Freedom to Be Horses

"The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and freedom." ~ Sharon Ralls Lemon

Someone at the barn asked me, "Do you ride those things?" At the time the question was asked, both of my horses were bucking, rearing, snorting, and kangaroo-hopping in the indoor ring. It is always impressively scary for the first-time observer. This is what my horses do when they are turned out first thing in the morning. They are free to get their ya-yas out before I get on them.

Once aboard, they become respectful workers; light-in-hand, well balanced, and full of positive energy. My horses take care of me out of trust and respect. I take care of them for the same reason.

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.