Yup, I almost got into it again, but I was stone sober and things didn't get out of hand...
We were three mounted riders on our Sunday Ride when we incountered some idiot at the National Stud, driving dangerously fast and actually swerving to hit us and our horses. He yelled something as he braked, swerved and started to drive away.
I said something(to get his attention, you can image, but in French,) he stops and buts the old beastly auto in reverse.
I was off Incarna, who already is 176cm at the shoulder and probably rather intimitating when seated in an automobile, and "greeted" our friend at the driver's side window. I just calmly asked him to leave his car because he was going to get a free riding lesson on Incarna, add a few distractions, like fools in car like himself, children on bikes, what have you on a Sunday at the National Stud Museaum, and see how he liked it...
! He claimed that he was fed up with Horse People and their atitudes! I told him that I started out as a swimmer and asked him if he disliked swimmers too. This did sort of crack up several on lookers and my two friends but I finally found out that he was an employee of the National Stud, gardener or something and just HATED, the little rich boys who came to get their professional qualifications there...and treated the people like this fellow like they were dirt!
I told him that I didn't think riding a horse or driving an automobile or ANYTHING should alter the basic education of a person and that I tried to be polite whenever and where ever I happen to be, whether I was seated on a horse or not but I didn't like dangerous driving but since he did(so had to be an individual who liked danger,) I again asked him just to sit on my horse. I in turn would sit behind the wheel of his stupid little auto and then both of us could better judge the other's position.
Incarna must have looked like an elephant to this poor fellow who wasn't at all buying my proposition, but it did calm him down(since the gathering crowd was in stitches!) We ended up shaking hands. I told him I lived down the hill and he could come and watch me load a cement mixed any time he had any secound thoughts about my snobby side. He said he'd gladly give me a tour of the Stud's private gardens...
And all ended honky dory...
I have got to learn to put a lid on it though, I am not the sheriff of this provence in France and I am certainly not in the shape that I used to be in...Sometimes I can only shake my head and wonder at my dumbness...
Stop agreeing SeaHorse!
rr