Unforgettable, that's what you are

Orry & Sam 2013

Orry & Sam 2013 - 2

Orry January 2021

 At  one pm today, Jan. 27, 2022 Unforgettable II finally laid his majestic head to rest, fighting for his flight to the end.  What a grand old man, to pass where he was safest, with people to love him.

Our final time together wasn't nearly long enough, December 31, 2021. I didn't have much time to spend that day. I'll always regret that. I had planned to take January & February off from the barn, due to other circumstances which I won't bore you with.

He stumbled quite badly for our final ride, as if his hind and his front had forgotten each other. This wasn't one of his "I am so bored, my shoulder will DROP at the walk" gaffes.  He loathed walking for any length of time anyway, and of course guess who was asking him to... Go FAST, Rob kept saying. (Jokingly) sOrry, Rob. Old broads don't go fast, without inner-doctor's permission.

The stumble was unusual. K & R were in the arena, and were surprised too by that stumble. Orry came very close to landing on his knees, while his hind end seemed to be trying to scrabble to catch up.  Odd, and concerning to me, mentioned it to Sam of course.. What happened next?  Completely the anthropomorphic dreamer in me, when I heard what happened the next week.

 As we walked back from the arena to his barn, he stopped halfway, and looked soulfully north across the fields for several unusual moments. The next week, he had moved north, to be companion to an old girl-friend. Orry knew.

I was so glad Orry had a change of scenery, well-travelled old show-horse he was. In the summer, he'd piuffey up, get all snorty/prancey, as he went past the horse trailer, hoping he'd go somewhere and do something interesting, which to Orry was jumping.  Instead, he had an old broad, so pretentious in her boring demands. Generous with her carrots, though.

Ah, Orry. The horse we all could learn from. His lordosis (sway-back) was strange for me to ride, having never ridden one with that condition before, like ever.  Really strange. My back would try to mirror his. I tried NOT to do that, and I never really sat him, if at all. I could sit his trot, but why? Even his canter, as delicious as it was, my body wanted to stay out of his way. I'd sit, but it never felt well, you get the gist. New experience for this old girl! Whereas Orry just was the way he was, could care less what I thought.  Orry would get bored. A lot.   He even forgave me for kicking his croup the first time I dismounted, I forgot how low I was, relative to his croup.   

The following I wrote while I was still riding him. I added the stuff that says **new**blahblah**end new** (for example). Pay attention, there's a quiz. I was so smitten. I started to write Nov. 14, 2021, but stopped. I knew it couldn't be finished. I just knew.

November 23, 2021

Nov.14, 2021

While other bits and bobs of my life may not be exactly rosy, I've so enjoyed riding with Rob M and Sam C!  Thanks to Melanie T, as always, did I ever luck out.  "Unforgettable II" aka his barn name "Orry" always, always makes me laugh.

**new**Okay, once, when he head-twanged me, notsomuch. I was grumpy & sore-backed, anyway, my own fault.**end new**

He's 27th years young-ish, acts younger than any of his other close horsey friends, all about 10 years his junior.  When I started riding him in May (? I think??) he was very quiet, mostly.

Here I am essentially melting. Rob was so gently encouraging ;) (I HEAR YOU, ROB!!)

Easy to ride, absolutely lovely mouth, gorgeous gaits. Easy to catch.  (He wasn't, once, just to remind me who was in charge. It was pretty darn funny, too. I insulted him, and it was a nice day, and who needs riding?? You aren't going to jump!!)

He was (and is) a TEENSY bit herd-bound, but at his age, it's one thing I can easily forgive.  For several rides this summer, I felt brave enough to go up to the barn, catch him out of his field away from his two buddies, and ride him out the back field for a hack, alone. **new**Mistake. BIG mistake**end new**

Orry verrry gradually let me know that he would PREFER to ride with company, thank you very much.  He'd cry in his stall when I'd bring him into an empty barn. He'd settle if Rob was there, though.  Then, Orry started to cry piteously, hacking away from the barn alone, so I'd sing to him.  He seemed to like that, but I guess I didn't sing well enough for him.  Next, he became super magnetized to leaving the barn, in a very sad, eeyore like  "i will go how can you make me do this go away from friends silly human."  Complete negative enthusiasm.

His final opinionated statement, in response to the lack of sensitivity on my part?

We'd been (blissfully unaware of his growing irritation) cantering away from his friends up the green strip between wheat and corn fields, just a lovely day.

Orry: Function quick dump: Test of rider engaged.

A HARD 90degree spook towards the corn (which was taller than both of us at this point, so I dunno HOW Orry saw a bear), because Orry decided there was indeed a bear.  I just couldn't see or smell it. Silly human. All alone out in the wilds?  Herd safety is rule 1!

If he hadn't been such a basically good boy, realizing that this carrot lady might not like him anymore if he didn't at least LOOK at where the bear had been, before going home, we'd still be galloping through the corn...  We eventually, mostly quietly, tiny-piaffed-ed a while then settled, and we went back to his friends in the boring arena.  LIKE HE HAD (very politely!) REQUESTED.  Lesson learned, Orry! 

His canter is enough to make your eyes tear up, with it's purity and smoothness.

Now that the cold is here, he has stopped begging for tummy/other surprising area scratches.  Probably xyz-rated to describe, but also utterly ridiculous.  Or maybe I SHOULD have been scratching gelding/boy horses' erm, areas for all those years!  Feel kinda guilty, really. sOrry, all my good geldings, it never occurred to me.  Orry lets you know, by holding up a hind leg piteously, basically pointing...

He refuses to have a hind foot picked out, until the designated area is scratched.  Hard to argue with that half-ton of logic.  I kept doing it wrong, Sam and Rob tried to show me, but I just couldn't get it right.  It was annoying to the poor guy.  Rob and Sam can have him standing on hind-tippy-toe, ridiculous in itself, neck straight out in front of him, eyes closed, nose extended in utter bliss.

He makes me nervous, (not an unusual state for me) as he can come close to whooopsing his suspensory apparatus, which is...  Yeah. Not good. He's big, don't fall down, Orry. He never does (so far as I know) so I'm sure he just does it to make his humans gasp.  Finally, trying very hard to make him happy, I put him back into his stall, and he used that long head and neck to very gently push me towards the area in question. The rest of the story is preposterous. sOrry, it just makes me laugh.

He's very reasonable, as long as you follow his very few rules. Ignore them at your own peril, or you will comply.  He's become woolier than a Shetland pony, which I often accuse him of being (in 16.2negative4 hand Hanoverian disguise).

He has all the moves of the ponies I've known. A blissful, "excuse me, I'm leaving now", sort of attitude.  "Bye! I have a date!" And off he goes :)  Skating along the floor with Orry trailing one cross-tie & me hanging onto his halter comes to mind. (His friends had LEFT. MUST LEAVE WITH FRIENDS!!)  Orry's not like that all the time! I feel as safe with him as any horse I've ever ridden.   Safety is such a relative term...

He's annoyed with me here, because I STILL haven't jumped him. He keeps hinting, and hinting...

I've seen him jump, in pictures and in person.  Sam takes pity on him after I've bored him to tears with flat"work", and they zoom over a few little jumps for fun. **new**Orry's eyes would positively FIRE, and his ears would stay up. Rare for Orry, when I was riding him, to get his ears up. "flatwork is for wimps", says Orry.**end new**

Still not ready to jump, in my heart, yet. They only have so many in them, right? Orry doesn't owe me any. Honoured to be up there at all, really. He is such a handsome fellow, and so smart. Yep, I'm smitten, kitten.   Maybe I should listen to his hints, eh?   Orry, I do get what you're saying, and I appreciate your faith in my abilities.  I think Sam is best equipped and most deserving of those jumps you love.   No offence intended.   You jump around enough for me on the flat, mister spooksatleastoncejustbecause.

Cooler weather! Orry has been barging, and gallivanting, and bucking up his heels when asked to come in for "work".  I wear a hat now when I work around you, Sir Orry. You KNOW why, sOrry not sOrry!  Yes, it was my fault, and yes, I spoil you badly. Taught me a good lesson in safety.  And to not have a sore back when I "work" around horses.

END November 14.

Back to today, January 27 (not really, it's still taking me awhile to finish, as it has to be perfect).  Stopped writing in November, I just had a feeling I shouldn't keep writing. Bad luck or something.

I was a bit worried about him, because he hadn't felt entirely "right" for the last few times I rode, but there was nothing to really say about it. He felt tired, is the hindsight way of telling it, I guess.

Just soooo bored.  Rob likened Orry to a border collie, a Ninja of his equine species. Can't disagree. Orry's birthday was May the fourth, for dog's sakes!  I called him a Jedi Knight, but Sam said he did have Sith moments !  Such an intelligent, kind, opinionated face..

It was his time. Orry knew, I truly believe he knew..

Orry would come when I called him, his ears pricked. I can imagine it's just the carrots, or I can imagine he was glad to see me, too. Didn't matter. Those ears, those eyes...   Unforgettable.  I could go on and on, and I obviously have, which I tend to do with horses...

I am grateful that Penny & Dublin's losses "prepared" me.

It's the truth I've always had a hard time with, when it comes to horses.

You can love them all you want, and you always have to be ready to let them go.

sOrry for the long post. Orry had a long life. May 4, 1995 - January 27, 2022, just a few months shy of his 27th birthday. Glad I was there for his 26th.

WHAT? No carrots??

To Horses.

To old friends.

To my new friends, Sam & Rob. Thank you for the fabulous care Orry enjoyed with you.

Somewhere...Somewhere

in time's own place.

There must be some sweet pastured place.

Where creeks sing on, and tall trees grow.

Some Paradise where horses go.

For by the love that guides my pen

I know great horses live again.

Poem by Captain Stanley Harrison, 1885-1980