My Heart Belongs To...?

While it is true that my heart will always and forever belong to Chica, there have been many other horses that can claim ownership to bits and pieces of it. One of those I randomly had a dream about last night. His name was Reyolena, and he was the colt I trained for an undergrad colt training class.

First week with Reyolena

While I wasn't overly excited about the bay gelding when I first saw him, he turned out to be the best horse for me in the class. He was smart, he wasn't overly babyish/flighty, and he was a really good ride. I'd say he and the filly that my TA rode turned out to be the best in the class- and I don't say that out of vanity or out of some mistaken belief that I was the best trainer. He was just so intelligent and easy to work with that it made my job easy.

From longing him, to driving him, to finally getting on and riding- with only a little bucking to start off with- I learned so much that I have since used when breaking other horses. He was a great teacher.

Longing

 A few of my "favorite" moments with Reyolena:

*that day it was storming and we got all 15-20 of us out in the covered arena, longing our 2 year old horses, while it thundered loudly (every time it thundered, Reyolena would gallop around me faster and faster, neighing to the other horses)

*the time we were loping along and he tripped, falling down onto his front end with his nose in the dirt and almost sending me flying off over his head. I consciously thought "If I fall off now and land in the dirt, I'm going to be filthy for work since I don't have time to go home and shower" and decided then and there that I was staying on, leaned back with all of my might, and hauled up on his face, righting him back on his feet.

*the time one guy's horse, Cooder, got loose in the arena and took off running for a cluster of horses and kids, only to turn at the last minute and come straight at Reyolena and I. I was standing next to Reyolena when Cooder hit him, knocking Reyolena into me and tossing me to the ground, which caused me to lose my hold on Reyolena. He took off and ran with the other horse until we could catch them. My TA came up and accusingly asked me what I had done, because he was an idiot.

Some of my actual favorite things about Reyolena:

*getting to work with him during holiday breaks, just to spend more time with him

*how much he loved the way my hair smelled and would always bury his nose against my head

*teaching him to drink out of a water fountain

*the bond he and I shared, even though I tried SO HARD not to get attached to him

Obsessed with my hair

Yep. In the end, I tried so hard to figure out how I could afford to buy him and keep two horses. There was no way at the time, and in the end I had to tell him goodbye and hope for the best for his future. I have no idea what happened to him, and my dream was a reflection of that- in it, I stumbled upon him and was happy to see he was still around. That's the hardest thing about training horses, to me. Some come along and you work with them and send them on their way, happy for the experience (and even happier to see them go). Some, however, make their way into your heart, in spite of your best efforts to keep them at arm's length. I'm looking at you, Reyolena, Chico, Annie, Ernie, Cherry, Topper, and Remington.