This entry was posted on 3/27/2007 11:41 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
Saturday March 24 2007
OK, so it wasn't Shadowfax, or Brego, or
Arwen's gray horse (who is actually on the North Island with his owner
Jane Abbott, with some other Lord of the Rings horses, where I was
hoping to have time to visit), but he was one of the hundreds of extra
horses, (literally 200 or 300), one who became well known and was in
many shots, in many of the close-to-the-camera shots because he was
such a good pony, and he was probably the only Arabian there. All the
horse armor was too big for little Picksy - the face plates would hang
down almost to his chest - so they had to cut some things down to his
size.
I told Trevor I had to get a picture of him with his Lord
of the Rings horse, who's in the paddock off the porch, (and pet him),
and he said "You're going to ride him!" What!? I (and the Raven) were
going to get to ride this famous anonymous Lord of the Rings pony!
Dell
Dancer, or Picksy, is a very laid back Arab gelding, about 15.2. Trevor
brought him up for me, took his thick rug off (most endurance horses in
training seem to wear these heavy blankets), massaged him all over, his
fingers working out this one spot on his left croup that always has a
little knot in it. The Raven met this famous unknown Lord of the Rings
horse, Trevor saddled him up for me, held him while I got on... and
Picksy just stood there. I walked him around a bit - very easy going -
no need to ride him a while to get used to him - and we waited for
Trevor to saddle his half Arab black gelding.
We headed out the
drive and down the paved road toward the high peak, for a mile or so
till the road turned to gravel. It's out in the country so there's
little traffic. Trevor's mount didn't have front shoes, so we moved to
the grassy shoulder, and Trevor started trotting, then moved right into
a canter. Picksy followed eagerly along behind, and the canter turned
into a gallop. Picksy galloped right along behind, then suddenly leaped
in the air and looked underneath him, to see what it was he jumped
over, and we ended up on the road, pulling up beside Trevor, who was
pulling up because his stirrups were too long and he didn't have
complete control. We walked along another mile or two, past Marie and
Murray's house, and came to a locked gate. Trevor's a friend of the guy
who owns the whole mountain top, only he couldn't remember the
combination to the lock. Picksy ate grass while Trevor tried to open
the lock; he called a friend for the combo, tried a few more times,
then finally remembered it. We passed through the gate, followed the
road down and up a gulley and around a corner, then started trotting up
the road. We left the road at a curve for an uphill slope on grass
where we turned the horses loose, and they attacked it at a gallop. We
climbed higher and higher, then turned up another grassy hill, which
was really a mountain, and we hauled butt up it!
Trevor was leaning forward over his horse's shoulder and I leaned
forward and threw Pixie the reins. The cool strong wind was blasting us
in the face, big floating thistle seeds were hurling our way like
storm-blown snowflakes, and Picksy's mane lashed me in the face as the
horses leaped and launched their way up this steep mountain. The Raven
and I were galloping on a Lord of the Rings horse up a mountain in New
Zealand! Yeehaw!!!
The
horses slowed to a walk the last 50 yards along the road to the top,
huffing and puffing. We had a view spread before us of the entire south
of the South Island, it seemed, from up there. The wind was howling and
cool, and we didn't stay long before we turned around and led the
horses back down. We hopped back on at the gate, and walked most of the
way home.
Trevor's going to ride Picksy in the 160 km at
Nationals in two weeks. How many horses can say they were a star of
Lord of the Rings, and are competing in national FEI endurance rides?
And how other Ravens can say they rode a Lord of the Rings star and an
endurance star?
