Riding a giant

I rode Cormier for the first time. I have to say that I can’t wait to do it again! The view from that high off of the ground is exceptional. I would prefer to have a saddle for the simple reason that if he even tripped I would have a six foot drop to the ground. Should he do something slightly more exciting to remove my presence from his back side, I could only wave to him on my way to the ground. Thank goodness Cormier is a gentle giant!

He is great for cuddles too, although we have noticed that when we hug him this way in the paddock he is prone to forget that you are there and may amble on, inadvertently going over you. When you remind him that you are there he looks down at you, all sweetness and surprise, and sniffs at you again. I call him a big lug and go back to sharin’ the love.

I am special ordering a bridle and riding pad for him. Because of his enormous size, local tack shops don’t have equipment that fits him. In our first ride, he was a good boy, although we had to turn in several circles near the tack room before he realized that I really did mean to go somewhere other than backwards.

When we got out of sight of the other horses he called to them. Feeling his whole body quake from his call made me burst into laughter. He also did a pretty little prance on the way back to the barn.

So what is it like to ride the white whale? It is amazing. I’d like to do some trail riding although I'm not sure I’ll be taking Cormier on trail rides. Not unless I want to trim the trees with my head, anyway!