Love at First Sight

Shirley was holding and walking Cobie around the pull off spot. She kept saying, "Look how calm he is. I'm gonna be fine." She was talking to me. Lynn was on the other side of the trailer. "He's good. No problem."

Lynn came back around the trailer and brought Big Zig, the camel, for Shirley. She was getting the stool out. Shirley kept hanging on to her new, pretty boy and muttering that all was going to be fine. Finally Lynn tuned in to her and said, "Do you want to ride him? We don't know how he'll do in the brush. We don't know anything about what he knows and doesn't know. But if you want to, you can."

"No, no, I better not," Shirley said. Lynn went back to whatever she was doing. Shirley said to me, again, "I don't bounce so well." I looked at her. "Well, I guess Lynn doesn't bounce that well either," she concluded. 

I said, "Nope. And she's been hurt a lot more than you or I."

"Well, just for a bit," she said. Then Lynn brought over Zigs. 

As Shirley and I were riding by ourselves--Cobie is a big stepper and left us--Shirley said, "The elevation is really something up here." Bonk, bonk, bonk. "There's stuff up here I never noticed before." 

I laughed. "Yep! You're in the nose bleed section."

Ziggy was having a big pout. He was slower than Buster. Jupes was irritated and on his butt. Zigs would just stop. "Is he peeing? Is he pooping?" Shirley kept asking me.

"No. He is not doing anything." Then her little feet would bump him on the rib cage and he'd drag himself up a little farther. 

Shirley couldn't take it any longer. We didn't even make to the road from the first trail. She was ready to trade. Lynn had pulled up and waited for us below the big pile of rocks before the grassy spot we always let the boys eat at. She was smiling. Shirley said, "Have you been to Medford and back?" She was smiling, too.

Lynn said, "Tell you what Mom, I'll give you $3000 right now for this horse. You'll make $500. I'll call that lady with the smooth-gaited Haflinger and we'll go get him for you." LOL

Nope. Shirley was in love with Cobie before she even rode him. Boy, I know that feeling. :)

They did really well. Other than he doesn't like getting those dinner plates muddy, he did everything: bushes, swinging branches, uphill, downhill, through the dead branches, boonie crashing cross country.

Shirley likes him and thinks he's a keeper. It was love at first sight and after riding him--it's real love. She said it is so much more fun to ride without constantly having to kick and urge the horse under you. :) 

Ziggy did really well after Lynn got him. He was stepping out. Jupes is not sure about this pretty competition, but I told him was the most beautiful, handsome guy to me. 

When we got back to the field. Star bit him in the back right off. He chased him away from the water. Buster went up to sniff him in butt. Cobie squealed and kicked up, but Buster just sniffed him, so Cobie settled down. Then we put Zigs in. He just went and rolled. Jupes just went and rolled. Then Star said, it's on again and all of them ran Cobie to the other end and around the oak trees behind the trailer a few times. Star and Jupes and Zigs came over to us and let him be. Buster just stayed with him the whole time, "Let's be besties. I'll show where there's more grass." So Cobie has a friend.