Odin and I have been on at least one more trail ride since I moved him to live with Beege, my OTTB, and Canyon the Kiger Mustang. It looked like spring was coming early and one day I decided to hop on him with just halter, lead rope and bareback pad. My objective was to see if I could sidle him up to the trailer fender and mount from there since I don't have a mounting block that is tall enough. Odin lined right up to the fender, which was a nice surprise. The not very nice surprise was how narrow my fenders are. It's a bit of a balancing act to stand up on them but fortunately Odin is a good sport about my fumbling around. I got on, then the dogs started doing their dog things near his feet, which was very distracting for him. He danced around a bit, which made me think that I was actually going to fall off with no helmet, no saddle, no actual reins but all my childhood training of riding bareback may have paid off. Or I just got lucky and stayed on. After a breath, I dismounted and we tried that little project again, more calmly. That felt like a success so I got off and blissfully thought I'd be riding on the trails with my friends again shortly.
That weekend it snowed. And snowed and snowed and snowed. The temperatures stayed cold so the snow stayed. And then it warmed up and rained. The snow got heavy. I got stuck in the driveway and got to practice shoveling out my car. There's still snow. It's melting slowly but the footing isn't good enough to actually do anything productive. I've been out there three or four times since Snowmageddon, if only to check feet, make sure their yak coats are adequate, and bring feed. The horses are bored standing on firm snow with nothing to graze. They eat hay several times a day to stay warm and they sort out leadership issues.
Right before Snowmageddon Beege thought he'd tell Odin that he was top dog. Odin believed him for a little bit. And then we opened a grassy area and let Odin and Canyon graze together. No drama. Then we let in Beege, who immediately went for Odin's jugular. Beege was convincing for a second but then Odin came back. When Beege tried again, Odin turned his butt to him. Odin is the herd boss, which is good. He's a sensible, thoughtful guy. Much better than having Beege the Drama Queen as herd leader. Turns out Beege looks to Odin for guidance. I'm very glad to hear that as Beege needs that stability in his life. Canyon is still more interested in eating, doesn't seem to care enough to vie for a position so he lets Beege herd him around. It seems like a good arrangement for everyone.
Eventually I'll take Odin off property again for a lesson or trail ride. It'll be interesting to see how Beege handles his absence for a short time.