Moonlight Ride 2
The sheriff’s office called just as I was starting chores before sunset. The dispatcher said my husband had broken down in the back country. His message had been scratchy, so there wasn’t much detail except that he was getting a ride back to the shop where his truck was parked. It had been a nice day, and the ponies were all still sunbathing, so I decided marital duty could take precedence over pony feeding, and I headed out to help restore some order to my husband’s day.
When I returned, it was just dark, but the nearly full moon was up and brightly shining. I fetched my chore pony Rose for our normal ride down the driveway, but it really wasn’t normal since I didn’t remember ever having ridden her after dark before. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turned out that I got exactly what I needed.
I was still on edge from having my chore routine disrupted and potentially the next day’s plans disrupted too by the need to get parts for the machine. Rose is very perceptive of my moods, so I tried to calm myself while putting on her tack before our ride. The ride down the driveway was uneventful, her fast walk taking us to our destination in good time. I thanked her for not playing games or being uppity about the late hour.
As I fed the ponies at the far paddock to which we’d ridden, the familiar routine further calmed me, so that when I mounted to go back up the driveway, I was able to take in the beauty of the moment. Rose was well-behaved about getting back up the hill to her own dinner. We were riding towards the rising moon, its light reflecting off the snow-covered landscape. I was finally able to take a deep breath and realize how lucky I was to be doing what I was doing: riding a pony of my own breeding, out on a beautiful winter’s night under the nearly full moon.
When we arrived back at Rose’s paddock, I dismounted and thanked her for our outing. I hadn’t known what to expect when I asked her to head out after dark, but her gift of a perfect ride was exactly what I needed.
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2018
My first Moonlight Ride story is in the book A Humbling Experience, available internationally by clicking here or by clicking on the book cover.