Yesterday, Vickie called and said she’d like to go for a trail ride in the afternoon. So this is what she, Pete, and I did. I was initially so-so about going for a jaunt because it was windy. But once I got out there, I was glad that Vickie had been the motivator.

Pete was out walking the dogs when Vickie called, so after, I got all the horses out and tied them to the trailer and hitching post. I had hoped that Pete would get back before Vickie arrived, but he did not. Okay, there I was, the lone rider, one with a decision to make. This was, who do I ride, Tinni or Raudi? It was a tough call -- I went back and forth on this matter several times. I finally decided to ride Tinni and put Raudi and Hrimmi back in the paddock.

I usually elect to ride Raudi. However, my having been bucked off by her during lesson at Beth’s on Tuesday gave me reason to reconsider this time around. I

wasn’t sure if her behavior was related to a physical or a mental issue. And because I did not know, I decided to play it safe and ride the old guy. I knew that no matter what, Tinni would behave.

Vickie rode Hunar bareback. I rode Tinni with a saddle. We headed up road, in the direction of the trail system. On our way up Oceanview we ran into Pete, who with the dogs on the leash, was heading home. He’d been trail blazing, and indicated that he’d extended Peaches’ Trail by a quarter of a mile. He said he’d go and saddle up Raudi, pony Hrimmi, and then meet up with us.

This is what we ended up doing. Vickie and I did Siggi’s trail, dropped down to the lower loop, and met Pete at the Murphy Road Trailhead. Then we three all headed out Peaches’ Trail. When finally, we came to the furthest point of this trail, we continued straight onto Pete’s new trail. I was nervous about heading up it because it was a new trail with several twists and turns and ups and downs. This meant that the horses had to remain focused and watch their steps. I needn’t have worried about my being in an accident because I was on Tinni.

We headed back in the direction of home – the ride was one that Pete and I called uneventful. The entire time Tinni remained calm and deliberate, which is generally par for the course. Pete, on Raudi, had a harder time because he was ponying Hrimmi, who occasionally stopped, got her line tangled in the low lying brush, and once broke free and ran off. But, as Pete said later, Raudi (the inexperienced pony horse) was agreeable about this.

Agreeable. This is the adjective that I now often use to describe the chestnut mare. She enjoys being out, and most of the time she exhibits common sense. What I didn’t tell Pete was that I’d hoped that he instead of me would ride her because I was suffering from a lapse in confidence. This does not happen often anymore, but once in a while I have to find a way in which to deal. In this instance, it was to instead ride Tinni. However, seeing Pete ride Raudi affirmed what I had been thinking, which was that my spill at Beth’s was a freak occurrence. For reasons that will always remain a mystery to me, Raudi had taken it upon herself to be a naughty pony.

I am (as always) glad that we have Tinni. He will always be my Number One riding horse.

Next: 278.10/18/14: Talking with an Old Friend