More Moonlight Riding...

... But this time, not so late at night!

It's just been one of those months; my personal life is in turmoil, a close friend is unwell and I had just driven across 2 states and back to visit, and work is, well, unfortunately work. The one constant? My horses.

I didn't have anyone to ride with tonight, but I grabbed Red out of the paddock and jumped on anyway. The sun was setting, the wind was blowing, and Red was ready to jump out of his skin. I haven't ridden him since the last bareback romp at 2am, before then, it would have been weeks between rides. He's my Mr Reliable, I can always count on him to be there when I need him (and to shy at everything he can possibly spot, or not spot, whatever works at the time!)

I started my ride in a mood I probably shouldn't ride in, but in hindsight, I got more accomplished in that ride that I have in a long time because I had zero personal regard. Funny about that.
He shied at various things, and I drove him with my legs and seat on where I'd normally let him stop and survey the scenery first.

We limbered up and trotted down the driveway past usual objects of scaryness, he looked, but he didn't react.... We got to the arena and did our warmups. Our dressage training is pretty much out the window, but hey, what did I expect? Can't have my 'Mr Reliable' and 'Mr Consistant' cake and eat it too, without also being consistent from my end.
After we were warmed up, I asked for canter with stronger aids than I ever had before. Normally, I didn't push him and we eventually got there; you know, sometime later, maybe....
....bang... today we were straight into it..... 4 complete circles to the right, 4 complete circles to the left - the most we'd actually done in the arena. Sad, huh? He was rushed, but he was strong. He wanted to quit, but he kept the pace when I squeezed him on....
It was exciting too, because now I know he can do it, and now I know it wasn't him holding us back, it was me!

I've been taking him slower than he needs to go, because of my own chickeness.... Why am I chicken though? He looks after me. He always has. He's never bucked, and never reared. The most he does is shy. Alot. And maybe that's his way of telling me to get over myself.... Yet again, he's been the one to teach me a lesson.

So feeling confident, and totally free, I slipped my stirrips up 2 holes and we tried some jumping. Tiny, pathetic jumps, but who cares, they were JUMPS! Nothing like the 4' plus monsters I used to tackle in my young and fearless days (the days were my body actually bounced when I hit the ground), but I haven't had the courage to jump in years... He did everything I asked, again. We popped over the jumps, and cantered the long side. We came back to a trot, circled around to position ourselves, and did it all over again.....

I rode back to the paddock feeling like the full moon ahead of us was brighter and clearer than it had been in a very long time... Shame it didn't last long - but that's another story, and one has nothing to do with Red.

........Red. The horse of my dreams.

Red Wine and Midnight Bareback Riding....

Well, technically it was 2am ... It was Saturday night - my less-than-horsey-tolerant other half was out of town, and we girls were bored. What better solution, than a girls night!

The pizza was hot, the wine cold. The moon rolled over the paddock shadows like a giant discoball, and we kicked back and enjoyed an evening of total bliss and gossiping.

We fed the rather indignant horses at 9:30pm... My 3 geldings were the first stop. I called out to them them - I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. They came roaring down the field at breakneck speed desperately intent to get there incase I left without feeding them. We continued the rounds in the pitch black, listening to the sounds of impatient horses blowing, stamping, nickering and hollering that it was wayyyyy passed dinnertime.

With that done, we went back to the house and continued our wine and gossip session. After hours of intoxicated giggles and perhaps one too many revelations, we came up with the most fantastic idea ever (insert tongue in cheek) - midnight bareback riding! We trekked back down the hill, grabbed our horses and headed for the safety of the enclosed arena (not to mention, the soft, spongy sand!)... Our rubbery suppleness stemming directly from our levels of intoxication!

I clambered up onto a drum, and slipped quietly onto Red's back. I wasn't sure how it would go; Red's not exactly a brave soul during the daylight hours. How would he go at night?
But you know what, he reaffirmed my undying love for him all over again.... There's not enough money in the world to make me hand over this horse!
He dutifully carted me around the arena - around the barrels, over some groundpoles, over some very low crosspoles (at a walk). He trotted slowly while I laughed like a maniac and tried my best to balance on his bOnUcY trot.... He took a sideways step and blew at 2 tyres laying the the middle of the arena that he thought had jumped out of nowhere - at 2am on a pitchblack night, he wouldn't have been wrong! He never did look at them again, and we trotted round them several times again that night.

Almost every girl I know grew up wanting that loyal and noble white steed who would take them on endless adventures through the countryside..... My 'countryside' just happened to be the arena at 2am one Saturday night after too much wine. I dragged him out of his paddock and away from his friends, and slipped onto his back in the middle of a slightly cold, but very dark night... I pointed him in every which way; we walked around things, over things, and trotted some unbalanced, wine-induced wobbly circles. Whatever I asked, he did it...... Sometimes stopping him to slide my body down to wrap my arms around his neck and take in the smell of horse I find so intoxicating.

A girl and her horse.
My noble white steed.
How lucky I am to have found him.
How lucky I am, that he will always be by my side!
Love has never been such a simple thing as this.