Trail ride!

Today me and Sparky went on a trail ride together! It was so much fun! Well, it would have been more fun if Mom wasn't such a party pooper and just let me do what I wanted to do. But it was still pretty exciting.

My mom and Sparky's mom came to the barn together. I always like it when they do that because it usually means that I get to do something fun with Spark. Sure enough, his mom went out to the pasture and got him and we shared some of my hay snack together while my mom cleaned my stall. I've decided that I don't much mind sharing my hay snack with Spark. He's pretty polite about it and doesn't get pushy. And our moms just give us more if we run out.

Then I got saddled up. Mom put this funny thing on my head. It covered both my ears and hung down over my forelock, then tied under my chin. Mom said it would help keep the flies off me. I didn't mind. I like to wear things that make me look cute or pretty and Mom said it did so I was okay. Plus I don't like flies so I figured it might be a good thing.

As soon as we were both saddled, our moms got on and we headed out on the road. We went around the farm like we usually do but when we got to the gate that leads up to the trail we went right through! I knew we were going to go out on it and I was pretty excited. Sparky was excited too but he just started walking really fast - that's what he does when he's happy. Both my mom and his told him he was a Good Boy and I could see he was too. He just wanted to go out on the trail and walk along and enjoy it.

I wanted to go out on the trail too but sometimes I feel really funny about things like that. It's almost as if I can't help the way I act. I wanted nothing more than to go out there but I was so excited that I couldn't even think straight. We went up the first big hill that leads to the next gate and about halfway up, I started to trot. Mom let me trot to the top and you'd think that would settle me down but instead I was even more excited. I wanted to just start running and I was breathing hard with my head up and my nostrils flared - I just couldn't keep still. Sparky trotted a little bit too then settled right back into a good fast walk and led the way so I followed.

I was pretty good for a while. We got walking along the flat trail and it was nice. There were trees all around us and you could see quite a way in front of us. There weren't any other horses around and it was a beautiful day and we just walked along enjoying it. But after a while, I just started getting excited again. Other times I've gone out on the trail and Mom has let me run up some of the hills and that's all I could think about. I wanted so badly to reach those hills and start running and running but it seemed like we were never going to get to them. Sparky was so happy walking along and that made me anxious too. He didn't seem to know how fun it is to run and I wondered if I'd have to walk all the time or if we weren't going to go find the hills at all. I started getting anxious and breaking into a little jigging trot and every time Mom would tell me, "No, Bella" and make me walk again. And she wouldn't let me eat any of the grass or leaves along the trail. It just seemed like all she wanted to do was walk.

Then we got to a part of the trail where you go one way to find the hills but we went another way! Sparky started along it but then decided he didn't like it so his mom turned him around and my mom turned me. I was happy. I thought "Finally! Now we're going to go run up hills!" I got pretty anxious and excited and started getting bouncy. I got so bouncy, I kind of bucked and then I kind of reared and Mom spoke sternly to me and smacked me with her stick. That made me mad! I reared and bucked again, even bigger but instead of letting me go where I wanted and letting me run, she turned me back the way we'd come from and made me go that way!

Oh, I was mad! I hopped and danced and jigged and tossed my head! I kept trying to rear or buck but she wouldn't let me. Sparky walked right along back down the trail - he was so happy. He didn't even really notice when I started acting up. He was having such a good time walking along that trail. Sparky really likes trail riding. He never did it much before because at his old home, they didn't have nice trails like we do here. We've only gone out together one other time but he loved it and now it's his favorite thing to do. I have to admit, he behaves himself better than me. I just can't seem to help it. I thought maybe I'd make Mom see how badly I wanted to run but instead of letting me, she told me I was misbehaving and made me head toward home. She finally got off me because I just couldn't stand it and I was about ready to bounce out of my skin. I could feel it happening.

She could too. She got off me and started leading me. She didn't yell at me or hit me, she just talked quietly to me and told me to calm down and walk. It was hard but somehow without her on my back, I did start to relax some. At first I was walking really fast and tossing my head but after a little bit, I started calming down and walking nicer. And then I started thinking about things and realized that I wasn't going trail riding after all and maybe it was because of the way I acted.

Well, I didn't know what to do then. I felt kind of silly for being so out of sorts but Mom seemed to understand. She told me so as we walked along. I don't understand everything she says to me but I could tell from the way she spoke to me that she knew all about what was going through my head. I think she even knew how confused it made me. That kind of made me feel better. I do trust my mom and I know she wants me to be happy. But she also wants me to be a Good Girl and even I know I wasn't being much of a Good Girl today.

When we got back to the farm, she got back on me and rode me home to our barn. I was still kind of excited but I knew what I was doing by then and I could think. When I get in one of those moods, it's like I can't even hear anything or think. All I know is that my body wants to go and I seem to forget everything else. Sparky had walked along the whole way with us with his mom on his back and he had hardly noticed us, it seemed like. It's funny but that made me feel a lot calmer. Sparky is nice and he never gets upset about things. It makes me feel a lot safer and more comfortable when he's there. I love Sparky a lot.

After we got home and Mom unsaddled me, she led me into the Flat Arena and let me roll in the dirt. That felt good and I think it calmed me down more than anything else. Until I rolled, I still felt like running a little bit but then I realized how hot and tired I was and how much I just wanted to go in my stall. She washed me off and that felt good too because I was really sweaty and then when I got to my stall, I had a nice new bed of shavings. I rolled in it two times. And then Mom gave me some carrot and I started feeling much better.

I know she wasn't happy with the way I acted but she did seem to know that I just couldn't help it. I'll try to be better next time.