THE FLYING CHANGES BOOK CLUB I've just read National Velvet for the first time, and I confess to being slightly wigged out. It's dark, and I wasn't expecting that. I was flummoxed by it from the start, felt the claustrophobia of the Brown's dour house, the sharpness of their discourse— the impenetrable quality of their …
Water of Life
I haven't mentioned Uisce, have I. Fiona was walking a horse into the barn, oh, weeks ago. I had thought she'd sold the horse she was bringing on, a chestnut mare, 14hh. She had. This was a different creature altogether. Another horse she was working, another horse that was for sale. Her name is Uisce, …
I Give Up
OH, DON'T BE SILLY I really tried. I did, I really did. But the dressage whip is the only thing Rebel respects, and it now seems pointless for me to ride without it. Which means I gotta figure out how to get it from point A to point B. I looked at backpacks, the kind …
Promises, Promises
THE FLYING CHANGES BOOK CLUB The ill-fated book club, it looks like. Once I started thinking about writing about all the books I'd read, the air went out of the balloon, in a manner of speaking. If only I'd written something out as I'd gone along! Seemed like homework, all of a sudden. Remember book …
Suits You, Miss
ANY FANS OF THE FAST SHOW? In this post, Jules from Otterkat asked: Also, pls advise: Half chaps, benefits, uses of? Underwear choices whilst riding? [or, is a G-String REALLY a good idea? also, ah jaysis I need a heavy duty armour plated sports bra .... ] Preferred riding gear in general? Where do you …
Mama Needs a Brand New Bag
THE SAGA CONTINUES My buzzer rang unexpectedly this morning. The speaker phone revealed a man holding a long, skinny, handful of bubble wrap— It was my new whips. 100cms long. 43 inches. Children are 43 inches long. Shite. The crops are lovely, though, long, thin, with a squiggly little bit of something at the end. …
Three for Three
THE NUMBER KEEPS CROPPING UP... Excellent private lesson today, really illuminating. We took Rebel through transition after transition, trot to walk to trot, giving me the chance to work on them, too, trot to canter to trot, and he did not buck once the whole 45 minutes. I'm still not giving him him a strong …
A Week Missed May Not Be A Week Lost
HMMMM Not, sure, I'll get back in more detail after my private lesson tomorrow... I'd been, heh heh, chomping at the bit after having not ridden for a week. I had my Tuesday last night, and I made up for Saturday this evening, and yes, I'm off again for my two o'clock tomorrow, but I …
Thoroughly Domesticated
I was legging it through Charles de Gaulle Airport today, having flown up from Toulouse, with one hour and change to make my connecting flight home. It was three o'clock Parisian time, so it was two o'clock Dublin time, and it was horse time, and I wasn't at the yard, I was piling my bags …
UN £@*!? BELIEVABLE
I LOST THE AMAZING AND MAGICAL STICK OF WONDER I lost it. It's gone. Gone. I know exactly why I lost it. I was all over the place, mentally, and I mean all. over. the. place. Anxious about a business trip [which I am now on, dateline: Toulouse], anxious about how I was going to …
MANY BRAVE FOOLS 