If Only There Was a Place to Ride

Before I start rambling on about my ride today I have to fill in some info. The place where I board (my bff's parent's place) is about 30 minutes from my house in "the city". I like boarding there except for the fact that there's no really nice place to ride unless you haul, although hauling about 1 1/2 hours to Nesbit Forest isn't too bad its also not something I do very often. Henry & Linda's property is bordered by road on three sides. On the north side is the 305 blacktop (runs from Warman to Dalmeny and beyond) on the west side is the "new" highway (new about 8 years ago) and on the east side is the "old" highway, which is now a service road from the 305 to Martensville. **side note, the wonderful "new" highway also split H & L's land in about half. The land on the west side of the highway (where there is no house or barn) we refer to as "the back pasture". And man oh man do I HATE when the horses are turned out there. Not my idea of safe OR fun to bring horses back and forth across a highway!**
So to summarize, although I love the fact that my horses live with my best bud Kimfer's horses and the other pluses I've mentioned before, the fact is that most of my non-arena riding is done either down the back gravel road or in the ditch along a highway or other quite busy higher speed road. :( The bonus is that your horse learns to tolerate traffic (had to try to find an upside!)
So today Kimfer and I rode our horses down the ditch by the service road toward Martensville. Total ride time was just over an hour. The weather was decent but not very warm (about 8 C) and the breeze was cool. Kimfer was riding her filly Isis and I was on Raincloud. Kimfer was feeling pretty relaxed and happy that her filly was doing well (she's a bit green) and then "it" happened. The plastic bag monster attacked!!! :o
Kimfer and I had both seen it, the horses had seen it too. There was a very large, very yellow plastic bag of some sort barely attached to the pasture fence that we were riding by. It was hanging there and then just as we were riding by it attacked! Or actually the breeze caught it and made it "wave" at us. But horses being horses they thought we were being attacked by some horrible, vicious, yellow monster.
I think they (RC and Isis) must have practiced this move before, because in perfect unison they spun hard and fast to the left. In the process of doing so Kimfer fell off and my reins flipped over RC's head so that they were on one side only. Things looked okay for me until Isis went to run for home and RC tried to follow. I thankfully remembered the one-rein stop technique I'd read about (and practiced a little) but I will admit that there was a split second where I wondered if the unfamiliar sensation from having the reins f'd up would cause RC to buck. Thankfully the one-rein stop worked and although a bit nervous he stood there.
I asked Kimfer if she was okay (she had by this time stood up and dusted herself off). She said she was okay. Good thing to because she's the one with the first aid training, not me! lol I asked if she'd just stop for a second by us so I could get off before she caught her horse. This might sound selfish but RC was still pretty wound up and I think if Kimfer had just walked by he'd have tried to follow her. I wanted to get off and get my rein situation straightened out! Isis, having realized that no one was going to follow her home was hanging out a few feet away.
Once we had remounted we (carefully) re approached the "monster" so the horses could have a good look and see that it was nothing to be THAT worried about. The rest of the ride was uneventful... not that I'm complaining about that!
The part that really bugs me about what happened... while this whole incident was taking place some dumb woman drove by in her minivan. She slowed down and even opened her window so that she and her kid could wave at us! But did she stop to see if we were okay, NOPE!

**Special side note to Denise** When I see the pics of where YOU board on your blog I get sooo jealous. Now you can understand why! lol ps P-lo's a cutie, he needs more pics! :)