Day 3 - An Irish Red Head
It was really hard to tell today who was having more fun, the kids or the horses! No matter who felt success lunging or who felt struggle riding yesterday, today all spirits came together on the trail.
We have this little horse, Pixie Dixie, a 23-year old Arabian/Quarter horse. A fiery redhead (who I’m sure has an Irish accent), that takes tail swishing and feet stomping to new levels. In fact, she thinks absolutely nothing of pinning back her ears and bearing her teeth when you touch her girth line (nevermind tightening the girth)! And, be careful around her teats, her back legs might be little but they are swift to kick out.
I don’t know Dixie’s full history, but I do know she wasn’t born sensitive to her girth and teats. That was nature, that was something that happened to her and she holds onto that memory. And we “see” her and we give her patience and consideration - a lot of patience - and she teaches us to mind our shoulders. I don’t expect her to change, I just look forward to the slightest softening she gives when she forgets her fear long enough to remember that she can trust us.
Before the lava flow, Dixie was pregnant and we had built her a separate pasture and barn for her and her soon-to-be foal. One day, we put her to bed fat and happy and the next morning we woke up and she had a splinter through her eye. When the vet came out she assigned me the death-defying act of giving Dixie 4 different drops, 3 times a day. Literally after the first 2 doses, Dixie looked at me and said, “oh, you like putting those drops in my eyes?” as she fired off warning shots of bucking and biting. Needless to say, the vet returned the next day. She put a catheter in her eyelid and I weaved it into a beautiful braid of her glorious red mane that ended at her withers. “Will she be able to see?” I asked. “No, Sam, we are just trying to save the globe of the eye,” the vet explained.
Four times a day I groomed her and slipped in the eye meds and she was none-the-wiser. Her eye turned blue (I knew she was Irish) but it was healthy. We completed the regimen just before she foaled and then 3 weeks later we beat the lava flow off the farm and remained evacuated until we were able to move home 2 years later. And so began her rehabilitation.
I gathered my most advanced students and shared her story. I explained that too many people might discard a horse who was half blind and a handful (or two) on the ground. And, we talked about how every spirit is perfectly imperfect. Every single one. And so a couple hundred kneecap bangs into the rail later and about 6 months, Dixie could see enough that her left and right brain worked out her balance! She was just as happy, confident and forward moving as she had been before the eye injury!
Today the kids rode in the saddle. They got a serious lesson in the importance and attention of quiet hands when holding a bit and how we use the reins to show our horses where we are going, not to jerk them around. And, then they were off on their own, trotting around the farm on the backs of Kaulana, Penny, Hokulani and….. Dixie. And, nobody was the wiser that Dixie is partially blind.
The hard work of so many previous riders, who today’s campers will never know, was keeping them safe. The injuries, the ribbons, the kicks and the bucks, all led up to their beautiful experience today. Just as all the late night snuggles, early morning talks, family heartaches and more went into the kids who were solid, fair and firm leaders today. Two groups of spirits in connection, keeping each other safe, every step of their imperfect journeys creating today’s perfect ride.
And that’s a pretty great way to end the day, that and a soak at the local hot pond.
