Finding The Happy

This year has been a rough one. The personal things weighed on top of the horse things. Everything seemed to come all at the same time. Stinker got his SI injected in hopes that it would make him more comfortable the same time my dad broke his hip. As my dad's health declined so did my hopes that the SI injection would actually allow Stinker to continue on with me.

Aimee's photo skills making Stinker look fabulous 

Eventually I came to the conclusion that Stinker was a million times happier packing my mom on the trails. I am very fortunate that I had that as an available option and I wasn't forced to make a choice of keeping him or not. He has a home with me for as long as he is kicking.

Stinker's happy place

That being said I really struggled with the shift to Cowboy. 90% of the time Cowboy is a good boy. Lazy but good. That other 10% he can throw a fit and be a pain in the ass to ride. Head tossing, sucked back, I DON'T WANNA, and occasionally an attempting at bucking or leaping. The one thing Stinker had going for him is he would try his little heart out for you and forward was never a problem. And despite his super sensitivity I dearly love the goofy horse and found him to be fun to ride.

He is a weird one, but always puts a smile on my face

Cowboy is not a super forward horse. He is much happier standing and eating. So I struggled with the transition. I desperately wanted to be able to steal Stinker back, but at the same time I knew that I needed to stick to my decision for his sake.

Aimee's photo skills making Cowboy not look like a feral trail horse

Slowly but surely Cowboy is adjusting to his new life. He is actually a snuggly horse. Poor Stinker tolerated it, but never really enjoyed it. Cowboy happily lets me hug his face and tolerates my riding if I shovel him full of treats. Bribery will get you every where. The tantrums have been less and the willingness is increasing. So slowly we are finding our happiness together.

Insert cookie

I am back to enjoying riding and having Karma has given me a bit of a spark I so desperately needed. I am excited to look to the future and having Cowboy is really giving me a chance to focus on my riding. It has been over five years since I was consistently riding a horse that I could trot or canter around and work on my position. And I am having fun learning again. So thank you Cowboy, Karma, and Stinker for putting the happy back in my life.