This is a “vault” post. These are events that I made videos for but didn’t really make write ups for. So these write ups will not be as detailed as my recent events.
Lost a member
It had been decided that Amy would ride Dolly for the remainder of the ride and Celeste would ride Skeeter. As we were getting ready to head out. I turned Roach around and i see Amy on the ground at Dolly’s feet. At first, I thought she was laughing. Unfortunately, she was sobbing. Amy has Ehlers-Danos syndrome. Essentially, her ligaments are floppy rubberbands which gives her hypermobility, for better or worse. In this case she totally blew out her knee while mounting.
She stayed in camp while we moved on. Skeeter stayed behind as well and we took Dolly. Amy went home and began the cycle of surgery and rehab for her knee. We all knew it was bad. I secretly wondered and feared if she would ever be able to mount up and ride again. One of my greatest fears is getting an injury that would prevent me from ever riding again. There is no better balm for the soul than a good ride on a good horse (or mule). My heart ached for her. Two years on, as I’m writing this, she is still recovering from this injury and regaining her riding strength. But she is back in the saddle and riding.
Additionally, this was really a ride that made you better. Suzanne had a terrible day with Royal on day four. Royal was done. She was pissed off and done and wanted to canter the whole way. Thankfully, with our endurance training,Roach and I were very comfortable keeping up, guiding, encouraging, and making sure they were safe. Suzanne was not a very experienced rider. Experienced enough to where she could handle this trip, but inexperienced enough to still be rattled by a recalcitrant or uncooperative horse. So I made sure to stick with her and help if needed.
This trip really made Suzanne. She had blossomed so much from this ride. Her riding and relationship with Royal grew by leaps and bounds due to the cattle drive. This drive was a make you or break you. You don’t have the option to just quit and get off. You ride it through. You decide how you respond to tough things, the shit things. Suzanne did, and she came out so good for it. It’s been awesome seeing her grow as an equestrian and watching her relationship with Royal deepen and thrive.
Not much else to report on for day four. I did have another bad flare up of my temper. As I said, I’ve learned from this experience and I will camp in another space from now on if I ever repeat it. I’m just a particualr person and it’s better for everyone if I just do me and meet my friends when I’m capable.
Looking for just the video? Click here! But you should still read the post.
Cattle Drive Day Four Video
