesson. I am trying to learn how to get a horse round on the bit. He does so pretty easily, much more so than Jaliska. He takes a lot less prompting even though I am still pretty inept at asking and holding him to it, me being such a novice still.
I walk, then trot, and then canter him around the ring. You could literally fall asleep while in canter, he is so smooth.
“Looks are deceiving,” notes Adrienne, “you would think him a clunker, but he really floats.”
I agree.
She puts up a jump set and I quickly learn that he is really fun to jump. I am a bit rusty since it’s been so long since I have jumped, and it wasn’t pretty the last time as Jaliska was so wound up. The next thing you know I am popping around a course of fences.
I love it.
I love him.
Before the end of the lesson, I have agreed to lease him so that “I have a horse to learn on and ride while Jaliska is in training,” Adrienne says.
For the second time today, I find myself saying, “Well, what do you know?” On my quest, it’s important to remember that I have to be open and accepting to uncover the best surprises.
