Feb 19, 2010 18:54
That I'm sore, and stiff, and can barely move. Yes, yes it is.
You see, Ariah peer pressured me into going riding last night. I thought to myself... "Self..." "I should perhaps ride the old quiet horse, as I had my ass handed to me on Wed." (Wed involved trimming yearling fillies, and getting bit, kicked, squished, knocked down, stomped on and drug. Nuff said. Other than, I'm too broken for this shit.)
**WARNING- Long rambling horse filled post ahead** :-)
At any rate, as I said, I'm already stiff and sore last night, barely able to raise my left arm above elbow level from the immense beating I took the day before... so I get my sweet 16 yo mare Jess out. I throw an English saddle on her and hop on. Now Jessi used to be quite the handful as a youngster, but it's been many years since she has done more than throw a crowhop or shake her head disapprovingly at me. Jess was ridden hard when she was young, so she is stiff and sore a lot, too. Which makes us pretty well matched...
Now Jessi "humps up" when we start walking out, meaning she got the idea in her head to throw in a buck or two. (When a horse does this, they actually get a "hump" in their back under the saddle, feels like riding a camel I imagine.) I admonished her and she continued on, the hump quickly disappearing. She is a little naughty and snorty, but nothing too awful since I haven't ridden her in a long time.
We open the gate out to the back of the farm and get down to the racetrack. Now, the track used to be graded and used for training here at my new job, but now, they just dump the dirty shavings out there, making for great compost and a wonderful, fluffy footing. Since it's been so wet and mucky, the footing is deep. Three horses live out on the track itself... my other horse Topper and two old geldings. Topper and Jessi used to live together. For years. They were separated upon coming here to Woodbrige. Well, Topper whinnies at the new horses, and Jessi's head pops up. She whinnies back, and the two start screaming at each other, kind of like a hey I'm here, they didn't kill me after all! conversation.
Now, this makes me somewhat sad, as they were together for so long... but then Jess shoots straight up into the air and to the right. I actually look down and realize that I might die, as I see a large concrete ring on the ground that we use for irrigation, and Jess is heading right for it. I'm amazed that I'm still on her, as she was so high up that I could see the top of Ariah's head while she was sitting on her horse. Usually a bad sign... I get Jessi to stop for a moment, long enough to feel the giant twinge of my groin muscle and all the muscles down my right leg that I just severely pulled staying on. I spank her and make her trot out... and she continues threatening to buck me off. Stupid mare!
At this point, Ariah's horse is starting to get silly too. I'd like to take this moment to point out that I TRIED to get her to put a saddle on her horse, but she repeatedly refused and I gave in. So she is bareback while her horse tries to follow Jessi's valiant example.
We get the brilliant idea that we should take the two nuts out on the track and work them, as the footing is so loose that they will get tired very quickly, and work is the only thing that gets rid of the bucking idea. Unfortunately, Topper couldn't wait for us to get in there! We start jogging off down the track, with Topper galloping past us, around us, back and forth. It made for a tense five minutes until he finally settled down and started to canter along in front of us around the track. I push Jessi up into a long trot, as does Ariah, and we trot them along until they both start cantering on the backstretch. They are working hard and while they aren't being perfect, they are okay. We decide to turn around 3/4 of the way and go back, as we don't want to deal with Topper and his two buddies on the front part of the track again. Also, neither horse had "given in" yet. At this point, Ariah's horse ducks his head and tries to dump her. I'm right behind her laughing when Jess hits the same spot and nearly drops me on my head. Not so funny, that. We are both laughing and start pushing the horses back up into a canter. I look over at Ariah and mention I had never let Jessi out in a full run, and she says somewhat pleadingly, "I might not be in the best place to do that. Don't let her out."
The devil gets in me and I let my reins out just a touch. Jessi's strides lengthen immediately, and soon, she's moving faster than I've ever let her go! What's more, there is plenty left in the tank! What a speedy little mare I have, and I never knew. I actually have to stand up in my saddle like I was riding a racehorse. It was awesome. For a moment, the entire world melted away and all I knew was the wind in my face, Jessi's mane whipping across my hands and the sound of her breathing and hoofbeats in my ears. It was a cool moment for me, one of those that makes all the rest worthwhile. I haven't trusted another horse enough since I got hurt to release them like that, and Jessi supposedly was too sore to be ridden like that. I say supposedly because lemme tell you, that was not a horse in pain. lol
I rein Jessi in and let Ariah catch up, she had managed to stay on her horse (I never doubted) and was laughing breathlessly. We let them run a bit more, than slowed them down and started the cooling out process.
So yes, it's definitely Ariah's fault, because if she had let me back out of riding, I wouldn't have ridden my sweet mare. However, she's forgiven, because she reminded me of why I used to ride. She also gave me a hell of a memory of my girl that I believe opened my eyes. Jessi still has plenty of years left and I think what that means is, so do I. Just because I'm "old and broken" doesn't mean I can't ride and enjoy myself.
It just means I'll pay for it later. ;)
Which in turn, means that Ariah will pay for it eventually. *evil grin*
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