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Grover
Astro Fact "Grover" was the last horse I rode at the last CANTER barn we visited in late July 2002. He wasn’t as big as the other horses I had been considering, and not quite as flashy, but within moments I knew I’d found my horse.
He
didn’t know anything other than how to run – I’ve found out since
that he was still racing just weeks before I met him. But that
short ride we took in the arena revealed smooth gaits and a nice attitude
with his ears swiveling around as if to say “Is this it? Am I doing
it right?”I adopted him on the spot. We brought him home the next weekend and named him Grover – some combination of his resemblance to the stocky Grover Dill in the movie A Christmas Story and his sweet face like that of the Sesame Street muppet.
I’ve only had him for a little over month and we’ve been taking it slow. But on a whim I asked him to walk – and then trot – over poles. He didn’t even flinch. Last week he hopped right over a one-foot jump as if he’s been doing it for years.
But his courage in that category is nothing compared to the trail ride we took recently. In one 30-minute ride he faced down a weed-whacker, three deer, a man with a chain saw, a flock of turkeys and two boys on motorized scooters. Apparently if there’s one thing the track prepares them for, it’s commotion. Despite a few moments when I questioned how he would react to the latest obstacle before us, he was a perfect gentleman and I was not once deposited into the dust.
I’ve always established a bond with my horses, but never so quickly. Maybe it’s because horses like Grover have never really had the chance to get to know one person. Or maybe I just got lucky. We still have work to do and trust to build. But I already know that he’s a bit of a ham, a slave to peppermints, and a gentle soul with a sense of humor and a brave heart.
And you can almost hear him echo the furry purple muppet and say, “And I’m cute, too!”
