Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Willie asked me one day, “Would you mind taking care of the horses while we go on vacation?”“Of course! When you going?”“We’ll be gone, over the Christmas holidays. About 2 weeks.”“Sure thing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything.”



As far as I was concerned, she knew better than to ask. We were like sisters and all she was asking was for me to continue with our every day routine.



Winnie and Starlight were used to the routine of daily rides and adventures. I let them take turns, one day I took Winnie and the next day I took Starlight. Each day, I groomed and petted, then saddled and went off for a day of riding. The horses loved the attention and we grew closer.
It was as though Winnie knew all witnesses were gone. Her very first turn to be alone with me for the day, she started her shenanigans.



I rode down the street to the highway, crossed over the pavement, headed for that wide dirt shoulder. Just as we stepped off the pavement, Winnie jolted into a dead run, ran straight toward the clear ditch. Just at the edge of the ditch, she stopped short, ducked her head down and pitched me straight off her back, landing me dead center of the ditch.



At this time of the year, tumbleweeds filled the ditch, clear to the top. At the bottom, was muddy ice. I plunged down the center, all the way down through those tumble weeds, landing with my bottom in nasty, black sludgy ice. I looked up through the hole in the weeds that I had just created, dreading the trip up the side of the ditch.



Not knowing what Winnie was up to, and the knowledge that we were right next to a busy highway, drove me to climb out, as fast as I could get it done. I put my head down to protect my face, against those prickly tumbleweeds, and started climbing. As I reached the top, pushing tumbleweeds up at the surface, I raised my face to view Winnie’s nose. She stood there waiting and watching.



Oh, that damn horse! What? Was she getting a kick out of this? I pushed myself up and out of the ditch, just as Winnie jerked her head up. She tossed herself about and began trotting away, headed straight for the highway. I ran after her, to catch her before she reached the pavement but she just kept playing the ‘keep away’ game, staying just ahead of me. When I sped up, she sped up. When I slowed down, she slowed down.



She crossed the highway, slowing traffic, with me right behind her. Half way down the side street, I finally caught hold of the reigns. Boy did it all come to a head, then. Nose to nose, eyeball to eyeball, the lecture started. She was no dummy. She knew what she did.



I was a miserable mess. There were dried tumbleweeds down my shirt, down my panties! Icy mud was all up my back. I have no idea what my hair looked like and at that moment, I didn’t care. That was the end of this day’s ride. I went home, cleaned up, then went back to collect Starlight.



With Winnie neighing and snorting at me, in disbelief, I saddled up Starlight and we went off for a leisure ride.



The next day was still Starlight’s turn. Just because Winnie caused such a storm, the day before, ending her day out, didn’t mean today wasn’t still his turn. I brought Starlight out of the pen and began to groom him. All the while, Winnie stretched her neck over the top of the fence, letting me know she didn’t think this was fair. She wanted out. She wanted to go somewhere. I ignored her and pampered Starlight, in defiance.



Starlight and I went on a wonderful, soft, pleasant ride and stretched out the time, as much as possible. Of course, that was a problem for me. While it was pleasurable, it was also boring but I wasn’t going to cut it short. Winnie had to learn.



The next day, I ventured over to the paddock, not knowing what I would face this time. Who knew what that crazy horse would do to me.



As I came through the fence and headed for the gate to the pen, Winnie pushed up against the gate, blocking Starlight’s way. She was positively letting me know, this was her day, not Starlight’s.


“Ok, ok”, I cooed at her. “I’m not forgetting and I’m not punishing you any more. You’re going for a ride, today, so calm down.”



I brought her out to the tack room then decided this was the day she was going to wear a bridle. At first, I tried to just trick her into it but that didn‘t work. Those teeth clamped down and she backed away, defiantly. I even tried to force the bit into her mouth but she was too strong for me.



I finally got tired of the game, slipped off the halter and put the hackamore on her nose, just as she lifted her left front foot, and slyly placed it on my toe. Then she leaned into me hard, throwing me off balance. I was trapped. She had me off balance enough; I had no strength to push back. All I could do was pound on her shoulder and scream, “Winnie! Winnie-e-e-e-e! Get off!” I don’t really know how much time passed, with this horse leaning all her weight against me, with my foot trapped under her hoof.



When she finally leaned away from me, letting me pull loose, I was furious with her. “Oh, no! No more of this! You’re staying!” Back went the halter and I led her straight back to the paddock. I pushed her inside then grabbed Starlight.



Again, Starlight and I went for a ride, instead of Winnie. There was no way, I was going to reward her for her actions. She could just stew in her own misery, as far as I was concerned. “Shame on you, Winnie!”



By the time we got back from our ride, Winnie was a nervous wreck. She charged the gate, while I was trying to put Starlight back in. She tossed her head, at me and snorted, then charged around the pen, letting me know how unhappy she was. I didn’t care and I let her know. I turned my back on her, while I put the saddle away and cleaned up.



The next day, things got really interesting. It was like two women at battle. I stood outside the pen and just stared at Winnie. “What’s it going to be, today? Huh? We going to be friends or are we going to fight?” Winnie stood along the fence, opposite me and ignored me. Nothing. No storming around. No snorting. No pushing at the gate. Just nothing.



Starlight, on the other hand, was excited and wanted to go for a ride but I decided Winnie had been punished enough. I went in and led her out. It was almost spooky, as she walked out as docile as a lamb. Something was up but I didn’t know what, so I went about my business of brushing her back.



I combed her hair, pretty, gave her a bite of oats and gave her a little kiss on the nose. I hoped the battle was over and we could be friends, today.



Nothing. No signs. No bad girl. Anybody else, in that situation, would have enough sense to back off and rethink but not me. Oh, no not me. Just kept pushing forward and acting as if everything was back to normal.



I saddled her, mounted up and rode out. We rode down the little neighborhood street and out to the highway. We crossed the highway and were gingerly walking along when all of a sudden the world exploded.



Winnie began bucking and when she bucked, it was serious. If there was anything about that horse that told you she came from racing blood, it was that super long back of hers. Her back was so long that the gentlest gait was the trot. When she was at a dead run, you’d think your back would never be straight again. It was impossible to get into her rhythm. Her trot was so long gaited; it was like riding a rocking chair.



Bucking was another matter. She could deliver quite a wallop with that long swing, at your backside. She dove her head down and that rump came up so hard, I flew. She waited until we were half the way across the highway, to deliver the final blow. I landed right under her belly. She froze and waited, right there in the second lane during rush hour traffic. She couldn’t do this away from public view. Oh, no! She pulled this off in a crowd of cars, with a whole lot of curious witnesses.



My glasses flew off my face and now I was half-blind and squinting, as I searched around the ground. I didn’t move, the horse didn’t move. I finally spied my glasses about 6 feet off to the left of Winnie‘s head. I dove, as fast as I could, toward the glasses. As soon as I was visible to her, she bolted off. I grabbed my glasses, put them back on and the chase was on, again. “Dammit, horse! Just dammit!” It was a miracle we hadn’t both been hit by a speeding car. Just unbelievable!



Of course, the ride was cut short again and Starlight reaped the benefits. When was Winnie going to catch on, that when she pulled off her little tricks, she lost out?