from K. M. and her lovely Desna

 “... reminded me of something that happened in early 2007, during late winter or early spring when the snow was melting but there was still ice underneath. Everything was very slippery.... Desna and I were walking together - she was completely at liberty, no halter, no rope. We came back into the paddock through the gate at the bottom of a very steep hill. It was nearly dark and I set off on the most direct route to the barn -- right up the hill. Desna was was reluctant to go with me. I was intent on getting to the barn quickly and began to make my way up the hill. Desna had started going the longer way. About a third of the way up the hill I started slipping and falling. I was stuck -- I couldn't get any traction to go further up and the only way I could have gone down again was to sit and slide down on my rear-end. Since I wasn't wearing water proof pants, that would have been most uncomfortable. Desna saw I was "stranded." She turned off her path, scrambled up the hill, and stopped right next to me so that I could support myself on her -- one arm over her back, one hand clutching her mane -- the rest of the way. It was so sweet of her... although I could almost hear her muttering "any idiot could see that the hill was especially slippery just now. I tried to tell you. Why didn't you listen?" :-)