16 / Sport and Trail Magazine
To ride to the end of the field and descend back into the snow-blanketed evergreens is a “Game-on,” with that gnarly little voice in your head that says, “You ain’t never gonna have what it takes to get past those snowdrift gatekeepers.”
“You ain’t Google; you don’t know it all,” I reply back, throwing my chin up as if to shake off the voice of uncertainty.
“Some of them are over chest-deep at their highest, and you have to wade through them; you crazy?” the voice says louder. “Your horse will quit long before he’s on the other side of them.”
I tighten my resolve and rehearse the facts I do know. Say what you want about other breeds, but Morgans never quit. However, my four year old Morgan stallion, Black Willow Orion, had never pushed through anything before, ‘cept maybe his feed dish for that last bit ‘o grain under the rim. He had certainly never plunged through high drifts in an open field before. What the heck was I out here doin’ anyway?
Once upon a time, I bred a high-spirited, high-energy stud. It soon became apparent he needed a heavy dose of the workin’ world before his smart-alecky teenage years consumed him. Orion is that horse, and a quiet, working, ranch-type “gelding”, one that knows its job, was my goal for him. Learning to conserve his energy, stay focused along a trail and have sober moments is high achievement for such a pretty-boy-show-off. And that is what winter riding (riding in the snow) can be, if you need it to be.
What can be done with your horse, when you’re snowed in, is completely up to you. Remember when snow angels as a kid was fun (for those of you who live in snowy places). It was a bit horsey as a kid to go for a roll in the snow I think. Remember how the snow crunched around your body and you were totally in the moment, enjoying just that one thing?…just like your horse rolls, happily. I never rolled in the summertime, however, in the dirt, like my horses do.
My horses roll everyday, in any season, happily inspired to renew their pledge to enjoy whatever the day brings.
That’s what winter riding does, it levels out your horse and charts a course for the rest of the year.