Thursday night I rode two horses after 8 p.m. and I had the arenas to myself! Pitch black dark night except for the northern lights, and bitter cold but the horses were in mellow moods and it was just heavenly. Now why don't I do this more often?
I didn't take the northern lights photo above but they were pretty spectacular. Their silence always makes me wonder - it just seems like a display like that ought to make noise!
Montana was in his glory - loose and springy. And John was like a snorting chuffing plump yellow gaiting machine. They seemed to decide that though unusual, this night riding was within the rules of their union contract.
To avoid the unwanted encounter with cars on the road in the dark, I have this little thingy:
It attaches to a zipper tab or other spot and gives off a strip of very bright red light. It will also flash. So far I have nearly given two parents heart attacks as they came flying up the road in the dark; "What the hell is that?" said the dad.
Everybody drives too fast on this dead-end horse riddled road, and one close call was enough for me. So I give off an eerie red glow now and so far we are alive, knock wood.
7 comments:
makes me think of a sign that I saw in our local tack shop... it reads "if you can go slow and be careful around horses, do not use this road"... I would love to have the nerve to post it on our road!!! though I do find most driver's are horse careful... love those northern lights!!! we don't see them often, but they are a wonder when they do show....
i've only seen the northern lights once, and it was from an airplane above montana, so i couldn't appreciate their silence.
but my first thought was "this area is holy. sacred!" and i totally understand why the native americans considered them to be a spiritual phenomenon.
i wanna see them again!!!!!
what do the horses think of them?
~lytha
I've never seen the northern lights but it must be stunning to see in the sky at night.
Cold night for a ride, glad someone didn't think you were an alien or something with that orange reflector stick.
I'd love to see northern lights. Gorgeous.
Sue: I've seen those signs posted! You would not believe how the parents come flying out of that barn driveway and in the dark with a horse on ice, it's too exciting for me.
Lytha: I know what you mean about sacred. Imagine being an ancient person who does not understand the forces creating these lights - or imagine being me, who also does not understand them...the awesomeness. The horses enjoy them, it seems. They watch the horizon like TV.
GreyHorse: If I am mistaken for an alien it's still all good - causes them to brake and put on on their tinfoil hats :).
Jessica: I hope you will see them sooner rather than later. They hold some kind of secret: beauty beyond words.
I've never seen the northern lights either. It must be almost magical to ride underneath a sky like that.
Wow, that must be amazing! I love night rides when everyone is mellow. It is so special to be able to share that quiet time with our eqine friends.
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