The Legend of Alibar: A Cup of Joe

One of my fondest memories of Alibar…

The only time I willingly wake up early is for horses. At my old job, I worked the late shift so I rode Alibar before work on weekdays. Each morning, I slipped out of my warm bed, pulled on my riding clothes, and drove down to the barn.

Alibar was quite the morning person in demeanor but he was arthritic and he needed a longer warmup than he did in his younger years. To make the mornings a little easier for both of us, Alibar and I developed a little ritual. Before I arrived at the barn, I purchased a big cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. Since I arrived before the barn help, I always gave Alibar some soaked hay cubes and a handful of senior horse feed. Then I tacked up Alibar, I grabbed my coffee, and off we went. We walked around the perimeter of a large cornfield behind the barn and I drank my morning coffee as Alibar loosened up his muscles and old joints.

Alibar’s gaits were smooth and I never spilled a drop of coffee. The mornings were crisp and and bright. Steam curled out of Alibar’s wide nostrils and his tiny, tippy ears swiveled as he took in the sights and sounds. The path around the cornfield was cut but there was tall grass in the middle- large herds of deer browsed on the grass, bathed in morning sunlight. The only sounds were Alibar’s contented snorts and the occasional flock of wild turkeys, twittering to one another as they glided across the field. If there was a particularly tender patch of grass, I allowed Alibar to take a bite and chew as we marched along.

The horses at the farm could see the cornfield through the trees, and they romped and played at the sight of us. Most mornings, Alibar and I would walk the entire way, but if he was feeling especially good, we sometimes trotted or had a short hand-gallop.

By the time we got back to the barn, I finished my coffee and we were ready to meet the day: we could tackle dressage and could take on the world.