Friday, December 17, 2010

The Hand of Allah

Following is a Bedouin legend. To me it's more than mere legend. It truly captures the spirit of the horse. It's what motivates me to go out to the barn each morning, this time of year, in freezing temperatures. It's what makes my spirit soar and my heart sing.

"And Allah took a handful of southerly wind,
blew His breath over it, and created the horse.

He said to the magnificent creature,
"I have made thee as no other.

All the treasures of the earth lie between thy eyes.

Thou shall carry my friends upon thy back.
Thy saddle shall be the seat of prayers to me.

Thou shall fly without wings,
and conquer without any sword. Oh, horse."

~ Bedouin Legend ~

Friday, December 3, 2010

Winter Ride

When I woke up this morning it was 23 degrees outside. I put my polar fleece riding pants on, warm boots, an insulated sweatshirt over a turtleneck, and headed out to the barn. When I got there, I put up a couple of low jumps in the indoor ring, groomed my horses, and tacked up to ride. I got toasty warm in a hurry.

The horses were full of themselves, as only thoroughbred mares can be. I rode Silver this morning. At 19, she's still full of powerful exuberance. She jumps big to the point of almost jumping me off her back. We both had an exhilarating ride. I feel energized for the rest of the day, and she feels up and happy with our workout together.  

I love this weather. It's energizing for both horse and rider and there are no flies or mosquitoes to combat. If I had to rate my morning on a scale of  1 to 10...it'd be an 11.