I'm at a point in my life where I'm pretty happy again. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that. Not that things were terrible ... they just weren't that great. I had accepted my life for what it was at the time and decided that would be good enough.
Returning to riding again has made such a huge difference. It's not just riding. It's the whole horsey scene in general. I have made some new friends at the riding stable. I have reconnected with some of my old horsey friends. I'm looking at riding tack online and even planning a tack shop visit. I had gotten away from that because everything is geared towards riding. Why go to a tack shop if I couldn't use anything I found?
I had withdrawn from my old horsey buddies because being with them was a reminder of what I was missing. I know that's not good for me or them, but I have to admit that's what was going on. I'm hoping that if things change and I'm not able to ride again, I won't withdraw again. I'm going to count on them to remind me too.
I'm still riding Chocolate. Things are going well, but he is SO much work to ride. Just keeping him going at a canter to complete one circle of the ring is a big job. He either ignores my cues and breaks gait, or his body kind of falls apart and then he becomes so rough to ride that I start to lose my seat and balance, and then he breaks gait anyway. Although he is a difficult ride, I still like him. I wonder what that is all about?? I guess I'm a sucker for a quiet, gentle horse that is still a bit of a challenge.
The last time I took lessons was more than 30 years ago--yes, that long. There was a horse at that stable that was my Chocolate, although he was SO different from Chocolate. Demitrius was a fast, sensitive, spooky horse. I think I liked riding him because he wasn't much work. It was worth dealing with the spooks to have a forward moving horse I didn't have to push all the time. My instructor was tough and she didn't miss a thing. Riding the fast, spooky horse and keeping up with her instructions was easier than having to concentrate on pushing a slow horse AND keeping up with her instructions. I think that was it. Regardless, I attached myself to this fast horse and rode him most of the time.
I am having some problems with my back. Some of it is Chocolate's rough gaits. He yanks my body around. But some of it is just that I just have chronic back problems, especially the right sacroiliac joint. I fell off a horse years ago and landed hard on that spot. Ever since then, I've had problems. The chiropractor thinks it gets stuck. A pain management doctor thinks it's too mobile and loose. No one can agree. Earlier this year I had a procedure called radio frequency ablation. It burns the nerves so you don't feel the pain. It worked quite well. I think the nerves are regenerating because I'm really feeling the pain dramatically increasing over the last two weeks. I'm headed to the clinic tomorrow to make an appointment to have it re-zapped.
Having the back problems has reinforced how I am unlikely to be able to tolerate riding a rough gaited horse for the long haul. I think I can ride anything at a walk, although Chocolate's fast, clunky feeling walk kind of throws my back around. Maybe I couldn't even tolerate a walk like that long term?? A gaited horse would be nice, but the problem is that it seems to be so difficult to find a gaited horse that is slower moving that I like and consistent with its gait without needing constant pestering to stay in it. It narrows my field of available horses when I go horse shopping. I really think I would do fine with a stock horse type with slow, easy gaits--a nice jog and a collected canter. The western pleasure type, except I hate the limp-a-lope stuff. Give me a regular canter any day over that crawl that looks so painful. "Trotting" horses (vs. gaited horses) are more plentiful where I live. My chances of finding a trotting horse that fits my overall requirements will be much easier than finding the same thing in a gaited horse. I'm not ruling anything out, but my guess is I'll end up with a quarter horse type. But, it has to have smooth gaits or it just won't work. I can see (and feel!) that now.
Rosie is doing great. Although I am so excited about returning to riding, Rosie is still my special girl and that will never change. She gets plenty of kisses on her cute little nose every day. We will pick up driving training in the Spring. I just don't feel like messing with the harness straps in this cold weather.
Jerry is ... well ... Jerry. No pony on the face of the earth is as well behaved as he is. He's especially great to have around because Rosie is challenging. I wouldn't want to have two Rosie's in the same pasture. Pony-tude overload!
So things are going well. I will need to have my back tweaked, but I don't see this as something that will prevent me from riding. Just something I have to work with.
