I decided that I wanted to take some private lessons at Festina Lente, where I offer reiki to the horses. For whatever reason — despite my feeling that my riding has been getting worse — I wasn't nervous. Not a bit. I stared languidly out the bus window, I walked up the long road placidly, …
Live! From Carrickmines…
I may have some video to put up, if I can figure out how to make the clips download properly. I shot some cool shark stuff in an aquarium in Valencia last year, and still haven't sorted it out. Barbara shot some footage of our lesson today, and it would be a shame if I …
The $64,000 One
Luckily, I knew the answer to the question. When told to take Amigo for my private lesson, I sagged inside. But I went and got his rug off him, and decided it was better to ride him one-on-one rather than struggle in front of a lesson full of people. Sharon and I had a chat …
Have You Seen This?
THIS IS GOING TO BE SO AMAZING! In an effort to give to the South of England what the Angel of the North is to the, er, North, a competition was called for proposals to construct something in Ebbsfleet, Kent. IT IS GOING TO BE A GIGANTIC WHITE HORSE. It's going to be 50 metres …
Hurrah!
I'M NOT COMPLETE RUBBISH You know, I have to say, in all honesty, that I wasn't looking forward to riding the range last night. I'd been nervous about it on Saturday, too, and barely admitted it to myself. I love this so much, what if I started to hate it? Going back to my scale …
Weather Report
It's 16.52 and the sun is blazing away! Well, the sky is still remarkably light, which is more like it. But still! Roll on springtime! The yard was a death trap yesterday, ice everywhere, people getting stuck in the car park, and no way were any of us going to be anywhere but the indoor. …
Every Thursday Isn’t the Same…
I rode last night at 7 to make up for Tuesday being snowed out. I realised that I couldn't get home at 9pm, and then get up for 6am to get back to the yard for 9am. So I switched my Thursday lesson to 2.15. I met a friend in town for a coffee and …
Back to the Future
EVERY THURSDAY IS THE SAME... 10.30 a.m. I march/limp down the road. The sun is fully up, and I take grateful pulls from my echinacea-laced water bottle. It is so good to be here, right here, right now, fully alive and having worked hard. The mountains rise up above me as I walk down the …
On a Scale of One to Ten
My usual Saturday lift to the yard was unavailable last week, so I did the bus-to-the-taxi thing. Dublin taxi men are never at a loss for conversation, and when I get into the car in all my riding clobber, well, sit back and start talking horses. I'd never had this dude before — I'm a …
Working on the, er Ground, Part II
More work on the bus. I spend a lot of time on buses. I wish I could spend more time on trains, nothing like a train for daydreaming out the window. So, on the bus, and I took a quick scan of my posture, which was appalling: shoulders hunched and down, bowed over just enough …
MANY BRAVE FOOLS 