tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7036385.post111838710963400962..comments2024-01-20T12:02:38.010-05:00Comments on Five Wells: CharlieMary Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00236910059228402369noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7036385.post-1118687902689296652005-06-13T13:38:00.000-05:002005-06-13T13:38:00.000-05:00He must be so happy out there, in your hermitage. ...He must be so happy out there, in your hermitage. I picture it as being akin to something Thoreau would appreciate. Wish I could see a picture of you or your daughter riding Charlie, though. Or at least more of his body.Darlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14097905937552636768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7036385.post-1118416275821155272005-06-10T10:11:00.000-05:002005-06-10T10:11:00.000-05:00Hi Darlene, Luckily, Charlie doesn't spook -- unl...Hi Darlene, <BR/><BR/>Luckily, Charlie doesn't spook -- unless you count that time we were riding in the woods and flushed a grouse. True to his quarterhorse nature, he took two steps at a dead run, realized the error of his ways and stopped dead. I can't say which was worse: the running or the stopping. But I stayed on.<BR/><BR/>When we bought him, he'd been a trail horse at a "rent-a-ride" sort of place - western. But we trained him to jump - which, as I said, he thinks is really silly. My daughter showed him for a while. When he got a blue ribbon we retired him.Mary Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236910059228402369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7036385.post-1118408460860703452005-06-10T08:01:00.000-05:002005-06-10T08:01:00.000-05:00Charlie's a beauty! I doubt if he would necessaril...Charlie's a beauty! I doubt if he would necessarily jump over just to get out; the only problem would be if he got spooked.<BR/><BR/>Oh, my memories, way back when I was taking English lessons, jumping and dressage (stopped when I was 4 months pregnant, just to be safe so I wouldn't jolt the baby loose). We'd get a different horse each time, so we'd have to work with all temparaments. I remember trying to urge particular ones over; times when they'd approach the jump then stop dead. One time, at a low jump (basically a log), the horse stayed put, but I went over. You bet I got right back on...second try, I stayed in the saddle, third try, he went over and I stayed put, in perfect form. <BR/><BR/>My favorite horse was a little dappled-gray Arab with a scrub tail. I'm kind of small, and so was he, so we could melt together, and he was so responsive. I made quite a few "friends" over the years at stables when I went for rides (prefer Western style, but I still post). Changing the saddle on a monstrous but sweet (can't remember what breed he was!) guy once, and he shifted one of his paddle-sized feet and placed it on my foot. Ouch! So gentle when I nudged his body aside and off of me. I Charlie a quarterhorse?Darlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14097905937552636768noreply@blogger.com