Lessons, continued...

So to recap from the previous post, we are now stranded at the stable on the corner. Be prepared, it's a long one...

There are a lot of people in the parking lot and courtyard milling around and trying to see what has happened. They are telling us we can't get through, that a helicopter is coming and the field is full of emergency vehicles. Some people are saying we could try to take the road back but I am adamant it's not a good idea, if the helicopter comes while we are on the turn, all I need is for the horses to spook. I have a healthy fear of getting dumped onto pavement and into traffic.

The boarders were very nice, they offered us to take our horses behind the main barn, maybe hose them and offer them water and keep them on crossties in the barn until the problem was resolved. We elected to dismount and find a quiet corner to hold them in where they couldn't see into the field. My horse has seen the medivac copter before. I was riding once in the polo ring and it landed across the street in the sports field in front of the high school. Monty didn't even give it a toss of the head.

The buzz was this rider's horse had simply stumbled as she was riding on the grass hill. The rider had gone over the horses head or shoulder and fallen off. She had a broken wrist (or wrists) and they thought she also had a mild concussion.

We were held "hostage" by the situation for about 30-40 minutes. Once the copter came and went, we ventured from behind the barn to the field. All the vehicles were gone except for a lone police car who's officer was talking with the woman who owns the stable. We quietly walked our horses off her property and directly to home. The horses had even had enough. Where they usually try to graze on the church lawn as we walk home, this time the two of them marched over the grass and down the road to our driveway.

E.W. and I were so relieved when we put the horses in their stalls. What a stressful ending to a nice ride. We decided to go have a nice refreshing sweet tea at McDonald's. While we were there, we thought maybe it would be a nice gesture to bring some big bags of fresh carrots to the stable owner and tell her to share with the boarders since they were so kind to us. So we went to the grocery store and bought 10 pounds of carrots.

We went back to the stable and met the owner. She was nice enough as we dropped off our gift. We said we hoped the woman was all right and that her horse was too and that her boarders were very kind to offer our horses water. The exchange seemed to be appreciated.

Well, it doesn't matter because as of yesterday evening there is a sign posted in our tackroom at our barn that the owner no longer is allowing access through her property. I don't know what transpired but obviously she called our barn management and told them her place is now off limits.

My friend and I can't think of anything we did wrong. My husband thinks it's mainly because of liability. But this woman has been holding horse shows on her property so obviously there's a risk with liability there from people outside her barn community. However, there are also release forms that must be signed before you can compete. Are there non-competition release forms a barn owner can have people from outside their property sign? I know the management at the barn I am at now is very concerned with this and has everyone sign releases. Since it is also a medical clinic, there can be horses coming and going and not always time to ascertain what the owner's experience is. So forms must be submitted.

I was so interested in riding over to compete in the dressage shows at that stable but now I'm not so sure I want to do it. Even if I pay an entry, I still feel like I'm not welcome.

What a stupid society we live in. I am old school. Unless someone maliciously attempts to cause me to fall from my horse, I assume responsibility of my skills in handling my horse if it should spook, buck, stumble, whatever. I always wear a helmet. I try very hard to be courteous, in control and respectful of my actions and my comments when I am on someone elses' terms. I just don't know.

So now my only options if I want to go trail ride is to use my horse trailer, which is more effort than I have time for and to try having my farrier shoe Monty with stud holes in his shoes, then I'll put road studs in and hope the extra grip enables him to handle the paved hill on the bend.