Horse Lover Magazine

Hello,   My name is Sierra and I am a quarter horse mare.  I know; I know. Just the word "mare" makes you think you know all about me.  Well, you are probably right about one thing....I definitely have an opinion on all things horsey, and today I want to talk about trail riding with Marla.   Quite simply,  Marla doesn't know as much about it as I do.  I know it and she doesn't.  Yesterday when we headed out toward the trail by the Harpeth River here in Franklin, I could hear children screaming and shouting accompanied by loud banging noises, but I couldn't see a thing.  All the trees blocked my view.   Marla evidently didn't hear any of the noises because she kept trying to make me go on the trail as if nothing was happening. Not only that, but she didn't pay any attention to the signals I know I gave her.  I raised my head and pointed my ears up straight.  I even stiffened up a bit too.  I could tell something was very wrong on the trail, but Marla had no idea (or was going to play tough and keep going  anyway).  Well, I had to let her know that I,  Sierra, don't go anywhere I hear screams and banging noises.  I had to twirl around to my left really fast  and head off in another direction. Marla tried to stop me, but she was too late (Thank goodness she didn't use her best leg aids from the start.... I might have gone on...snicker, snicker...I mean nicker, nicker!).  Anyway, Marla kept trying to get me on the trail and I kept twirling around to go in another direction.  Finally, she  got off.  I breathed a sigh of relief and thought we were headed back to the barn, but Marla decided to walk on in to the trail with me beside her.  I gave her my best "You idiot" look and arched my neck and raised my head as high as I could, thinking she would head back to the barn, but she didn't .  She started singing  a really nice song over and over again about a girl named Betsy from a place call Pike. I guess she thought I liked her singing since she kept doing it, over and over.  Finally, I decided to be kind to her and just licked my lips once, sighed a little bit,  and tried to eat some grass.  I guess I was too kind, because she then climbed  right back on and made me walk in and out of the trail again.  By then I had adjusted to all the noise or it stopped. I am not sure, but I was not bothered by it any more.  After we rode a little longer, we went on back to the barn.  Now I have forgotten the point of my story. Oh.... Maybe I do know more about trail riding 

Good a.m.!  I hope everyone had  a great  Thanksgiving weekend.  Mine started out pretty tough, but it got better. Thank goodness!Early last week I became sore and lame gain on my right front hoof. It became increasingly difficult  for me to walk and I was miserable.  Marla checked me over on Wednesday and decided that I needed to see Dr. Wright again.  She hesitated to call the vet back at first because she thought I was just tender footed from the rock in my shoe the few days before.  By Wednesday though, she knew that I was feeling worse.

Well, that is enough for today.  Check back next week for the latest in my saga.  I hope all I have to report will be a little more weight loss!