ridecamp@endurance.net: RE: Trail Wise Mares

RE: Trail Wise Mares

Thomas, Barb (thomas@amgen.com)
Sat, 27 Sep 1997 11:24:51 -0700

Maybe this is a mare thing, just like not asking directions but knowing
"exactly where they are" is a guy thing. Having just moved our horses
to Emmitsburg, MD, my (ex)boyfriend and I ventured out on a local trail
alone, after having seen it once with the owner of our barn. We'd
ridden quite a ways and it was getting dark. We came to a clearing and
I said turn right on one trail, he said turn left, and my mare said no,
take this other trail to the right. Big argument...you have no sense of
direction, he says, laughing and looking very smug. His horse didn't
want to go his way either! But alas, some men and egos, you gotta
smooth them over...so we went his way, got lost, dead ended, went
another "his way", ended up in a big field when we were looking for
forest and a creek. Dark was coming fast. Forget male egos, men always
right (his words, not mine), I gave my mare her head. She went back and
took her trail towards home. Trouble was, while it was the most direct
route, it had this 30 foot sheer drop wall and wasn't really a trail.
No problem, mare says humming happily to herself in a horsy way. We'll
bushwack around it. So we did, over logs, boulders, with Ritch in the
back swearing (his horse was taller and he was in the tree branches).
Lo and behold, the creek! Not 25 yards from the trail crossing to home!
Good girl!! Turned out, her route was very direct, my trail went there
(we found out later) but was not as direct since it was a real trail,
and Ritch's way would have headed us to Gettysburg, Pa.!! Rule: listen
to the horse but remember, they'll take the direct route home, trail or
not!

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