The weather has been unseasonably warm, and all I really want to do is go play Ponies with Santos. But between work, The Debonaire Mare, and this stupid f*cking cold, all I can manage is to feed the horses their dins, clean the stall and, spend just a few quiet minuets petting my pony. And of course read blogs and waste time on the interwebs.
My friend SB just wrote a great blog about how to get a horse like hers. Her Zoëbird is a unicorn. For real. That got me thinking about how these special horses come into our lives.
I am incredibly blessed to have had three unicorns in my life to date. Gold Leaf, Athena, and now Santos.
When I was 15 years old, there was a horse for sale, and I went to see him. I literally had $600, my entire savings, to spend on this horse, and it was kind of a long shot if the owner would accept that offer. Mom and I drove to the coast which wasn’t that far, maybe 25-30 miles, and met Gold Leaf. Here is the thing: I knew the SECOND I laid eyes on him he was my unicorn. After I test rode Gold Leaf, I got off, and he proceeded to lick my entire face for nearly a minute. It was as if he and I were long lost friends and had all sorts of catching up to do. Luckily the owner felt the same way and accepted my meager offer.GoldLeaf and I were together for 13 years, until he passed at 24 years old. I still miss him, and think of him, and the our time together every day.
I met Athena when I moved to Idaho. I answered an ad to lease a jumper (what was I thinking!?) and for a year, I rode Sam Athena’s stablemate. Athena was retired, and everyday when I came to ride Sam, she I glared at each other, until one day, I took her for a spin. She was an absolute dream, and we were inseparable best friends until she crossed the rainbow bridge. Athena took me to the local jumper shows: we did the 2′ and 2’6′ classes. I hung on to her mane and she took me around as careful as could be, because I was paralyzed with terror. She would whinny at me when I visited, comforted me when I was sad, and was my friend regardless. She reminded me how fun jumping was, and I taught her some basic dressage. Athena was my second unicorn; the lessons she taught me serve me well.
My third unicorn is Santos. I met him on a blind date, after swearing off horses, once and for all. When I met him the feeling was identical to when I met Gold Leaf, over 25 years ago. I paid attention. I had no business buying a pony, but these things you don’t ignore. So now I have my third unicorn. Unlike my first two unicorns (how greedy does that sound, though?) Santos is a baby. Gold Leaf was 11 when we met, and Athena was 18, I think. The experience is completely different, as there is no riding in the equation yet, and I will tell you this: the time spent grooming, leading, petting, lunging, etc. is time very well spent. This is how you tighten that bond. Having a unicorn, like any relationship, is work.
So how DO you get a unicorn? You must allow them to get you. It is as simple, and as complicated as that.
Until next time-Crystal
On Monday October 2 my Bad Cats calendar announced “Things don’t look so good for you, I’m afraid.” How true those words were. The Las Vegas shootings, followed by Tom Petty’s passing. How could things go so horribly wrong? Then the next Monday, the 9th of October, 2017, California lit on fire.
RA Chic 