Lilly

Hurricane Sandy really put a sizeable dent in my training schedule for Lilly.

I went out pretty much as soon as the roads were passable and Lilly was, to be perfectly honest, kind of a pig. I couldn't really blame her. She'd had a good bit of time off and we couldn't get far since the trails were largely destroyed.

She did end up learning a lot about passing under obstacles, though.

For starters, a large part of the barn roof blew off during the storm and F has a tarp covering the damage. Lilly had to walk under the tarp to leave the barn. She did this pretty willingly, but I underestimated the height of the saddle horn and she ended up snagging it and dragging the tarp on top of her for a few feet. I was impressed with the way she handled the situation. After the initial startle, she pretty much planted her feet and waited for it to be over. I was very proud that she didn't trample me.

We extended this into real life trail experience. We came to several downed pine trees along the close edge of the golf course. They were high enough off the ground that Lilly could pass under them if I dismounted, and light enough where she could drag several branches away from the trail. We spent a good portion of the ride doing just that. She was a little alarmed about the noise and the branches brushing her flanks at first, but she got over it quickly and turned into a regular old bushwhacker by the end of the ride.

Then we got a Noreaster. Then it rained for days. Then it snowed for real and the trails were swampy and closed.

Today, the weather finally cooperated. It was sunny with temps up in the sixties. The snow had melted and the ground was mostly dry. After a night of no sleep and a busy morning at the clinic, I drove over to Lilly's, determined to have a good ride.

Lilly, who came galloping when I whistled for her last time, came up to investigate, but didn't really want to be caught. She and another horse on the property got in a kicking match through the fence the other day and she had some superficial scrapes on her legs. I bribed her with a grain bucket and put her on the cross ties. After making sure the cuts were nothing serious, I tacked her up and we went out on a mission to find passable trails.

Lilly was far more pleasant this time around, seeming to enjoy the weather and the change of scenery. She moved boldly forward, gaiting along pleasantly. I decided to take her down the edge of the golf course to see if I could find the way I was supposed to take the day we went on our accidental two hour trail ride.

The big gray mare impressed me with her willingness to cross some pretty scary water-filled trenches, and before I knew it, we were foxtrotting our way down the edge of the golf course, where I waved cheerfully to some of the grounds crews.

And that's when we came upon one of the saddest things I've seen on my many trail rides. There is a high deer fence around the golf course. Unfortunately, it's only around part of the perimeter and a young doe found herself on the inside, probably fleeing from hunters. When she reached the deer fence at the edge, she tried to squeeze underneath and got stuck. I found her body today as Lilly and I came down the hill. There wasn't a mark on her and I imagine she stressed herself to death. I could see the marks on the ground from where she'd fought to get free. Poor Lilly was intrigued and I let her investigate. She looked first interested, then concerned, then perplexed, then just plain sad. She kept sniffing at the deer, then looking to me, then sniffing again. It was terrible.

We moved on and turned right at the bottom of the hill. I'm pretty sure I found the trail we were supposed to take the day of our misadventure, but I won't know for some time still because there are some huge trees down that completely block the way. Lilly and I had to turn back and find a different way home.

The way we went wound up serving as an excellent 'bombproofing' for the mare.

First we rode through the property with the old hunting dogs. The dogs live out while their owner is at work. They have a large barn that they go in and out of as they please, and there's a 'paddock' with a secure fence, green grass, and lots of space. Usually I ride down the trail on the far side of the property, where the horses have a clear view of the dogs and the dogs are separated from the trail by a large yard.

Today, however, I had to ride right alongside the enclosure, and I approached from behind the barn. I knew the dogs would be there, but Lilly didn't, and I had no way to inform her that they would be. I tried talking loudly to the mare, hoping the dogs would hear me approaching and bark before I was right on top of them. No such luck. I came around the corner of the barn to find all three dogs laying in 'dead dog' pose, sunning themselves. They jumped up as soon as I rounded the corner and, as if to make up for missed time, barked with added enthusiasm. Lilly was clearly caught off guard, but she merely jumped sideways a bit, then pinned her ears in determination and marched right past them while I praised her.

Then we nearly squashed a Great Blue Heron. We were coming down a bank into the creek and he was hiding under some over hanging roots. When he heard us coming, he flew out directly in front of Lilly. I probably could have touched him if I wasn't busy staying on. Lilly tried to stop in mid air. I'm not sure who was more startled, the horse or the bird. I literally scared the poo out of the heron, which added more humor when Lilly crab walked and gave his... erm... trail... the hairy eyeball as we went past.

I'll tell you what, if I keep having adventures like this with her, Lilly will be a steady eddy, dead broke, spook free trail horse in no time at all.