On a rainy October day in 1991, my two dogs & I went to the local foothill market. The rainy season has always been hard on my psyche & that day was no exception. Pearl & Chinook were getting bones & I was getting a package of cookies. Out of boredom I stopped to read the bulletin board. There was an ad for a 4 months old arab filly & as luck would have it, I drove right by the place to & from the market. I called the number & the girl said to stop by.
Now I wasn't really looking for a horse but what else does a horseaholic do when it's raining? The filly was in a field with her dam, a cute little chestnut mare. Unfortunately the filly was wild & unhandled. She was wearing the halter that had been put on her the day she was born & she hadn't been touched since. Did I mention she was wild? She'd kick & bite if you tried to get anywhere near her. She was a cute little grey with a really nice trot. She turned out to be 3/4 arab/morgan. Her sire was on site & had done a little endurance. While I liked the filly I had no intention of bringing her home.
My gelding, Wraff, was living by himself & he really was a horse who needed a herd. I knew I should get another horse to keep him company but just didn't want to bother shopping for one. A couple of days after I looked at the filly the owner called to say the filly & mare were locked in the barn & to come get the filly. When I hesitated she said she'd even deliver if I'd help load. Geesh, how could I pass that up? Oct 26, 1991 began our journey. I named the filly Wraini because I'd looked at her in the rain. The silent W was because I wanted her to follow in Wraff's hoofprints. While she didn't quite do that, she did leave mighty big hoofprints of her own.
What a spitfire! The first night she tried to attack me, teeth first. Her first vaccinations had her on her hind legs striking at a friend & I. What had I gotten myself into? Eventually Wraini calmed down & because a truly wonderful horse. She was spunky & forward, always looking to trot down the trail. She did a few endurance rides & was so much fun to ride. But three freak, and almost devastating injuries sidelined what could have been a fabulous endurance career.
When Wraini was 10 another horse in the pasture kicked her & broke the sesamoids in her left hind. She also suffered a ligament tear. This was on Christmas morning & I have to say the other horse was almost on the dinner table that night. If a friend hadn't picked her up ASAP, I honestly would have taken my very first horse to an auction. To this day I hate that mare & I won't tolerate a kicker. Anyway, the prognosis for Wraini's leg wasn't exactly good. The vet wasn't sure she'd even be pasture sound, let alone ever be ridden again. My incredible little grey mare was tough & healed beyond anyones expectations. 3 1/2 months after the injury she was deemed fit to start walking under saddle. Wraini did a couple of LD rides & even a VERY hard 50 after her injury. Then one day I just decided that I was risking a reinjury to her leg so stopped endurance. She was a great trail horse & super to pony the young horses so she still had a job. In August 2004 she suffered yet another freak injury. This time to her right knee. What looked like a tiny paper cut turned out to be a lightening bolt type wound into the joint. It was horrifying to see joint fluid running down her leg from such a tiny wound. Hard to believe really. After treating her with my local vet for a month we decided she needed to go to UCDavis vet hospital. What a traumatic experience. At first the vets just thought she was to be euthanized because she'd had the bone infection for so long. But you should have seen their surprised faces when she hopped out of the trailer & wasn't lame. After a 2 week stay at the hospital, hours of treatments, & untold amounts of antibiotics, the vets deemed her a very unusual case that had defied the odds. Wraini was sent home infection free & sound.
After her last major injury Wraini became my rainy day New Years Day horse. I only rode her 1 day a year IF it was raining. It always felt good to hop on bareback & have our token New Years ride.
Over the years Wraini gave me four wonderful foals. Three of her foals went to friends & the fourth remains with me. Her daughter DC Reindeer Dippin is almost an identical twin of her mother. She's bigger than Wraini but has that same spunky, forward, don't want to walk, going down the trail attitude. I look forward to many years of fun & trails with Dippi, sharing trails with her that Wraini once went down. Wraini's legacy to me lives on in my pasture, while she will always live on in my heart.
Run free Wraini
DC Kobayashi Wrain
July 2, 1991 - March 12, 2013
But I digress from the real story. DC Reindeer Dippin is the spitting image of her dam, DC Kobayashi Wrain. Dippi's bigger & more substantial, but that's about the only differences. I've always known that Dippi, who by the way is named after a world champion bucking bull (another digression), would be a spitfire & a spunky ride. She's super forward, looking for the next trail & absolutely thinks she can trot before she learns to walk. Yep, that's Wraini all over.
Today I rode Launi & ponied Dippi on my favorite local trail. It was 2 hours of Mr & Ms Toad's Wild Ride. The 2 toadies were bent on challenging each other, seeing who could faster & who was going to be in front. Wait a minute, Launi SHOULD be in front since he was being ridden & Dippi ponied. Dippi wanted to go faster & I had to keep telling her to NOT bite Launi's butt. Oh she'd shake her head is disgust. Quite a few times Launi pinned his ears & even half lunged at Dippi in a mini attack. My hands were literally full & 1/2 in control of a ton of horse flesh. Up Sycamore Hill we went with Dippi trying to stay even on a single track trail. Really she would like to have passed & taken the lead. At the top I dismounted, signed the log book, & started to lead the toadies down the other side. I had a brief thought that the 2 of them could prove to be a bit much for my short legs but I pushed that thought aside. The next thing I knew I was slamming my left knee into the ground. Launi had stepped on the heel of my right shoe when Dippi tried to shove by him, sending me writhing on the ground. I spoke loudly in French but only the toadies heard me. To his credit, Launi did sniff me in remorse. That ended my walk for the day, Launi was just going to have to pack me down the hill. 
While I rode today I reflected on Wraini & the awesome gelding who not only raised her, but who gave me the best trail years ever. I had ponied Wraini off Wraff many, many miles over the years. She was always pushing him to go faster & was never satisfied being behind. Wraff was always giving me the ride of my life while I tried to hang on to 1800lbs of horses. Many days I spent riding up the Coffer Dam in Auburn, ponying Wraini on a lunge line so she could blaze out in front of us. So many times today I looked at Dippi & remembered her mother. 3/4 of the way through the ride I found it was actually easier to let Dippi lead the way. She was easier to control with one line than Launi was with both hands on the reins. It was deja vu for me riding along on my 2 best horses, just like I had so many years ago. Today, as it was then, both were fractious & eager to fly, & I was having a time just hanging on. A few times I even caught myself calling Launi & Dippi by their predecesors' names. What a gloriously bittersweet day. While Wraff & Wraini are gone, they will both be remembered every time I'm brave enough to ride Launi & pony Dippi. Every time I'm CRAZY enough to ride Launi & pony Dippi. Thank you Wraini for leaving me the best legacy ever, DC Reindeer Dippin. Happy trails to me. 
