Eatin' DIRT

7:30 a.m.! I decided to ride early, weather forcast was for a 90 degree hot & humid day. Fog blanketed the front fields and the air felt close and damp. Falcon was sleepy when I mounted him and moved off slowly down the fence line trail.

Red and Dakota slowly walked along to the corner and didn't even bother to whinny good bye.

As we continued on, I heard a loud crashing in the woods behind us. I turned to look, but didn't see anything. Gemma and Cola barked and ran, but soon came back. It must have been a startled deer.

Suddenly Falcon woke up and took off at a flying trot. We rounded the corner and headed up the trail towards Ruth's house at a canter. At Ruth's place, I pulled him up to a walk until we reached the ridge trail.

We a slight nudge Falcon took off again at a flying trot then started to gallop. I didn't like this and tried to pull him in to at least a canter, but for some reason he kept galloping on the right side of the trail avoiding some rocks.

Then it all happened so fast....a tree limb of some sort caught him on the right. He bucked to get away from it...but one buck was not enough and straight up in the air he went again.

With that massive buck, I went off of his left side. I saw his body very close to me and had a fleeting thought of him trampling me. But that is all I remembered.

I must have been knocked out just momentarily because when I opened my eyes I felt very dizzy and my vision was limited. I saw Falcon trotting on up the trail.
I hollered for him, but on he went around the bend and out of site.

Dragging myself up and still feeling dizzy, I yelled for him again...then took stock of my injuries. RIGHT SIDE AGAIN! Now HOW did THAT HAPPEN? I went off of him from the LEFT?

My right elbow was killing me, had a gouge in it and was swelling. The right side of my head felt all tingly (THANK GOODNESS for HELMETS!) And my lower neck and all across the top of my shoulders really HURT! (Now that I am home, I have noticed that my whole inner right arm is bruised)

Well maybe he did come down on me...I don't know, I never FELT a thing! Must have hit my HEAD first!

Ok, so anyway, I hollered for Falcon again, then heard thundering hooves. He screeched to a stop when he saw me and I walked up to him and rubbed his neck for coming when called.

He was all twitter-pated. I calmed him some, then tried to remount. He wasn't interested, so Back, BACK, Back! Then he let me mount and up the trail we went. Some trotting and more walking. I wasn't feeling too good. I thought, I wasn't even a mile from home. Maybe I should turn around and go back home.

Naaah, can't reward him for bucking, even if it was because that nasty branch grabbed him.

On to the radio tower and down the east side of Piney Mt, walk the paved road, remount on Summers. Same old thing, but Falcon kept spooking at everything. He would dance sideways whenever Cola or Gemma came panting up beside him. This he did numerous times.

His respirations were up after the climb to the radio tower and he was soaking wet from the humidity. By the time we reached Summers, his respirs had dropped and we started trotting again...but spook, spook, spook. GRRRRR. I pulled him up to a walk.

I didn't have the where-with-all to stay on if he dumped me again. But he didn't want to walk and finally I let him out and he trotted right on past Moyers Lot with all of the big trucks.

Over the bridge and a gallop up the hill where we met up with a noisy diesal truck. Falcon danced. I put up my hand to stop the truck, he obliged and we noodled past without mishap.

We reached the Jacobsons driveway and I let him out again until we reached their grassy path. As we dropped back down on to the woods trail, Falcon finally relaxed and gave up on the spooking nonsense.

Back at the barn I hosed him and noticed a big scratch down his hind let where the branch must have gotten him. He was happy to have his electrolytes and grub and I was happy to be WALKING!

I can't say that I enjoyed the ride, Being bumped off in rocks doesn't feel very good, I am just thankful that I have hard bones that don't crack easily. The heat was miserable and I wish the humidity would let up...but I better hush, WINTER is on its way, and then I will be whining about the COLD!