This morning I went on a hack. I didn’t have much time, so I decided to do a short loop that kept me in the open fields, except for one small section of the trail that takes you down through the woods and over a small wooden bridge.
I’ve ridden that trail dozens of times.
But today, Zelda said, “No Way.” She was definite about it. Not in a pissy, I don’t want to work way, but in a turn-spin-get-out-of-here way.
I decided to listen.
She was on alert and it was uncharacteristic for her to be so worried. I figured we’d take another trail out and the come back past the “scary” part on the way home. Most things are not so scary when you’re headed toward the barn. Maybe there were deer in the woods, maybe there were dogs.
She was happy to be redirected and we had a nice ride. But coming home, she still wouldn’t go down the trail into the woods. So once again, we took a different route.
Puzzled, I mentioned Zelda’s reluctance to the barn owner.
“Oh,” she said. “A bear’s been sighted in the area.”
I’m not sure if that’s what Zelda sensed in the woods, but she certainly thought there was a monster in there. If she was right, I’m really, really glad I didn’t force her down that trail. Coming face to face with a brown bear was not on my agenda for the morning.
Has your horse ever sensed something was wrong and tried to tell you about it? What did you do?