Danger Ranch & I Hate Falling On My Head. Maybe That's How I Learn

 

Here's the scene: Group a bunch of grandchildren, two frisky horses, anxious grown children and mix it up with a Queensland Heeler and a prissy Kitty, that thinks it's a Heeler and what do you get?

There was a cat that jumped high-out of the bushes to scare the horse, that jumped like a bunny, helping the dog that bit the horse, then slammed Sally her buddy, that scared the sheep hiding and running, that made the ol' lady swallow the fly... no, I didn't die. I really could have added the donkeys, our stallion, goats and the chickens... just how does this all come together? "Is this real life?"

Bummer, She's Okay...

I think there were a few that thought I died. I was knocked-out of my shoes backwards. My shoes were facing the other direction and I didn't even know what hit me. I fell backwards and hit my head and my arms went up behind me, all in slow-motion. I saw stars, again and no, my fireman, husband hero was not here, and on duty at the station. No, we didn't call out the medics.

I knew I was chancing the "horse-thing" when I started taking the horses out of their pens. It was too wet from the recent rain storms. I should have stopped it right there when I saw the puddles, but excited that my grand daughter was showing interest in our Sahara. She just needs a girl so bad. I know Sahara misses our daughter Kiely and the truth is that Kiely isn't coming home and still has marriage, college, and who knows ... maybe a baby and family, before she will be able to ride again.

There was another thing that I should have caught is that there is a storm coming again and that makes for very frisky horses. Oh, that may apply here again to our frisky little kitty that does harass our horse constantly and her best friend our dog, Darby. Both of these critters were nuts! This is right out of the a child's book, "Skippy John Jones" The cat that thinks it's a dog. Well, there is something wrong when a prissy kitty will be in a pen of a full-grown Quarter Horse and just chase it all around the pen. The kitty is so going to get launched. I didn't really know she was doing this ALL THE TIME. My husband said she was acting a bit unusual in the pens lately. I think he should have warned me because I think my survival depends on the "personality changes" in our animals and children.

I got "watched" for about an uncomfortable hour, while my two daughters were looking for signs of weird-eyed me. I finally was allowed to walk and limp my weary body back into the house. I was too sore to hang-out by the heater so I went in and curled-up in my bed. It isn't too often that we can actually see our breath inside our own house. I think I'm living in the 1920's. The heater only heats one room and truly I went to bed with my teeth chattering.

Tressa told me later that it really freaked-her-out that I was lying there on the ground and "out" in the pasture. She quoted my favorite  saying,"Not funny, McGee!"

One of the most interesting part of the whole event was that I was up against the horses hooves. I was just one step from my face getting stepped-on and first, I wasn't aware of that, and second, the horse didn't move a muscle, when she realized she knocked me down, she froze. As I came to my senses, I felt her breath on my face. I don't dare put words in an animals mouth, but I'm sure she wondered why I was there on the ground. Sally was trying to get away from the fussin' Sahara and getting her rear kicked. I'm pretty sure she didn't even see I was there. Excuses, excuses...I know. And here again, I have learned to wait for my husband, wait for good weather, and not do anything unless I have the right shoes, gloves, and all that ... before I just jump-out and wrangle the horses.

So Serene Just An Hour Later

 I hope my grandchildren are not scared-off of the horseback riding experience or worry about me. I remember my dad stampeded by five horses and he went limp. The horses all pushed him into the fence and right in front of us and my dad just collapsed on the ground. I thought Dad was dead and here we were in the I same pen with my sister and little brother. When he "resurrected" himself, he taught us, maybe not my toddler little brother, but Lori and I how to fall. It was the first time of many, that my dad said to go limp, don't brace yourself because a horse vs. a person will not win against a horse's strength and adrenaline. My dad was a rodeo rider for years and had first-hand experience with the proper way to defer a very bad injury, by just going limp. I would love to say I did as my dad taught, but I'm sure I didn't see Sally, our biggest mare, running at me.

If you are wondering what all of us little kids were doing in the horse pen, we were looking under rocks. We wanted to play with the purple salamanders. That sounds so lame, but my dad found them while he was moving rocks and he was showing us the weird, shiny amphibians when the horses
flipped-out.

Poor Tressa, feels bad that she let-go of the rope, but really, she would probably would've been dragged through the pen, herself. My Bree and Kiely, the daughters that live so far-away had some choice words for me especially, Kiely.  Kiely's said, "What the heck were you doing, without dad there?" True, true. My other daughter who "just" survived another truly deadly tornado storm in Arkansas and she said to me, "Mom, just tell yourself that was really a crazy Shiatsu Massage and a fancy spa treatment of mud and seaweed." I think she has some real insight on how to mentally handle scary situations.

Not Even a Worry or Care

Oh howdy! The ground could have been a lot harder and the grass stained my clothes and honestly, I was for the first time, I am very glad the thick, green weeds were there. The noxious weeds were not so bad.