“Horses make a landscape look beautiful.” ― Alice Walker
The open road calls
Today was a MASSIVE day for Charlie and me. It was our first excursion with a group of other horses away from the comfort of the yard and it’s surrounding land. All our previous ventures have been close by and either with one other horse and rider or on our own.
Charlie has never done road work so I have spent a lot of time desensitising him as much as possible to cars and machinery around the yard when ever the opportunity arose, but nothing can compare with being out there!.
Even though I know Charlie to be a sensible and honest horse, he is still a youngster and although we would be on white gravel roads and crossing public fields, I still knew I had to respect what we were about to do.
As we set off I could feel the excitement in Charlie building, he was very keen, puffy and snorty. It was as if he new what was coming. There were 6 other horses from Alice Ranch, led by Paolo. The first task was to find a happy position. It became evident very quickly that he was not happy being at the back, Paolo was riding a young Paint call Crazy, who is anything but, and a horse Charlie knows from a previous short trip out. As both are youngsters, they are eager and have a better pace. We settled behind a sensible english ridden horse and Crazy.
Along the route we encountered Italian youth on vespas, had to navigate a tunnel while cars were going over head, which was so very echoey, we twisted and turned along gravel tracks, up and down; Charlie as a barefoot horse, was surefooted at all times. We passed a small opening into a huge field where Paulo asked if anyone fancied a run, he set off and we followed, If we had gone much further I think we would have passed him… Seriously, I didn’t know Charlie had such pace.
Charlie spots the Donkeys
As we reached the edge of the field we came across a large herd of donkeys, on seeing us arriving, at speed, they began to bray. The welcome stopped Charlie in his tracks, literally! After saying good bye to the Donkeys it was time to work our way back home which brought us through a wooded trail.. I was a little concerned at first, especially as low branches were bouncing off us, but Charlie just kept on going.
Every time I ask something new of him he responds. He handled the moped noise so well, in fact he was more freaked out by the braying donkeys… I think he was having lots of fun!… I did not know I could love him more…
