This message is from: "Steve Sessoms" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The funniest thing happened with Dorina after a trail ride.
It has been awfully hot here in Alabama lately. But despite the weather, my
friend Shari and I have been busily trying to shape ourselves and our horses up
for trail rides at Fjords and Friends. We have been trying to get together once
a week to go to Bankhead National Forest, just south of me, to ride the horse
trails on Saturday mornings although it is a long drive over here for her. Her
daughter, Kimberly, 11 and a wonderful little horsewoman, has been going with us
riding her darling Crabbet Arabian gelding, General. After one of our rides,
Shari, Kimberly and her friend all took their horses to the pond for a swim.
Me, being too shy, walked Dorina to the pond but we didn't go in. After a
while, Kimberly asked me if I would like her to take Dorina for a swim. Knowing
Dorina would feel much better if she got all wet and cooled off I said, "Sure!"
So we switched horses and she took Dorina and hopped on her back. Dorina is not
one who enjoys water, but after a little coaxing and in Kimberly's gentle hands,
Dorina went out deeper and deeper. The deeper she got and the cooler she got
the more she began to relax. She was clearly beginning to enjoy herself.
Kimberly nudged her on out towards the other horses and all of a sudden Dorina
was in over her head but floating, and her head immediately went completely
under the water! Well, she bobbed like a cork for a few seconds, her feet
searching for purchase on the bottom, her head still underwater and Kimberly
still on top of her back. Dorina's head finally came up and she swam straight
for the nearest bank completely ignoring Kimberly's cues to stop or turn. That
bank was short, steep and tree-lined and when she started up it full steam ahead
I yelled for Kimberly to get off her fearing she would get hurt or brushed off
in the trees. So Kimberly slid off Dorina's butt and splashed into the water
and all of us were laughing so hard!!! I caught poor Dorina who didn't think it
was very funny at all; she went into quite a pout! ("Tricksey little
peopleses!") I can only imagine that since Dorina is one to lower her head and
carefully study rough ground, she must have automatically lower her head to see
where her feet were going when she lost the bottom of the pond which caused her
head to go completely underwater!
Meredith Sessoms
Moulton, Alabama, USA
~ Dorina, NFR Aagot, TK Anjanette, TK Arlo and Pepper the black one ~
