Hitchhiking Viking

 I went out to the barn today. . .its been nearly a week since I last saw Twilight and I must admit I was a bit apprehensive. I slunk cautiously around the stacks of green alfalfa. Wince as my black boots crackled in the gravel. I looked different, I've chopped all my hair off, back to the length it was when Twilight first met me, and I was afraid she would not recognize me, run from me in the pasture, snort defiantly at this stranger who looked like a gawky boy instead of her owner.
   Plus I cheated on Twilight for an entire week with my cousins' (Sarah and Jessica) new horse Gus, a slender bay quarter horse who needed some socializing, which I was more than happy to do.
  I had a great time with my cousins we road bareback in the morning after breakfast right in their back yard. We went to a little parade in which Jessica marched and a small rodeo. A local treat the grand prize of the event was a western saddle. We stayed after the rodeo and watched fireworks light up the sky. Our last night we slept out in the 50 degree weather on the trampoline together, giggling and watching the stars. It was fun, I didn't want to leave.
  I walked out into Twilight's pasture, crunched through the dry bleached brush and clucked. Twilight's black coat was brilliant in the noon sun, glowing red like an ember. She snuffed my hands inspected my face with a critical eye, my fears were pointless, she new exactly who I was.
  I groomed her, it was hardly necessary, but I enjoyed the intimacy of brushing her coat, currying away dust and layers of salt from dried sweat. The heat was intense, I had to squint when we left the cool safety of the indoor arena to brave the full force of the July blaze. I saddled Twilight up and began our ride.
  Something was off from the start, she was tense, her entire body quivered, so it really should have been no surprise when I asked for the canter and received a small rodeo instead. Twilight arched her back, leaped into the air, a black crescent and then dropped back to earth only to bound up into the air once more. Her hooves sounded like thunder. I remember I was not scared I felt removed from the whole affair, I just dragged her head into a circle and asked for the canter again. For the rest of our ride I felt like I was playing Russian roulette, I would ask for the canter and Twilight would either flow into a smooth collected canter or break into large curving bucks around the arena. I never became angry, just tired of trying to keep her in check. I got off and lunged her for a while then untacked quickly and wordlessly. 
 I soaked her with water to remove the sweat, the water made her coat shine look obsidian. Twilight may be insane, but she is also absolutely gorgeous. I'm hypnotized by her. But sometimes I tire of the storms of mood swings, waves of trials.
  Twilight nickered throatily at me for grain as I began to remove my boots. Hello?! Aren't you forgetting something rather important!
"Only good horses get grain." I retorted, "Silly horse bronco's don't eat grain, they're loco enough as is."
I released her back into her pen, and she quickly trotted away, showing off her Saddle bred blood by floating over the ground to the largest pile of dirt she could find, which she promptly collapsed into and rolled in covering herself with layers of dirt and saw dust. I had to laugh, what more could I do?
Lynn was watching, cradling her Jack Russel puppy in one hand and holding a horse's lead rope in the other. "She's like a two year old with a sandbox." I said, it was the only way I could explain it.
"I guess," Lynn replied.
  On my way home I past a hitchhiker on the highway a man dressed in an olive tunic and deep brown laced up boots with a swash buckle and sword strapped to his back, he had a pudgy thumb stuck obstinately out into the 55 mile and hour traffic, a hitchhiking viking.
   This evening Margrith and I met up to go see the movie Buck which was wonderful. I envied his knowledge and ability to work with horses, I wish I could solve all my horse problems as easily as he does. I want to take Twilight to a clinic with him.
  Margrith and I had dinner and chatted pleasantly for a while, she is a wonderful friend, she makes me laugh with her vivacious attitude and strong opinions. She is like iron her views are unyielding in there judgment. Its refreshing to spend time with her. Though underneath it all we could both feel the void, I think. We are horse women, we are simply more comfortable together when we have horses underneath our feet.
  We wandered the city after the movie, grabbed some delicious frozen yogurt and simply became observers of a small interesting night life. We walked quickly but without purpose, talked about whatever came to mind, and parted ways with hardly a backwards glance.
  We are two very different people, but somehow we manage to compliment each other nicely, like a comfortable pair of miss-matched shoes.