A Closing of the Dewey Chapter

I've been riding this horse named Dewey the whole year and we made a pretty good team. That's not to say there weren't the ups and downs. Dewey was a paint horse, but he didn't have spots. That meant the gene skipped him. He was silly, quirky, a little bit rotten, and very naughty. Despite this, I loved him. He went back yesterday. Of course, there was the emotional roller coaster. It's saying good bye to a best friend, to a teammate. On a tangent, horseback riding is a sport. It is very much a sport. And the horse is your teammate. We can communicate with them, very differently than you would communicate with a person, and that's what makes riding flow like magic.

Last lesson with Dewey, he's side stepping in this photo.

Back to Dewey, it was sad to see him go. I had been working with him for a full year, but I decided it wasn't going to work anymore. The rotten little horse that I came to love, did the wrong sport. He is a western pleasure horse. It's not his fault, and I tried for six straight months to fall in love with the sport, but it wasn't my thing. Just for a quick explanation for what western pleasure is, it's when you put a huge honking saddle on a horse (a western saddle), and make them look very pretty while you look like you know what you're doing. It's all about being slow and controlled and looking gorgeous at the same time. If you ever watch it, it looks like it's pointless, but let me tell you, it is hard as heck. But then again, what do I know. Dewey was a regional champion and he knew what he was doing. It was my job to sit on him, pretend I was as good as him, and win all the blue ribbons. Blue ribbons are first place.

Western Pleasure is a difficult task for the horse and rider, and many people have different views on western pleasure. This article is about what western pleasure is trying to complete.

Dewey warming up.

I event, and that's why I'm moving to Dare to Compare, or Gambit, as we call him. He's this guy.

The Mafia Horse, or Gambit, in the aisle.

Eventing is dressage, show jumping, and cross country. Dressage is like western pleasure, the goal is to make you and the horse look very pretty and relaxed. It's just faster paced. Show jumping is when you and your horse are in an arena with a specific height of jumps that someone conveniently dropped in the arena. They expect you to jump it. And of course because if you are the best at it, you get a blue ribbon. And winning is everything. Cross country is jumping but in a huge field, still in a course, but it's a race. Whoever doesn't fall, their horse doesn't bite the dust, they don't get lost, and they have the fastest time, they win.

Dewey rocked at dressage, but didn't quite take to show jumping and cross country. That's alright, he was afraid of heights. He wanted to keep all four feet on the ground. And I still love him for that. He went back yesterday, with a big, sad, tearful closing of a chapter, and I'm still very achy in the heart over him going back, but I'm prepared for a new chapter.

My favorite photo from my last photo shoot with Dewey.