My sister and I have 3 horses that we trail ride - - a Morab , a Morgan and a Morgan mix . This blog is all about them . By the way , check out my two books " Trail Training for the Horse and Rider " and " Trail Horse Adventures and Advice . I also have the most adorable , loveable cat named Thunder . I call him a mini Maine Coon . He is the light of my life when things go wrong . He will always listen to me and try to comfort and cheer me up . He does a pretty good job of it , too . My boyfriend , Kevin , was helping my brother pick up my older niece from college . That left me with Starry and no one to help with my barn chores . My younger niece enthusiastically agreed to come out and take Starry on a ride and do the watering when we were done . Suddenly , Kevin became nervous . I shouldn 't have told him we were going to canter . My niece hasn 't had a whole lot of experience cantering , and looks like she won 't for a while . We aren 't cantering Cruiser in groups , anymore , and when she comes out to ride with Ellen and me , we take Cruiser . So , this was our big opportunity . Kevin thought maybe she should ride Ranger instead of Starry . I assured him she would be fine on Starry . He still worried . Maybe it was because he was spending the day with her father . He insisted that Starry be in the lead on the canter so the ride would be slower . I agreed to it . He kept stressing that we had to be careful . Well , we intended to follow Kevin 's instructions . We really tried , but it didn 't work . When we wanted to canter , Starry wasn 't sure what my niece wanted . She was having trouble sitting his boingy trot in order to ask him to canter . There was only one thing I could do - I had to take the lead . Since Cole likes to go fast , he would lure Starry into the canter The first time we tried , I kept looking back to see them trotting . When we stopped , she told me she did get a couple strides of the canter . We tried it again . I kept looking back to see them still trotting . When she caught up with us at the end of the trail where we planned to turn around to go home , she said she got a few more strides that time . we walked home a ways , and then I suggested turning back around and trying one more time . Cole liked the idea and he went really fast . Towards the end , I brought him to a trot and looked back . Starry was trotting , too . I was disappointed . We were losing our one big opportunity . When my niece caught up with me , she had a big smile on her face . They had cantered the whole way right before I glanced back . We had success . She had a great canter experience . Remember Cole Train - the horse who became a handful on evening rides ? Well , things have improved immensely . All I had to do was just keep riding him on the trail in the evening . Our schedule has us out three nights a week . Each ride , he gets better . He has improved so much that I keep forgetting he used to be a problem . One thing that happened that I didn 't expect - we have a companion on most rides . Kevin has been riding with us . We have found that our two horses get along beautifully . Cole Train slows down when he is with Starry , and Starry speeds up when he is with Cole . Kevin has learned how much more fun it is to go faster . He has even discovered cantering . Sure , he used to canter before , but now , he can go faster if he follows Cole . He is having great fun . Consequently , I don 't ride Cole by myself often , anymore , but every now and then , Kevin can 't make it out , and we are on our own . Last night was one of those evenings . When I ride alone , I do more training . My goal for the evening was the right lead . Cole 's automatic response when asked to canter on a straightaway is to use his left lead . Knowing that , I have been cueing his left lead with my right leg and saying the word " canter . " He is getting quite good at it . The other day , Ellen was riding him and inadvertently tapped him with her right leg - and he started to canter . In an arena , to cue a particular lead , you bend him around a corner . There are corners on a trail , too . There is one very sharp right bend where I ride that is perfect for the job . I used to use it with Mingo to teach him the command for right lead . A couple days ago , when I was riding with Ellen , we did ask for a canter there , and he took the right lead . I wanted to see if it was a fluke or not . When I got to the corner , I made sure his body was bent for it , tapped with the left heel ( which I am sure he had no idea what that meant ) and said the word . He was off like a rocket - on the right lead . To make sure , I pushed his long , fluffy mane to the side and saw his right leg was leading . It wasn 't a fluke . If I set him up for the right lead , he will take it . I am glad to report it is very much like the left lead . When I started riding Cruiser , years ago , there was a huge difference in the way the leads felt . His left lead was very coordinated and his right lead felt funny . I never had to visually check which lead he was on - it was so obvious . Cole Train is just a more balanced and coordinated horse than Cruiser was when he was young . Cole is also much faster than Cruiser . I have been working on slowing him down with only minimal success . I guess some of it is the Kevin Syndrome . I find I like to go fast , too . I stopped Cole right before we were going to go through some rocks . We walked over the rocks , and then he reminded me that we usually pick up the speed right there . I made him walk for a bit and clicked him for it . I decided since his memory is getting too good , that we should probably trot and not canter this section . He really wanted to canter , but I made him stay at a trot - so he did a very fast trot . ( Don 't forget , this little guy is related to Dan Patch - one of the most famous Standardbreds of all time . ) When we got to the river , I turned around to head home . I really was disappointed that I didn 't get to canter there , so after a few minutes of walking , I turned Cole back around so we could . He did a lovely transition from a walk , and we cantered to the river . We had some trouble stopping . Yes , Cole Train likes this cantering game . We walked towards home for a few minutes , like before , turned around and - instead of cantering - - we trotted to the river . I don 't want the little guy to think that we will always canter there . I could have gone back and forth there for the next hour and had a lot of fun while teaching him that he has to go the gait that I wanted and not the gait he wanted , but I had to get back to the barn . Cruiser was waiting . I took him on a quiet , relaxed ride to the same spot . Could it be that 20 years ago , I was teaching the same thing to Cruiser in the same spot ? Where does the time go ? Just for fun , I would like to share a link for a short story by William Dean Howells , one of my favorite writers . Well , I have a lot of them , but he is one . http : / / www . gutenberg . org / ebooks / 23030 It is for the story " Buying a Horse " and it was written at a time when people bought horses to use for transportation . I really enjoyed reading it , so I thought some of you might , too . It even has a Morgan in it ! ﻿ What a wonderful weekend to ri e ! The temperatures were wonderful , the sun was shining and the mosquitoes haven 't started y t . I took Cole on a short ride with my sister and boyfriend on Friday eveni g . The horses were gre t . I then took Cruiser on a short , fast ride , and we had f n . Saturday , my younger niece came out to ri e . She rode Ranger , my sister rode Cole and I rode Cruis r . We went on a nice and totally uneventful ri e . That 's how we like th m . We did a fair amount of trotti g . Cruiser set the speed , which was fairly slow , so my sister and niece had it ea y . We then brought her to Burger King for lunch to fuel her up so she could earn her ke p . We took her to my house where she helped rorotill my garden , put up the electric fence and set up the hos Sunday , my sister and I took Cole and Ranger out for a longer ride to the Brookpark Bridge . We did a lot of trotting and a bit of cantering . Ranger is supposed to lead during the canter . This is Ranger 's rule . Cole hasn 't figured out how to canter quite yet . He does more of a hand gallop . Once we get close to Ranger , and I ask him to slow down , no matter how gently I do it , he goes back to a trot . We will get is all figured out . He just needs practice . I then took Cruiser on a walking ride with my sister on foot to keep us company . He loves walking with her . I 'm sure he likes her more than he likes me . I got some of my garden planted , and then it was time to go hiking with my boyfriend . We went on the Canal to see the bald eagle nest . We saw both parents and the baby . Then we went a bit further up the trail to see the bridge that the anarchists tried to blow up a couple weeks ago . We are glad they were foiled . Ellen decided it was time to try another clicker project with Ranger . Every Sunday , she puts him in the crossties , cleans his feet and then sprays coat conditioner on his coat . Ranger thinks she is actually spraying battery acid or some other caustic substance . He dances all about . This has been going on for years . He isn 't any better for bug spray , which we will be using very regularly , shortly . First , she held the bottle towards his neck . His head went up and he moved away . She didn 't move , but waited until he stood still . At that point , I clicked and treated . She then moved to another spot and did it again . She pretended to spray his whole body . Soon , he wasn 't moving at all . She added a small squirt , and he didn 't even flinch . We clicked and treated as she sprayed his whole body . He started to relax - and shine . This all took less than 5 minutes in one session . She was able to show him that it wasn 't battery acid , it didn 't hurt at all and he could get some treats out of the deal . We will practice more in the days to come to see if he can change his attitude about being squirted with stuff and form a new habit . I was riding Cole Train in the arena , when one of the boarders that I haven 't seen for a while showed up . She has been working different hours than she used to and was coming out to the barn when I wasn 't there . Consequently , she hadn 't seen Cole 's new dance steps . I showed them to her - how he can do them in the saddle or on the ground , and she just laughed and laughed . He is even learning to cross his leg over when I cross my leg over - and of course he performs in a very dramatic way . I swear by the way he seems to show off , that he likes when he has an audience . I would even click him , and it would take him a few more steps before he stopped for his treat . I told her that once he volunteered the step the first day and I clicked him , it only took about five minutes and he was doing it consistently . She said that her horse couldn 't learn anything in five minutes . My response , " Wanna bet ? " She wanted to lounge her horse first , so I went to clean our stalls . When I finished , she was ready . I told her to cut her carrots in small pieces , and I went to grab the clicker . ( Cole doesn 't need a clicker because he has learned the tongue click . ) I also grabbed a towel . I told my friend that we were going to teach her horse to touch the towel . Her husband peeked in and asked her if she was only going to be another five or ten minutes . She laughed and replied , " I guess so . She says that 's all it will take . " This mare had had no exposure to clicker training in the past . I spent about a minute to charge up the clicker . Once she knew a click meant a treat , I put the towel near her face . She touched it out of curiosity , I clicked and treated . It took another minute of her inconsistently touching it and getting clicked and then I saw that " look . " It is the look I have seen before when the light bulb goes off in an animal 's head - the connection is made . She knew that she could do something to make me click and treat her . Within only 3 minutes , she was deliberately touching the towel to get clicked . It didn 't matter where I put the towel , including on the ground . Her owner was amazed . Then I pointed to the ground , and her mare put her head down . One click and I captured that behavior . She did it each time I asked . Now , her owner was shocked . She saw it was in the timing . She realized the consistent tone of the clicker marked the behavior . During my demonstration , I didn 't just teach a horse the basics of clicker training , I taught her owner , too . I told her how you can teach a horse anything with a clicker . If there is a problem in her current training , it could help her solve it . I also told her that clickers are cheap . If it didn 't work for her , she wouldn 't be out much at all . And when she is done with her horse , she could use it with her dog . Then , she really laughed . It makes me wonder what her dog is like ? I told her where she could buy a clicker , and I think she might do it . She works a lot of hours and often doesn 't have much time for her horse . Most of the time , she just does ground work . Clicker training would be a perfect fit for them . I hope she follows through . Cole Train may not be the only dancing horse at our barn . It 's not often I mention that Ranger is having a problem , and that 's because he is a fairly consistent horse . Every now and then , he throws in something to keep my sister , Ellen , on her toes . Well , he did it , again . One day , back in November , he acted very strange during tacking up . We typically saddle our horses in their stalls , and that has always worked out well . We keep them in a busy boarding stable , so this way they aren 't in anyone 's way . We don 't have to worry about them being unattended if something comes up , and it is necessary to leave the barn for a few minutes , either . Besides , I have never felt that crossties are a good form of restraint . I have seen too many horses , including a few of my own , get startled , take a step back and panic when they got to the end of the crosstie . On this particular day , Ellen saddled Ranger , and he got very agitated . He then was difficult to bridle . When she tried to lead him out of his stall , he bolted out the door . It was definitely a bad day in the barn . The ride went fine . After the ride , she inspected her girth and noticed it had some worn spots in it , and it may not have been laying flat on his belly . She switched girths , and the saddling problem and the bolting went away in a few days . The bridling problem got worse . It went on for a few weeks . She tried clicker training , but it didn 't help much . She tried apple therapy , but he still didn 't show any improvement . There was one thing I noticed with both her and Kevin . They had poor technique . They haltered and bridled without putting their right hand over the top of the horse 's head as a mild form of restraint . Ellen confessed that she never had anyone teach her to bridle . She had always bridled cooperative horses . Sloppy technique was never an issue . Now , I know I taught Kevin the right way , years ago , but he just got lazy and out of the habit . He was worse than Ellen because Starry is so good with him . He faces the horse to bridle and halter . That makes it easy for the horse to step back . I showed Ellen the way to do it , but by now , Ranger didn 't want anything to do with the bridle , so it was too late . She was stressing , big time . She switched to riding with her bitless bridle , but he was being troublesome with that , too . She got more stressed and started to teach him commands without reins , since it looked like she wouldn 't have any , pretty soon . She was a wreck . I was perplexed that it went this far . One night , when she wasn 't around , I decided to try it for myself . In Cruise 's early days , he was horrible to bridle , so I developed a good technique . Combined with clicker and treats when he listened , I just thought I would try to see how far I could get . I had no other goals . When I got to the barn , I went into his stall with a halter and clicked him for him allowing me to put the noseband on him a few times . I added the ears and clicked a few times for that . This was easy stuff , but it set the stage for success - I hoped . I went and saddled Cole . I came back this time with his bitless bridle . I clicked a bunch of times for him letting me put it on his nose . I added his ears and clicked a bunch of times for that , too . I finished tightening up Coles girth , got his bridle - and then thought - I wonder how Ranger would act if I showed him Cole 's bit ? I went to Ranger , asked him to open his mouth for the bit and about 10 seconds later , he relented . I didn 't put the bridle on because it was too small for him . I did give him a handful of carrots . I went back in Ranger 's stall with his snaffle bridle . By now , he liked me a lot . I had turned into a treat machine . I showed him the bit , brought it to his mouth and moments later , he opened up . I clicked and treated . By now , I was very confident . It was time to bridle him all the way . It only took a couple seconds . I clicked when I got it over his ears and gave him his treat . That is when I decided I would bridle him ten times in a row . Ten times later , each with a click , I knew the problem was a thing of the past . I called Ellen at work . She couldn 't believe it and was so happy I fixed her problem . Her problem wasn 't Ranger fighting the bridling . Her problem was the stress it caused her . When she walked into the stall , Ranger knew she was stressed with the fear she was going to fail . Being a sensitive soul , this made him nervous and uncooperative . I was confident with my abilities and since I didn 't plan to ride him , if I didn 't succeed , it didn 't matter . Sometimes we just need a neutral and confident person to step in and help . The next morning , we planned to ride together . I bridled him for her so she could see that he was a new horse . She was thrilled and all of her confidence came back . After the ride , she gave it a try , herself . Ranger was more than happy to allow her to bridle him . We are all victims of the " confidence crisis " at some time or another . It wasn 't that long ago that I was afraid to ride Cole to the scary end of the arena . I know now , just as I suspected then , that my nerves made him spook when we got over there . It was a self - fulfilling prophesy . He actually got better with his spooking before I did . He must have thought I was a real dolt . A few days later , Kevin was able to halter Ranger , too . He was going to demonstrate to me how Ranger didn 't want anything to do with him and would back away as soon as he saw the halter . Ranger made him look like a liar and let him slip it right on . Of course , I told him he had to use the correct technique . Two years ago , today , I bought Cole Train . Seventeen years ago , today , Mingo was born . He died a month before I bought Cole - and I bought Cole to replace the hole in my heart . It is hard to believe that Mingo was such a young horse when he died . I bred and raised him all myself , and he was the sweetest horse . I still miss him . Anyway , back to Cole . It has been an exciting 2 years . He went from being afraid to step on pavement to an awesome trail horse . I never doubted that he would be a good trail horse because good training equals a good horse . The awesome part is what thrills me . Some things can 't be trained - they are born into a horse . He seldom spooks - and has always been that way . He has tons of energy , and now that he is fairly fit , he has shown that he has plenty of endurance , too . He has a lovely ground - covering trot - my most favorite gait for traveling . For all of his spirit , he is a very level - headed horse . He is perfect for me - there is only one other horse I have found that fit that description , and that is Cruiser . Having Cole is helping me adjust to Cruiser getting older . It turns out that Cole isn 't the horse to replace Mingo , but the horse to replace Cruiser and that is a good thing . Cole was a 4 - year - old unridden stallion when I bought him . He was gelded before delivery . I have been kicked , dragged , stepped on a hundred times in the first couple months until he figured out how to stay out of my space , tossed to the ground and run off with . Just why did I want a young horse ? Because I knew just how satisfying it is when everything comes together . Last night , I took him on a short ride with my boyfriend . It was supposed to rain , so we kept an eye to the sky . For the first time , my boyfriend and I cantered together . I have been putting it off because my boyfriend 's back has been causing him some problems , and cantering seems to irritate it . He said he was sound , so when we got to a good spot on the trail , I told him to get ready . We started out in the lead . Cole did a huge bound and a few very fast strides that left Starry in the dust . He then moderated . Starry wasn 't upset , but followed at a good speed . This is the first time I have cantered with my boyfriend in years - since I was able to do it with Mingo . I haven 't been cantering Cruiser with other horses , since he doesn 't have much enthusiasm for it on his own - I 'm sure for physical reasons - I don 't want him to do something he shouldn 't out of excitement . After our little run , we trotted to the end of the trail and turned back for home . We did a mixture of walking and trotting - making sure they didn 't get too hot . When we got back , I quickly saddled Cruiser and rode down to the river . We trotted a few times at the bottom and headed home when we heard the thunder . We got back just in time before it started raining and rode our last 10 minutes at a walk in the indoor arena . I try to do a minimum of ½ hour a day with him , 5 days a week . He is insulin resistant , so not only is he on a low carb diet , but the regular exercise is vital to keep his sugar in balance . So far , we have done well with this - no laminitis . I love riding with my sister - no one is better than her . We usually ride together only on the weekend , and I look forward to it so much . There is only one problem . I have a young horse and she has an older horse . We aren 't sure how old Ranger is , but he has to be over 20 . He has arthritis in his hind legs that has made it impossible to put shoes in the back , and that 's where he really needs them . He moves with a little twist of his hind hooves which used to wear the nails of his shoes right off . Without the shoes to protect him , he wears his feet down to nothing if he has too much riding . Besides , at his age , Ellen wants to be careful not to overdo it . She doesn 't want him to go on those long and fast rides . I understand . I am in the same boat with Cruiser who is almost 25 . Cole is only 6 . He needs those long and fast rides . So far , this spring , we have gone on medium - length moderate rides with Ranger . I have loved every minute of it , but when Ellen said she had to work on a Sunday , I started planning a long and fast ride . The good news is that when she works on a weekend , she starts a little later and still has time to go on a short ride with Cruiser and me . I don 't lose out on all of my sister time , and Cruiser and Ranger love spending time together , too . After our short , fun ride , Ellen scurried off to work , and I saddled up to ride Cole Train . Kevin , my boyfriend , showed up . He wanted to join me with his horse , Starry . I wasn 't sure how it would go . Starry hadn 't been on the trail I planned to ride in some years . The last time Kevin attempted it , Starry wouldn 't cross the big river . ( The big river is about 3 times as wide as any of our other river crossings . ) The time before , he crossed the big river but wouldn 't go up the bank on the other side . Kevin wanted a horse to follow to help him through . He didn 't know how long he would go on the ride since Starry isn 't quite as fit as Cole at this point . We decided to play it by ear . I have been riding Cole with Starry in the evenings on short rides , and they have gone very well together . I knew what to expect as far as behavior . The trip to the big river went just as good as expected . Starry went right down the bank into the water without any encouragement from Cole . I showed Kevin the smoothest place to cross . It went without a hitch . On the other side , he followed Cole up the bank , and we were on the good trail . Starry was afraid of a culvert that he has always been afraid of . Once we got past that , we started to trot with Star in the lead . If a horse has a decent trot , Cole is content to follow along , quietly . We went quite a ways , slowed down to a walk for a few minutes to give them a break and started back up - Cole leading . They went faster , now , because Cole has a ground covering trot . When we reached the Brookpark Bridge , Cole spooked at a suspicious looking pedestrian that he just couldn 't get a good look at . Once she was out in the open , he was fine . We proceeded at a trot with Cole in the lead once again . Cole increased his speed - he was having a great time . Kevin said we should stop , and when we did , I understood why . Starry was huffing and puffing . Cole - well he isn 't ¼ CMK Arabian for nothing . His breathing was slightly elevated . We walked to the next bridge and gave Starry a chance to catch his breath . At the 480 bridge , Kevin said I should just trot on . He was going to walk . I said I would catch him on the way back . It was only about a mile to the place I wanted to turn around . This section is what my sister and I call " The Canter Stretch . " It is where we used to let Cruiser and Ranger just fly down the trail as fast as they wanted - and we loved it . I so miss those days … I started off at a trot . I glanced back , and Starry was trotting behind us . After a few minutes , Kevin wanted to stop . He told me to go on without him , and he followed through . We headed out . Now , this time , knowing I didn 't have to worry about pushing Star too hard , I just let Cole trot full out . It was great , but it didn 't take long before I wanted to relive my glorious past . I asked for a canter and away we went . He stopped on his own about 20 seconds later . We trotted a little further and I asked again for the canter . This time , he stayed with it . We went fast and I started laughing with joy . Soon , we saw a group of people ahead . I asked Cole to slow down to a trot . He complied , but it was a fast trot . We passed the hikers , and there the trail was a little rough . I opted to stay at a trot . We got to a trail intersection and swung to the path on the right , trotted down the trail to another intersection . There was a little trail that shoots the right , goes down a small slope and straight out to the picnic area where I planned to turn around . I used to gallop Cruiser on this trail . Since I wasn 't quite as confident with cantering Cole ( yet ) I trotted down the slope . When I hit the bottom , the old Judi came out , again . I whispered , " Canter " and we flew down the trail - not slowing down for the dog walker as he pulled his dog off the trail with seconds to spare . Cole didn 't know he was supposed to either turn where the trail turned or stop at the picnic area , so we did go a few feet into the grass , but then he stopped . I started to laugh with joy , again . He was catching his breath and I grabbed my phone to call my sister . I happily told her where I was and how much fun I had and how I wished she was there , too . We walked for a minute or so and headed back on the other trail that loops right back to the first intersection to the main path that will then lead us home . We took off at a ground covering trot and found Kevin and Starry waiting for us . Kevin said Starry didn 't mind us leaving him at all . We started the long walk home . I didn 't want to wear Starry down . After a while , we saw someone I knew and stopped to talk . Kevin decided to head towards home and I could catch up with him . After about 10 minutes of chatting , Cole and I trotted to catch up with Kevin . He had been doing some trotting , too , so it took a while before we found Starry . When I did , we just walked on home . The ride was about two hours and forty - five minutes - and the longest one for both of us for the year . Overall , Cole and Starry were terrific . The only way the ride could have been any better - if Ellen was there . This is my baby Thunder . He is on his round pedestal - note - he is sitting on a feather toy . Every day , and sometimes a couple times a day , I put it on the sewing machine with the feather end just sticking over the edge . When no one is around , he stretches up and knocks it down . Sometimes he leaves it there where is falls . Sometimes he carries it places . The other night , he brought it upstairs and left it on my bed . I have found it on the dining room table many times . He 'll put it on his pedestals or just leave it in random places on the floor . I I find it , and make a big deal about it . He pretends he knows nothing about it . I put it back , and when no one is around … Sure , he used to live outside . That doesn 't mean he likes rain . He has the good life , now . No rain - unless I am riding him . The first time we got caught in the rain , he immediately tried to turn and run home . That took my by surprise . After that , I was prepared , and he never succeeded in the spin , but he would shake his head a lot and try to go faster if we were going towards home . It was a little rainy one day when my sister was going to ride him , and she put his bug bonnet on . That did the trick , so he mustn 't like the rain hitting his ears . Cole Train is a sissy . I only experiences drizzle with him - not real rain - up until just recently . Kevin and were planning on going riding one evening , and though the clouds looked ominous - I just wasn 't in the mood to ride in the arena . We gambled and lost . It was a short ride , and just about at the turnaround point , we started to hear thunder . The clouds weren 't too dark , so we thought we might be able to make it home . No such luck . It started to drizzle . Cole started to shake his head and prance . He didn 't want to walk - he wanted to trot . Since it is against the rules for him to change gaits , I insisted on walking . The thunder became louder and though Cole didn 't spook from it , I started to get nervous . Kevin was counting the seconds between the lightning and thunder and telling me how close it was . The lighting was now right over us . Cole was prancing . I decided to dismount . I waited until he seemed calm - I didn 't want to reward inappropriate behavior by dismounting . When he was quiet , I hopped off . I know that when I get nervous , he gets worse . I do better on the ground . Besides , my legs wouldn 't get as wet , and I would stay warmer . Though it wasn 't windy , yet , I didn 't want to be in the saddle if a tree went down . Been there - done that already . It isn 't much fun when a tree falls while riding . I have lost count of the trees that have fallen while I am riding Cruiser . He seems to be getting used to it . Cole hasn 't experienced it , yet , and we had enough going on with the rain desensitization . He was still bouncy , but as each minute passed , he settled down . Once he was completely soaked , he was fine . He started to walk slower . Kevin didn 't have to keep trotting to catch up with us . Finally , Cole found a nice tree , stopped and stood under it . He found good shelter , I think , and he wanted to wait out the storm . He wouldn 't budge . Kevin passed us up on Starry and Cole reluctantly followed . Starry is a pretty slow walker , and the rain didn 't speed him up in the least . If anything , he seemed slower . I convinced Cole to pass Starry and that sped us up - until he found another good tree . That 's how it went until we got to the river . There , I mounted , and we crossed . The rain was lighter , and Cole wasn 't concerned anymore . He took the lead and Starrry followed along . By the time we got to the driveway , the rain stopped , of course . We knew that would happen all along . Kevin announced that he was there , " for Cole 's baptism . " Since I had a jacket on , I didn 't get as wet as Kevin in just a t - shirt . I also had a dry sweatshirt in my car . He took care of Starry and headed home to get warm . I saddled up Cruiser and went out for another quick ride before sunset . We stayed dry . A Happy Starry Kevin has owned Starry D for a few years , now . He is a really good horse for Kevin . He 's friendly , gentle and usually list . . . I figured out what our dog is . She is a Sprollie - - a Border Collie / Spaniel mix . Whether she was intentional or an accident , we will never k . . . I only had enough daylight to ride Cruise on trail . We went with my boyfriend and Starry . It was a very nice ride . When I got back , I d . . .