Rose to the Rescue

Rose is my therapeutic pony.  Not my horse, but the Doc's good old tried and true cutting horse.  That said, I use her like she's mine whenever I'm feeling blue.  Doc has let me show her in the 'Never Won a Buckle' class at the a couple cuttings last year (I've still not won a buckle, I always come in second!), and she's my 'go to' pony when my body is hurting.

A few weeks into moping about having nothing to ride, I decided to sneak into the Cowboy's barn while he was busy elsewhere and throw the saddle on Rose.  He caught me, but didn't stop me.  Just said, "Shoulder's probably not sound enough to work the bull, you think?"  He wanted me to say it was.  I wasn't going to let him down!

He went slow, giving me lots of time to sit in the middle, but I was tense and didn't ride my best.  The following day I didn't work the bull, just rode in a few circles in the arena.  It felt good to be in the saddle.

Yesterday my friend stopped in, pulling her horse trailer, telling us she'd just dropped her mare off at the vet. We knew what that meant....she had Wobblers, something there is no recovering from.  I held her in my arms and she cried, but then we went into the barn and she pulled Kitty out of her stall.  She's been riding Kitty in lessons since finding out her mare was no longer safe.  I pulled out Rose, and we rode together, each of us downing our own sorrows while sitting astride.

The Cowboy fired up the bull and we each worked a little bit.  He suggested I switch hands, because I wasn't able to push on the horn with my right hand while stopping...not enough strength.  So I put the reins in my right hand and held the horn with my left, and Rosie worked like the pro she was, and I managed to sit relaxed enough for an enjoyable ride.  I love that Rosie horse.

My good friend Valarie just let me know she's hauling a couple horses to the arena.  One of them is Sandy...all tacked up and ready to transport me in a few more circles.  My body may not be fully healed, but my mind is getting better with the help of some old friends!