A couple of weeks ago, I got back from the Mom’s Annual Spring Break Cruise, and I am still getting caught up, but I wanted to share an experience I had that was absolutely amazing.
We did the same cruise this year that we did last year, so when we went to St. Croix again, we decided to do some more horseback riding. We scheduled with the same group we scheduled with last year because we were able to ride as we wished… no helmets, and even barefoot if we wanted. Last year was amazing, and I couldn’t wait to ride again this year.
On the morning of the ride, we went to meet up with the Cruzan Cowgirls and get our horses. Last year, I had ridden Alien, a light brown male, with a beautiful white stripe on his nose. He was so gentle and sweet, and his story was so sad. He loved the water, and I honestly could have ridden in the water with him all day! Fortunately, this year, Alien was with them again, and I got to see my old buddy and spend a couple of hours with him again.
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not a couple of hours is enough time to bond with an animal, let me tell you… it definitely is. They brought Alien over to me and handed me his rope. As I looked at him and started stroking his nose and talking to him, he immediately relaxed and put his head against my shoulder, as if he had just seen me the day before, and not a year ago. It was his way of giving me a horse hug and welcoming me back to the island.
We had a wonderful couple of hours together, in spite of a pretty heavy downpour just after we saddled up. He was such an easy horse to handle, even more so this year, since he knew me and I knew him. I’m glad he seemed to remember me as much as I remembered him. Once again, going into the water was his happy place and he let everyone around him know it! While I didn’t moan loudly like Alien did, it was my happy place too, and he knew it, since yet again, I was deeper in the water than everyone else.
I might just have to add a yearly trip to St Croix onto my dream board so I can reconnect with that beautiful soul who is as at home in the water as I am…
I shared love with several of those remarkable animals over the years. They really do connect in a unique manner….so amazing to have a very large living thing in your control. So glad you could ride without the trappings so often required today…hope you could also ride bareback some of the time….I was a wrangler of 15 head of horses for 5 years at a YMCA summer camp. I remember many of them as fondly as you do Alien.
That sounds like an amazing experience! I’m glad you were able to reconnect.