Ranger and the River

Seems like I have written about this, before. If it sounds familiar, it probably is because it is.



Ranger was sound enough to go on his first trail ride in a couple of months. Hurray! We decided that he should go with Cruiser. Wow, was he excited. He pranced and danced and looked like he was a whole hand taller as Ellen led him down the driveway and down the hill to the mounting block by the river crossing.



Ranger decided he was going to work the hill for his first trail ride. Ellen decided he was going to cross the river. Cruiser quietly moseyed down the river bank. Ranger danced and reluctantly bounced down. He passed up Cruiser and it looked like he was going to make it. When he got his front feet into the water, he spun and just about ran right over poor, confused Cruise. Ranger didn’t want to cross, and he said no one was going to make him.



Ellen told me to ride on. Cruise and I had a nice, but short ride with as much trotting as his cough could handle. When we got back, there was Ranger, standing by the river. When Ellen saw us, she turned Ranger around and walked up the bank. We joined her.



She said she was at the river the whole time we were gone. Every time he turned away, she brought him back to the same spot. He was way to wound up to even try to go home or work the hill. She just tried to bore him into submission.



She could have forcibly tried to get him across, but she didn’t see it as a battle she wanted to fight. We just decided Ranger was a big dummy of a horse.



The next day, we tried it again. This time, he went down the driveway and hill just like a normal horse. When she mounted, he obediently walked down the river bank. I brought Cruiser into the water, first, and Ranger was right behind us. Once he got into the water, he motored past in his typical manner. Success. That day, he brain was in the right spot. The previous day, his brain wasn’t working well, at all. Ellen felt since he wasn’t in a reasonable mood, there was no reasoning with him. When he was in a reasonable mood, it was easy.



We had a very nice ride—mostly walking and talking. We have crossed together several times since with no problems at all. We have our Ranger back.