Copyright 2007. BEASLEY SAVES THE DAY - TWICE: I have been trail riding Beasley all over. Beasley is my PMU. He is a by-product of the Premarin industry. He is 7 years old. He is a Thoroughbred, Percheron, Quarter Horse cross. I got him at 18 months and have trained him myself. When this happened, he was pretty new to trail riding as I had just got my trailer in September 2004. But he sure does act like an old pro on the trails. And, he is an old pro to trailering. He loads himself now. (There were many trials and tribulations to get to this self-loading point, but that’s another story!) Anyway, I was trail riding at this park near us called the Stewart Buffer Lands. (I prefer to call it the Stewart BUFFET Lands- buffet for Beasley’s lunching and munching. Don't yell at me for his munching and lunching...We swap, he lunches and munches and I make him take me into the raspberry briars so I can eat raspberries. It's a give and take here, a true natural horseman partnership.) On this one day, I decided to try a new trail so off we went. I forgot this little compass that I usually attach to my shirt so it really wasn't a wise thing to take a new trail but anyway.... We were way, way out and the trail just ended. So we had to back track to get back to the trailer. There were lots of “Y's" in the trail and when I got to this one “Y”. I thought we should go right. It seemed to me to go right to get back to the trailer. But Beasley tugged at the bridle and wanted to go left. It was a hot day and I said to Beasley (I often talk to him) “Okay, if you want to go that way....but if we are out another hour because we are more lost, it’ll be your fault.” Well, lo and behold, five minutes into this direction, there was the trailer. Well, I chalked it up to Beasley following his own scent because we backtracked...but wait, read on. So then a week later, I decided to go on a trail that I thought I knew. This trail criss-crossed all over with bike paths. About an hour into the ride, I was totally lost. I mean totally, totally lost. I am not usually a wuss, but I was almost crying. I was late for a party and here I was stranded. I had no food, no water, not a single luxury...I did, however, have my compass...But, there were no trails leading back the way we needed to go, northeast. I would turn onto a trail and think it would eventually go in the direction I needed to go but alas, it would turn away and head west or something. I was at the point of calling my friend to get the park ranger out. I was simpering, whimpering....Then Beasley tugged at the bridle. He wanted to go straight through the woods. I looked in that direction. There was no trail. I looked at my compass. It was in the right direction...so I said, “Alright Beasley, take me home to the trailer...” And, I gave him his head and he led me trail blazing through the woods to where the trailers were parked! What a guy!!!! And all out of a little $800 PMU! (This last time, he wasn’t even following his own scent, he just knew!) JUNE V. EVERS is a 40-year plus horse person who readily admits to humiliation when confronted with it. She recently adopted a Premarin baby, named Beasley, which she is training to do....hmm, I do not know what but he is going to be good at it. June is also an author of 7 horse books: The Original Book of Horse Treats, The Ultimate Guide to Pampering Your Horse, Anyone Can Draw Horses, Horse Lover’s Birthday Book, The Wonderful Life of Lola, The Squeamish Person's Guide to Pulling Your Horse's Mane and The Horse of My Dreams. She owns Horse Hollow Press. When not working, she is trail riding all over or attending clinics with Beasley. |
