I Went to See a (Wo)man About a Horse

I live in a big East Coast city.  My horse lived in Comptche, CA, which is about as far away from me as you can possibly go in the country, with the exceptions of Hawaii and Alaska.  This did not deter me.  I started talking to the owners about her back before Thanksgiving, and eventually made plans to go see her in the middle of February.  The number one question I’ve gotten from people when telling them about this plan is, you seriously could not find a horse this side of the Mississippi?

Let me explain.  One day, I am going to ride across the country.  I need a pretty hardy horse.  Also, she had to be a mare, between 4 and 7 years old, at least 14.3 hands, have excellent conformation, and priced within my budget.  And be trained in the rudiments of dressage at least.  And hopefully be pretty.  I found all this and more, but beyond all that…she is just The One.  I knew the moment I looked at her picture.

Her name is Surya, registered name Prairie Creek.

She is a five year-old, 15.1 h Kiger Mustang. Kiger Mustangs are a breed of horses found on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land in the remote canyonlands of southeastern Oregon. They are directly descended from the Iberian horses brought to the new world by Spanish conquistadores in the 17^th century (this is verified by various universities’ genetic studies).  They are defined by baroque characteristics – short, broad back, moderate muscling (much more than a Thoroughbred, less than a Quarter Horse), lower-set tail, moderately-sloping croup, well-crested neck, 45-50 degree shoulder angle, and robust bones. The modern-day Spanish equivalents are Andalusians, Lusitanos, and Lippizaners.  Kigers are also unique in that they survived in the wild for four centuries, so they are extremely hardy, have excellent hooves, and even when bred in captivity are just a bit less domesticated than the average horse. They are very intelligent, calm, and self-assured.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I got up at 4:30am and got on a plane to Denver.  And then got on a plane to Oakland, CA.  And then got a rental car.  I drove away from San Francisco singing along to Joy to the World (by Three Dog Night) at the top of my lungs.  Three hours later, I got off the highway in Mendocino County, and thought thank goodness I’m almost there.  I was not almost there.  The road quickly got narrow and twisty, surrounded by towering pines and occasional houses.  An hour later the houses were gone, the music was turned off, and I was driving on switchbacks crawling up and down hills.  I occasionally passed small towns.  A half hour later the road straightened out and I drove through vineyards.  After a while I passed a road called Gschwnd Road.  We were losing vowels, people.

I would just like to interject here, and mention that I am very short.  If I stand very straight, I am 5’0”.  The rental car I had was clearly made for normal-sized people, and I could barely see over the steering wheel, even with it on the lowest setting. Plus, it was raining. After four and a half hours of driving, I was slouching a bit, and the driving was thus getting dangerous and exciting.

Another half hour later, I entered the Navarro River State Park, which is described as an “eleven-mile long redwood tunnel to the sea.”  By that time, it was very dark, and there was mist drifting through the trees on either side of the road.  I started to feel like I was on a Quest.

I turned off onto a side road and finally got to the owners’ driveway.  In an inspired gesture of welcome and navigation assistance, they had placed a hobby horse at the entrance with Surya’s name written on it.  I made it!  I drove through their gate and entered another world.

A mile-long gravel driveway extended before me.  An expanse of grass ran along the left side until it reached the houses and barn.  Forests of towering redwoods made the hills surrounding the farm on three sides seem like mountains. Between one of the houses and the barn, there was a recessed pond.  The still black water reflected the Milky Way.  I parked outside the barn, stepped out of the terrible rental car, and was greeted by a chorus of bullfrogs and the spicy scent of pines.  The owner’s daughter came walking down the driveway to greet me; we couldn’t see each other’s faces in the dark, but exchanged hugs regardless.

“So, would you like to see Surya?”

I’m pretty sure I just squeaked in response.  So we went into the charming and wooden 5-stall barn, which smelled of sheep and horses, and I waited while she disappeared into a dark stall.  She reemerged leading the most beautiful horse I had ever seen.  Surya stopped rather regally in the center of the barn and looked at me with her ears pricked forward, like “Yo. ‘Sup.”

The owner appeared and after we finally met in person, she put a bridle on Surya and tossed me up bareback. Surya stretched her neck into a beautiful arch and responded perfectly to my every request. A short while later, driven by a need for a bathroom, we repaired to the daughter’s house.  They fed me a delicious meal of food grown on their farm and let me collapse into bed.

The next morning I leapt out of bed at six am, grabbed food for me and carrots for Surya, ran out of the house, and skidded to a stop at the base of the porch. Trails of mist extended from the redwood forest surrounding the farm and floated over the expansive valley of jeweled green grass.  The rising sun glinted off the gray pond and threw shafts of yellow light on the hill where the very fluffy sheep were frolicking. Surya and three other mares grazed near the dressage arena, their breath frosting in the chilly air. Surya tossed her mane and took a step forward into a beam of sunshine.  Orchestral music swelled into resounding major chords in a combination of Dvorak and Tchaikovsky that somehow intertwined in a way that didn’t cause Bach to roll over in his grave.  It was getting ridiculous, y’all.  It was too perfect.  Something had to be wrong with this horse.

I waited for some perspective. A couple of roosters crowed down in the bird pens.  Otherwise, it was quiet.  The Great Pyrenees guard dog came up and wagged the muddy mop attached to her hind end. I got impatient and headed down to the pasture.

I spent a couple of hours plying Surya with carrots, finding her itchy spots, and encouraging her to follow me around. After a while, I put down the bag of treats and just stood near her while she grazed, breathing in the morning.  One of the other mares wandered over to introduce herself and beg for food.  Surya lifted her head, pinned her ears back, and chased her off with gnashing teeth. My human.  Then, she trotted back to me and casually returned to grazing.

I know she was just guarding her found carrot supply. But, she liked me!

Yes, those are highlights in her mane. All natural.

Later, we tacked up and headed up the trails into the redwood forest.  She was fantastic to ride.  She listened to my seat, she moved off the slightest pressure, she asked for contact with the bit, she was surefooted and confident, and when the other horses spooked at a bird she just stopped and looked toward the sound.  She trotted with a round back, and it was incredibly easy to sit.  Her extended trot was floaty and suspended and smooth.  She stretched out at the walk and went at a good pace.  Her leg yields at the walk were beautiful.  She did great at shoulder-ins as well.

She does like to go fast.  And her canter needs work. It’s not a bad canter – she just gets excited and tries to take off, and doesn’t always pick up the correct lead. From what I could tell, it’s uphill, and when she gets better at it, will be amazing.  We had a fantastic ride, and I loved her.

Guns v. Butter

There is a saying: never put a green rider with a green horse.  It’s just a bad combination.  Of course, there is a continuum, wherein the more advanced the rider, the more green the horse can be.  Surya is, I think, at the maximum “greenness” for my riding ability.

There are a lot of things I am going to have to work on: being lighter in my aids, encouraging her to slow down with my seat instead of speed up, supporting her in getting a good canter, and productively continuing her training.  And iteratively becoming a better rider.  For better or for worse, we are going to have to figure it out, because I bought the little mare.

Time to go Questing!