As a biologist, I’ve always been interested in animals, plants, and their environments. But I confess, I like some animals more than others. For instance, I’ve never met an iguana I didn’t like. Crustaceans and mollusks, absolutely! Some large arachnids (spiders), not so much. Dogs, of course. Cats, meh. Besides being allergic to them, I don’t like the aloof attitude of cats. When I ran an iguana rescue in NJ, in an emergency situation I took in a litter of kittens. These four fluffy creatures did not tug at my heartstrings. I was very willing to find them good homes, which I, fortunately, was able to do. Another animal group I wasn’t fond of, until recently, was horses. But as you may have read in my previous blogs, that certainly has changed now. And that’s all thanks to one horse named Button.
As a child, I had bad experiences with horses. On my occasional rides at summer camp, the horse knew who was in charge and it wasn’t me. I rode a white, blue-eyed horse who scraped me on the fence, the trees, and whatever convenient item she could find. A large horse fly landed on her. The teacher told me of the danger of horse flies. If it had bitten the horse, I would have been dragged through the fence. Needless to say, I was terrified. Another time I was on a trail ride in a national park. My horse got too close to the horse in front of her. The offended horse kicked at mine. I was blamed for not preventing the kick. Just how was I supposed to do that?
So, I had no interest in horses. I let those enamored of the large animals go their way. I watched the Olympic jumping contests but really didn’t understand the appeal of dressage and such. I did feel sorry for the horses having to jump over things into water, etc.
It wasn’t until many years later that I developed an interest in horses. I’d moved to Tucson, AZ, in the Sonoran Desert. I was interested in horseback rides into the desert. Commercial rides were sufficient, but I noticed that I experienced a lot of pain in my knees. The stirrups just didn’t fit.
A couple of my equestrian friends suggested bareback riding. Okay, but where would I find that? Apparently at a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators meeting, where my life changed. The woman sitting next to me mentioned that her daughter taught bareback riding. That’s how I met Button. The first time I rode her, I thought to myself “I like this horse.” She wasn’t an easy-going, laid-back horse. No, she had opinions and riders had to be assertive. I often told myself “calm seas do not a skilled sailor make.” She had a lot to teach me and I learned a great deal in the short time we were together, from leg yielding to staying on when a horse rears fully up. And from asserting dominance to fully giving someone my heart. We fought together through her Cushings, teeth issues, and, finally, surgery to remove most of a lymphosarcoma from her head.
Button was the first horse I fell off of. I landed on my well-padded bottom. At that point, I had to decide to walk away or realize that horses come with ups and falling downs. Along with some interesting bruises and pulled ligaments, my muscle strength has increased and my joints no longer hurt. Riding has been good for my physical and mental health. You can’t be preoccupied when you’re on top of a thousand-pound prey animal with its own mind. Much of my life’s stress has ridden off into the sunset.
This week, it was determined that it is no longer safe for Button to be ridden, for either of us. She has lost some neurological function in her back legs and they just don’t work right anymore.
I certainly will miss this view:
But I will always love being with this one:
I’ve enjoyed having Button do the walking, trotting, and cantering, but now we’ll walk side-by-side. We have many adventures yet to share.
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