For Love of a Gray Horse: The Missouri Trail Ride

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Missouri Trail Ride

The place where Huston regularly rides, Lead Mine Nature Conservancy, is about 10 minutes from his home. It was a great ride, ten miles long and lots of streams and climbs and descents, a real trial by fire for trail green me. Huston invited over some good friends of his (I will certainly add their names later after I talk to Huston because I'm a duffus who never remembers last names-sorry) to ride with us and they brought a friend of theirs. So we had a great group as we headed out to Lead Mine . As I said, the advice that Huston gave me on Friday, "Sande, you'll never get hurt as long as you stay in the saddle," certainly served me well on Saturday's trail ride.

One of the horses that Huston's friends brought to ride was a bit excitable. They said that this wasn't typical behavior for him so maybe something was bothering him because he started bucking in the parking lot and kept it up all along the trail. I was riding Django, who wasn't as trail experienced as the other horses and of course, I'm a novice myself. Django kept wanting to "head for the hills" with me every time the other horse would act up. He was basically a very good boy though because he was easy to get under control and calm. About half way through the ten mile ride, the excited horse blew up again and started bucking. The difference this time was that he was right in front of us instead of behind us. Django, I'm sure, thought that something was ready to eat us all if we didn't get out of there. He started hopping sideways with me and I wasn't expecting it. I lost my right stirrup and went flying sideways out of the saddle. I was using English stirrups but thank goodness, I had them on a Western saddle. I reached down with one hand and grabbed the saddle horn and literally jerked myself back into the saddle seat and with my other hand, I turned Django around a bit to stop his jumping. Huston was beside me on Mouse and he simply asked, "Do you want to switch horses?" I told him no, I was fine and we rode on. After we'd ridden for a while, I rode up beside Huston and asked him, "Why did you want to change horses with me? Did you think I was coming out of the saddle back there?" Huston grinned and replied, "I thought you just might!" I laughed and told him, "No, I thought I was coming out,too but I just remembered what you said to me yesterday, you can never get hurt as long as you stay in the saddle. So I was determined that I was staying in that saddle."

The trail ride was the reason that Steve decided he wanted to buy Rowdy, or Blaze as he was known on Huston's farm. I put Steve's saddle on for him and tightened the girth. The girth we had was too long for the saddle but I really thought I'd made it work...honestly:). I promise there was no thought of life insurance policy pay outs when I forgot to recheck the girth before Steve mounted the horse. We had ridden a short while and just passed through a stream when Steve asked everyone to stop so that he could shorten his stirrups a bit. The saddle had English leathers so instead of dismounting, Steve decided to adjust them while in the saddle. He leaned over and the saddle leaned, too! Before he knew what was happening, he and the saddle were nearly on the ground. Horses and hooves all around him, rocks below and his horse not only didn't move, he froze like a statue. He didn't even twitch a muscle while Steve untangled himself and dismounted and fixed the saddle. What a great trail horse!! When we'd finished our ride and were back in the parking lot untacking our horses, Steve walks up to me and whispers, "What do you think about us taking him home with us." I thought he was talking about Django and I said that I thought that was half the purpose of our trip to take Django home with us. He then totally surprised me (and any of you who really know Steve will be surprised by this as well) by saying, "Not Django, my horse!" I think he'd made this decision while he was hanging perpendicular to the ground.

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AnonymousMay 5, 2009 at 1:35 PM
What a great story about your trail ride!! I never had anyone tell me that about staying in the saddle and not getting hurt... definitely something to remember! I also laughed out loud when you said that you think Steve decided to buy Rowdy when he was perpendicular to the ground... :)
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About Me & Gray Horse Designs

I've always had artistic leanings. I was drawing stick figures before I could talk. Friends recall that I was constantly drawing or painting as a child. I grew up and I did major in art in college but I never could find direction. I kept switching majors and trying so many different things trying to find the one that fit, the one that fulfilled me. I seemed destined for a while to be a lifetime student. Then one day, I found myself out of work, burned out on school, and very depressed because I'd also just suffered a miscarriage. I was alone at home and totally at loose ends when I picked up a piece of wood and began to see a horse in it. The irony of that will become more evident later in this story but the truth was, that as soon as I touched a knife to that block of wood, it was magic. I felt as if I'd come home. From that one piece of scrap wood and a small cheap craft knife, a business grew and took on a life of its own. I started creating whimsical, wood sculptures and I sold my work all over the world. Then one day, at a crafts exhibition in Chicago, I met the head of Enesco's new gift wares section and my career took off in yet another direction. I designed several very successful lines for them over the next five years but after fifteen years in this business, I started slowing down and losing my enthusiasm. I decided that I'd try another medium but like trying to find my direction in life those many years before, this wasn't an easy task.

I knew that I still wanted to be creative but I didn't know what medium I wanted to try next. So, I tried many but no magic, no flashes of inspiration. Then one day, my husband and I were sitting on a Mexican beach relaxing and enjoying the salty breezes and beautiful views. It was his 50th birthday. He told me how much he was enjoying himself and he asked me what I was going to want for my 50th birthday which would be coming around in two years. I didn't even hesitate before I answered him. "A horse!" I said simply and to the point. I'd wanted a horse for as long as I could remember and I knew that if I didn't get one soon, I'd never get one. So, from the moment we touched down on US soil, I began my quest. There were two things that I didn't realize at the time, that my horse would actually arrive soon after my 49th birthday and that she would totally change my life. Everyone told me that at my "advancing" age, I surely needed a gaited horse because their smooth gait was much easier on aging joints. I began my search knowing nothing about horses or even what I really wanted and certainly nothing about what I needed in a horse.

I was lucky because I met two great horse ladies who pointed me in the right direction. The first told me that the horse I wanted was a Missouri Fox Trotter and the second lady, Fran Forester, offered to help me find the perfect MFT for me. She told me about a man she knew who knew more about horses and specifically more about MFTs than anyone she'd ever met. The only problem was, he very seldom agreed to sell one of his horses. Then one day, she contacts me and she is very excited. The man, Huston Jenkins, was selling some of his horses and one of them was the dapple gray that I'd been dreaming of. I'd told everyone that I wanted a dapple gray horse and when I found her, I would call her Mouse. Huston's niece had promised to take some photos of the gray horse and email them to me. They arrived in the middle of the night but I had been waiting for them. I printed them and thumbtacked them to the bathroom wall beside the mirror so that they'd be the first thing my husband, Steve, saw when he got up the next morning. I wrote across the photos, "This is the ONE!!" I'd decided that as soon as I saw her but I was even more convinced that it was fate when I saw her papered name, Mouse's Funny Face. My fate was sealed.

That was over five years ago and that beautiful, dapple gray mare has since become my muse, my inspiration, my teacher and my life. I started doing equine photography and art because of her. I've met so many wonderful people and horses because of her. My herd has grown from one horse to five now. The latest was a gift from Mouse two years ago, our sweet, lovable and beautiful Danny (Traveler's Sensational Flyby.) I have a blog dedicated to Danny called Fly By Danny Boy that tells his story.

For several years, I tried to start a new business doing strictly equine photography but I soon discovered that this is the wrong economic climate for starting a new business of any type but especially one that's primary product is a luxury. I've been doing art my entire life so I'm not ready to give it up. In fact, my solution is to diversify. I plan on cleaning out my workshop and studio and starting to do wood sculpture again as well as painting and drawing and hopefully handcrafted jewelry. My old enthusiasm and creative drive have returned in force. All of the mediums that I'm delving into will be diverse in subject as well but I'd be willing to bet the farm on the fact that the majority of art work will be equine in theme.

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Missouri Trail Ride

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If I Could Fly