My four-legged clarion

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Annual Trail Rides: 164/200 (Bareback: 19/40)

A nice relaxing set of trail rides, as the weather cools and a few harsh thunderstorms joined the party. The forest instantly turned lush, just like I like it, and we quickly started playing obstacle course with puddles and fallen branches. Qs eyesight is better than mine, so I let him avoid the debris.

We have been practicing our “invader warning” alert system, as Q loves to signal to me that something funny is coming our way. We don’t usually change pace, unless he feels he needs to and Im happy enough to oblige if necessary. However, I must always acknowledge the signal with a slight movement (usually a leaning of my calf on the side of the warning) or Q will escalate and possibly take things into his own hands/hooves.








So we were walking along one of the big wide trails and Q signalled left with only mild concern. I looked, and saw a horse and rider charging up a side hill through a blind turn where they could not see us. I wasn’t concerned, so I signalled with my left leg and kept on walking. The horse caught our movement as it approached the blind turn, spooked into the bushes, and then we heard the crackling of breaking branches as the male rider started screaming expletives at the horse. We paused at the intersection as they approached, and he stopped yelling and looked sheepishly as I apologized for being the cause of the spook. He then proceeded to tell me that his stupid mare spooked at a stupid branch and this ride had a very bad start. I wished him happy trails and he carried on. 

Q sighed, dropped his head and carried on as well.

2 minutes later, we hear more crashing branches and lots of yelling. Q raised his head and ears for more info, I signalled with my leg, and we proceeded to minding our own business while we headed into the ravine.

An hour later and on our home stretch, I pulled out my phone to take some pictures of the increasingly spooky forest as a thunderstorm was moving in fast. Not paying attention to my surroundings or Q, I felt his energy go up and he took off at a trot while we heard more crashing and banging slightly behind us on another parallel trail. No doubt Q had sent me the signal, and I was too busy looking at my phone. So he made the executive decision. Thats my clarion.



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