---- susan cooper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I just let the pony do the talking. I've > learned to keep my mouth shut (hard for me, an > impossibility for others) and the pony's actions do > the talking.
Oh gosh Susan, ain't it the truth!! : ) Years ago, when my friend and I took Soley and Eitill across the state, we quickly became known as the "girls with the cute little ponies" when we pulled into camp. (It's an organized,10-day ride across the State put on by the Michigan Trail Riders Association: http://www.mtra.org/) We had absolutely the WORST riding conditions -- incredibly hot and humid, (heat index in the 90's every day), dusty trails from lack of rain, and prior to our crossing, some HUGE storms had ravaged the woods, downing ancient trees across the trails that weren't cleared off yet, so we got re-routed on hot, tar roads a lot. . . Anyway, people dropped out of this ride like flies after a few days. BWe also choose to quit on day 8 due to our own wimpiness -- Soley and Eitill were fine to go on. But -- by that time, we were the girls with those "tough little horses". People were so disappointed when we elected not to finish -- our horses had acquired quite a fan club as the week wore on, and everyone so wanted us to keep going. Anyway, I figure nothing I could say would ever be as good PR as simply letting the horses be who they are. Took me a long time to get to the point where I could keep my big mouth closed though. <wink> -- Renee M. in Michigan
