A Lesson Learned

A few days ago I was asked if there was ever a time I had needed to listen to my horse. Like it was yesterday, I can still remember the day I should have listened. One of my childhood horses taught me to always listen to my horse, & it's a lesson I've never forgotten. Reno was a go anywhere-do anything kind of horse so I really should have known to listen to her that day. I was riding along the Santa Ana riverbed bottom when Reno stopped & refused to go forward. At my urging she finally stepped forward & down we went into quicksand. The first & only quicksand I've ever seen, hopefully the last as well. I got lucky that day because my horse found just enough footing to thrust herself, with me dangling from her breastcollar, to the solid edge. It took some work but I pulled myself out by clinging to a bush on the edge. I managed get my horse out by pulling up brush & pushing it, along with driftwood & rocks, into the quicksand under her. We were both exhausted after hours of struggling, but we made it & I will never again fail to listen to my horse