Friday 18 December 2015

Quiet Ride

I went riding today, my first proper ride in oh, about nine - ten years? Yeah, around about a whole decade. That seems ridiculous, right? Honestly can't believe we sold all our horses and ponies that long ago, in some aspects it seems like it hasn't been all that long. But at the same time it seems like a few lifetimes ago.



Yep, that was me way back when I was only 9, on my cute little 11 hand high, Welsh Mountain (spoiled) pony. Let's just say I've changed a lot since then lol
It was odd, I thought that it'd be like riding a bike, you know? Just jump on and you know what you're doing if you've done it before. I, alongside Nick and Alesha, was right into competing when I was little, for a good three years or so that I owned Nelly. Before I got too big for her.
So I somewhat expected that I wouldn't find it too difficult. Man, it was so weird! I may as well have been way back at the beginner level, if you'd seen me you might've been surprised!

Just that whole process of putting my foot in the stirrup and swinging myself up, I'm sure a sack of potatoes may have looked more graceful (haha), then trying to decide whether the stirrup leathers were too short or too long - there kind of needed to be an in between hole...

Socks, the 14hh pony of Chantelle's I was riding was good, well behaved from what I remember of him. In fact, there was just no get up and go in him today. He's happily plodding along in the paddock while Chantelle watched, he kept going back to her trying to get a get out of jail free card.
So I try trotting him, and you know in your head how to do it, except the saddle feels so weird because you're not used to it, and every trot is somewhat different. So I'm not quite bouncing all over the place, trying to get a good rising rhythm. Then my feet slide through the stirrups, they're Chantelles' boots and slightly too small...should've warn my sneakers after all. Meanwhile Chantelle is telling me to basically, have the authority over Socks. Easier said than done! Argh.
I got him cantering for all of about two or three strides, then he's walking again. Eventually Chantelle decided to grab Promise (her other horse) and we took them up the road. A quiet, gravel road so we never came across any cars. That was fine, I didn't have the struggle of trying to keep my toes in the stirrups, trying to hold on, holding the reigns and whip. I could've easily ridden bareback as he was going so slow on the gravel due to having soft feet. I don't blame him, I can't walk barefooted on gravel either - much less while carrying someone on my back too... :P


Thinking about it, I've jumped on Alesha's horses a couple times - but never really gone for an actual ride. I used to ride a fair bit with Chantelle when I was 11 or 12, we'd just wonder around their farm. That time I was on a massive, ex race-horse, Gypsy. That was fun. But yeah, otherwise it felt so jolly well unnatural. Now I've sorta got that desire to do it more often, brush up on my dressage and jumping skills as it seems such a shame that it somewhat went to waste.
Not that I can afford to ride more often, or that I have anywhere to keep any sort of horse. Lol, Mum and Dad would be in fits of laughter at the thought, absolutely ridiculous!


The idea is to wait until the nearer end of summer, when the beaches aren't too busy. Take Socks and Promise down for a beach swim, that sort of thing is so much fun :)

9 comments:

  1. Haha, horses are not like bikes, they'd be offended!!! Lol, but yeah, glad you get get back onto one, it must have had some familiar comforts too it? I dunno, like for me, going to an airport, just that comforting smell of Jet A1, is all it takes to just bring back a flood of memories, you know?
    Anyway, sounds like you had a good horse to restart with. You probably wouldn't want to start on the ex racehorse... :P

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    1. Lol, not like a bike, just that same general aspect- once you've done it before you should surely remember how!
      Jet A1, hmm yeah I get the idea behind it :P
      Nah, they don't have Gypsy any more, but she sure did have some get up and go!!

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  2. You were, however, the cutest kid I have seen in a long time.

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    1. Lol!!
      Pity I had to grow up though, I must say. :P

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  3. Super cute! ;)

    Hehe sounds like a sight :P I would have been worse though ;) Still, I'm half jealous lol. I haven't ridden for ages either. When I was 2 (little 2yo, mind you :P) my favourite horse to ride was a thoroughbred ex-racehorse, he was so much better than the piddly 14-something hh ponies :P hahaha

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    1. Lol another ex racehorse. They're pretty lovely horses, you'd think they'd be all legs and get up and go. But they must be used to most things so they're great to ride :)

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    2. Yep mention him to Chantelle, she should remember JP lol ;) Tbh I don't think he was the best kids' horse, but at two years old I didn't really think about that :P

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