Our usual instructor was off on her holidays, and our substitute was fab — and I'm not just saying that. I remembered that I had only worked with her once before, in a private lesson, and it had been with Rebel, and as we chatted during mount up, on one of the other tracks of …
No Pictures, No Ribbons, No Nothing — But a Really Good Round
We didn't jump on Tuesday, and we didn't jump on Saturday, and I woke up on Sunday wondering, Do I remember how to jump? I ride often, but I haven't been riding for very long, and so stuff like that gets into my head. In the beginning, even up until my second year, time taken …
Continue reading "No Pictures, No Ribbons, No Nothing — But a Really Good Round"
My First Gate
Having been happy enough to go for an easygoing plod on Saturday, even though the weather here continues extraordinary, I really wanted to not ride out last night. Being in the lower arena would be perfect, another perfect thing in a series of perfect things: perfect sky, perfect temperature, perfectly lengthening day. We ambled down …
Flat Out on the Flat
Sometimes, I just wanna sweat. Not that I don't sweat, when I jump, because I do. But sometimes, sometimes I just want to go around and around without stopping. Sometimes, a lesson on the flat is the best thing ever. It was blowy and a bit spitty last night, but the indoor was a wreck, …
The Twenty Month Bruise?
Had a good go on Connell on Tuesday night — he was extremely fresh, which is not like him, and much better than the alternative, which is extremely unwilling to go. I know we jumped, and I can't remember, I think it may have been a triple, but everything got trumped when I got home …
Getting Back What I Put In
This has the possibility of sounding harsh, but that may just be my sensitive nature fluttering up to the surface. And I had to think of a headline other than 'From the Brain to the Rein' because I'm fairly certain I've used that one already. So, last Saturday was lackluster, because I was lackluster. Now, …
A Virtuous Circle
Last night, Rebel was strong again, but it was the manageable kind of fizz; even though he was literally lunging at the fences — taking off from waaay out, and then unable to get his stride for the second face of the double — it wasn't a big deal. I got to do that thing …
The Wisdom to Know the Difference
Reb wasn't tacked when I went into the barn. Funnily enough, he'd damaged his ligament sometime last year, and here I was again, limping — was he himself limping again? Apparently not... and I tacked him up with no worries, led him to the indoor, mounted, lead the ride down to the outdoor, not a …
The Queen of RICE*
In response to having injured my lower left leg in mid-2010, in the winter of 2010/11 I pulled the medial ligament in my right knee, which is kind of on the inside and around the back. After that healed, I then pulled a tendon or something in my left knee area. I simply switched my …
What’s That Smell?
I am inured to my own stink, so when I noticed that something particularly pungent was wafting in and out of my notice, on the way home after Saturday's lesson... I naturally assumed, okay, that yes: I reek. This was little something extra. What happened was: It was really cold yesterday. Cold enough that I …
MANY BRAVE FOOLS 