Babita and I - my horse tales (1)

My initial foray into the equestrian world was a comical one, when as a first termer at the NDA, I was initiated into this amazing outdoor sport. I was a beginner and had all the pitfalls of a greenhorn, perhaps, more than some of my contemporaries. At the Academy, two squadrons used to be combined to form a class at the equitation lines and 'Golf' and 'Hunter' squadrons were thus buddies on horsebacks!

Usually, the cadets were assigned to a particular animal and I thus came to partner Babita, a majestic, chestnut brown mare that had a few random white spots all over her shiny body. I remember the first time that I sat astride on her, I really felt on top of the world. It's said that a horse sizes up the quality of the rider within no time and Babita had amply measured my ability!
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Prodded by the instructor, I dug my heels into the flanks of the hapless animal a bit too often that Babita looked back at me as if to say, "Idiot, I'm doing you a favour by allowing you to sit on me but don't you dare do anything funny". The message was received without ambiguity and I decided to desist from any further egging on. But Babita had to teach me a lesson in her own way and she did it soon after. The entire squad of 15 horses and the trainees were asked to go through a waterpoint where the animal's belly would have barely touched water. And as we're negotiating the puddle, Babita decided to bend her limbs drenching me in the process and she shot a glance back at a miserable me with a grin on her face! My breeches and the undergarments were wet in the bargain, putting me through a lot of discomfort. I never ever acted funny with her, thereafter.
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On another occasion, then Captain 'Pickles' Sodhi, the Equitation Officer had come to see the progress we'd made on our riding ability and the instructor was very keen to show him as to how we negotiated a simple stile that acted as an obstacle. I was the first student and therefore, called upon to execute the manouvre. With the slightest of pressure on her flanks, Babita was off the mark and headed for the starting point from where I was supposed to get her to gather sufficient momentum to clear the obstacle. Babita's poise and her reactions indeed surprised and thrilled me as we waited for the instructor's final order. As it was given, Babita got on to a trot and then to a canter. As the obstacle came charging towards us, she bypassed it at the last moment and headed to join the squad by squeezing in between the other horses antogonising many of my course mates, in the bargain. Pickles Sodhi was simply shaking his head as if he knew that such an eventuality was expected and an angry instructor punctured whatever little ego that was left in me by his thunderous question, "Cadet Rajeev, tum ghode par savaar ho ya ghoda tum par"?