Long time no write...

I regret that I have been lax in reciting the latest adventures in my equine endeavors. I truly enjoy recounting for all, the trials of attempting to become a better rider or at the very least attempting to ride. I have to admit that when I started this journal I believed it would inspire me to ride more often. I probably have ridden more than I would if I did not anticipate writing about it but still my horses go for weeks unridden. They are starting to give me dirty looks. I swear the gray mare is deliberately getting as filthy as possible just so that I will take the time to groom her. Sigh.

The last time I rode The Lady Holly was just before I went on vacation to the lake up north. I recall that it was a lovely ride! You see I had been doing very well for myself by running nearly everyday and doing some exercises for my middle. I hadn't ridden for weeks before but had the benefit of being in better physical shape! I got on and tried my best to hold my legs into the position Kathy had wrenched them into the last time I saw her. I found it was a little less torturous than the first time I tried it. We began to trot (the true test of leg position) and I was so surprised at how little effort it actually was to keep myself from lurching forward and flopping backward as I normally do after not riding for so long! It was actually quite pleasant. Miss Holly seemed to be pleased with me as well for she was relaxed and trotting so smoothly without taking off like the demons were chasing her. What a shame I had gotten on so late that we could only ride for a few minutes.

The next day I went up to Buckland to ride my dear friend's horse. My poor friend had injured her knee a week or so before and I had been there when it happened. She had been riding yet another friend's horse as I was pulling into the drive. I saw the mare rear straight up. My friend is no ninny and was able to hang on although she was unseated. She needed a split second to get herself properly in the saddle but the mare decided to jump and spin. The two parted ways and the mare charged around the ring while my friend sat on the ground. I quickly parked and hurried to secure the mare, mindful of my flip flopped feet. My friend later learned she'd torn her ACL. To spare her knee she offered to give me a lesson on her horse. Fortunately she has lovely horses and I was happy to oblige. The gelding I rode is a plucky little chestnut thoroughbred who was fairly recently retired from racing. Crafty is a cute little horse and seems very content to observe other horses work whilst he is standing in the middle of the ring. He reminds me very much of Kathy's dear Peanut. We had a good easy ride and I was very happy to have ridden two days in a row. Of course then I went on vacation and haven't sat on a horse since. Actually I haven't picked anything back up since my return from northern lands. No riding, no running, no exercises, nothing but work. Now my gelding is sore footed and my mare lost a shoe so I couldn't ride if I wanted to. Well, chock it up to another rideless week I guess. The farrier will be out on Saturday so I better get to running if I want to be in any shape to ride come Sunday!