Bridled Patience

 

One hot summer morning, my boys asked if they could saddle Traveler, my horse, and go for a ride. My oldest was sure he could manage the task all by himself. I was busy in the kitchen, canning pickles, so I just didn't have time to do it for them. That sticky mess boiling on the stove would soon burn if I left it to go play. Oh, but I'm so ready to play and leave this hot mess for winter. Except; I'm the mom, so I have to finish what I start. Thoughts of riding through the cool woods surrounded me, as I stood pouring sweat from the hot vapors on the stove.

"Please, Mom." The younger one, Matt, could whine so well, it sounded like a song. New 'Rock'.

I looked from one to the other while I continued to stir the pot. Steam rolled down the sides and onto my face. No air conditioning in those days, no sir, just a box fan on the floor that barely moved hot air around. Their faces begged me to say yes. I couldn't resist those blue eyes that sparkled back at me.

"Okay, but be careful. Remember to talk to him in a low voice. And rub his flank while you talk." Mom's had to say this kind of stuff-- it's required.

 

They wasted no time waiting for me to change my mind or give them more instructions. They knew exactly how to get him saddled up...hmm, did they? They scurried out the door, arms flailing against one another when they both ended up trying to get out of the door at the same time, sweat rolling down their faces, hair matted to their scalps. Not quite enough room for two scrambling boys in a hurry. One tripped, the other reached out to pull him up, not wanting to miss a moment of riding time—or for me to change my mind.

"Boys..." I sternly warned. That was wasted breath. They were already out of earshot.

The jars filled with bright green pickles, I sat down in the chair and wiped my face for the forthieth time. My skin was red and raw from rubbing the sweat away. It seemed a totally thankless job at that moment. Making pickles. The grocery store had them for sale at a much cheaper price than I had just paid. Well, guess it's time to clean up this mess. Before I could get out of the chair--

“Mom! Come quick. Traveler has the bridle caught around his leg!”

My oldest son, Jess, rushed into the kitchen through the open back door and grabbed my arm. He pulled so hard, he almost fell over backwards.

“What are you talking about? Slow down and tell me,” I said in a low calm voice as I leaned down and placed my hands on his shoulders.

“I dropped the reins and he stepped on it,” he sucked in air, “and now he can't move.”

“Where is your brother?” I asked, afraid he was still on the horse. A horse that's in a precarious state could be dangerous.

“He's waiting by the fence.”

I tried to picture what had happened. The reins had been tied together so they couldn't be dropped. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what he meant. But, knowing I might have to do some serious untangling, I grabbed a knife from the drawer before I headed out the door.

I soon realized I had no idea where the horse was. There was more than one pasture he could be in. I looked at my son. He pointed to the field that was on a hill without a word. Of course, the steep hill would be great to carry out my task. Why make it easy? I'm not just a mom-- I'm a 'can do anything' mom.

I run to the fence and climb over, quickly spying the poor horse. His front leg was surely tied up tight against the leather bridle. He stood perfectly still and turned his head toward me. He didn't move. His eyes were huge brown pools. He knew I would help him and he waited for me, but those eyes told me to hurry. He'd been so patient, and it was so hot. Any other horse would have fought against it, and probably hurt himself badly. Not Traveler. He was special.

When I reached him, I cooed and rubbed his head against my chest. “Relax baby, it'll be okay in a minute. Mommas gonna fix it.” I needed him to know I was there for him, before I tried to cut that tough leather. Looking at my knife, I wasn't at all sure it could do the job.

“Come here, honey. You rub his face while I cut,” I told my son.

He was shaking and scared, but did as he was told, reaching up on tip-toe to reach the soft line of the horses jaw. He gently rubbed and talked softly to him, telling him he would be alright, Mom would fix it.

Mom wasn't so sure.

I braced myself as best I could and began to cut close to the knot in the reins. It came apart with the second swipe. I almost fell over, surprised that it went through, but caught myself in time. The horse took a step forward, feeling the relief as soon as the tightness was released from his leg. He shook his head from side to side, wanting to rid himself completely of that darn leather binding around it.

“Whoa, not so fast, boy. We gotta fix this before you go anywhere.”

I began to tie the cut piece of bridle back together. This would probably never happen again, it really was a fluke, and the boys were still begging to ride. It was only then I realized there was no saddle on his back. Laying the reins over his neck, I rubbed his back and grinned at the boys. “No saddle today?”

They both tucked their heads down. Jess said, “I couldn't lift it. We both tried, but we aren't tall enough, Mom.”

The look on his face was priceless. He had failed what he'd been so sure he could do. He chewed his bottom lip and glanced up at me, afraid that I would laugh.

“It won't be long, you two are growing like weeds. You'll be able to reach up there before you know it.”

His whole face spread into a grin-- his pride restored. Better than a batch of beautifully canned pickles, any day.

I entwined my fingers on both hands together to form a stirrup, and gave them both a boost up onto Travelers back. Two tanned little boys, wearing only a pair of shorts, rode off down the hill toward the treeline, laughing and giggling. The recent dilemma gone from their minds. One brother holding onto the horses mane, the other onto his brother's waist. They could ride under the shade of the trees to their hearts delight—or until I called them in for lunch.

I stood against the fence, just watching as they became smaller and smaller the farther they went, two boys and a horse. A slight breeze touched my face. My reward-- for just being a mom.