WE ARRIVED early and we got our favorite parking spot! This was going to be a good day!  The Little Human is very relaxed and happy.  I can almost smell the berries!

I kept asking the Little Human about the berries… How many would we get?  Would they all be ripe?  Would the sun have warmed them?  Will i get a huge mouthful – my favorite?

Uh Oh, I heard the familiar rumblings of all kinds of other trailers – full of humans and other horses… WHO ALSO EAT BERRIES!

I WAS VERY UPSET.  I just knew they’d get all of our berries and I was telling everyone, “We were here first.  The berries are ours!  We were here first!  I call the berries!”

The Little Human was much too slow getting us ready.  Now all of the other horses and humans are going to eat all the berries.  I’m very  upset.  WE NEED TO GO CATCH UP TO ALL OF THEM AND PASS THEM.  THERE THEY GO!

Little Human… could we please go faster?  Are you with me?  Are you listening?  Remember how I taught you this?

Little Human, take this hand and go get berries – FAST.

I’m very worried.  She is just not getting all of my cues today.  I don’t know… she seems really slab-handed.  I thought I taught her that when I touch her hand, I want her to go get berries.  Why has she forgotten this?  Do I have to retrain her each time we ride?

Uh oh! A Human! Oh My Gosh!!  That Human is walking faster than us and will certainly eat ALL the berries.  He looks really hungry!

Yup.  Definitely.  He will eat all the berries.

Why won’t my Little Human remember what I’ve taught her when we are on trail rides?  Her behavior makes me nervous.  Should I give up on her and get an ‘easier to train’ breed of human –  or better yet, an already trained human?

You just never know what you are going to get with a Human.  But, it is certain that all humans need constant training.  I’ve been negligent with this Little Human…

I’m sorry Little Human, I will go slowly and maybe you will remember this cue I’ve already taught you…  I touch your hand and you get me berries.

OK, that was not the response I wanted.  Let me try again, slowly.  Deep breath, OK, I touch this hand with my nose and you get me berries.  Sigh.  She is just not having a good day…

I don’t think there are any berries on this trail!  It is too dark for berries.  What is wrong with her?  She is acting so different.  I wonder if her pants are too tight or if the flies are biting her?

Little Human, the berries are back there, on the sunny trail.  Sigh.

I just really wanted berries… (sobbing quietly) and I guess we just have to write this day off as a failed training day – and I will simply feel unfulfilled and like a failure at Human Training.

Oh great.  Now that human on the fast thing will get to any berries that we might have gotten to if we weren’t so slow.  I HATE those fast things.

Another ridiculous trail for berries.  I’m just gonna walk her and perhaps she will relax enough to understand my cues.  It is worth another try.

Sigh.  She’s doing something weird in the saddle.

YUM!! Berries!!  She did it, she did it!!  She understood my cue!!  I knew she could do it!.

Yes, a HUGE mouthful!  My favorite!  I knew she would remember!

What dog?  What people?  Quit being distracted, Little Human, we’re eating berries now!  Concentrate.  Focus.

There are more berries!!!  Right over there!  I see them.  Go get them, please!

She is happy with herself that she finally got the cue.  She does this when she is very happy with herself. I let her.  It is good for humans to be happy.

I cannot believe she dropped these berries and wants to leave them there.  What a waste!

What do you mean that there are no more berries?  What do you mean they are ‘out of season’?  WHAT???  WHY DIDN’T WE GO OUT AND GET THEM EARLIER IN THE SEASON?!  I am very upset with you.  I think you need to go to the truck and think about this.

Seriously, are you listening to me?  How could you not take me riding earlier to get berries when they were ripe and warm from the sun?  Do we have to go back to the basics and relearn about berries?

OOOh, I think there are berries up here!  I can smell them!  This is a very sunny path… this is good, Little Human.

No, not here.  B-E-R-R-Y B-U-S-H-E-S.

I give up.  Have you not learned anything for all these years I’ve owned you?  I am so upset.  I need to call in an expert.  I am just no good at this.  I really thought we had covered this the last time – and I really thought she got it.  Humans are so difficult, and hard headed at times.  Tough to train, tough to train.

I bet all of those other humans and horses got berries.  I bet all of those horses are better trainers than I am.  I bet all of their humans got their horses fresh and warm berries.

I’m so embarrassed with my training abilities.  I thought I was much better .  I’ve let you down, Little Human.  We need to work harder and more often so that we both understand each other better.  I’m trying.  I’m sorry.

Oh, is that a plum?  May I have some?  (Eating plum) Well she picked that up really quickly!  She gave me the plum right away!  In fact, I got a 2nd plum, too!  Maybe I’m not such a bad trainer after all!  Maybe she isn’t so difficult to train.. maybe she just needed a different perspective!  Ohhh, this has been a good day after all!