There's more to Horses than riding

As we have become better known at the stables, we have been allowed to do more with Hayley's lovely horses before our lesson. I find brushing extremely therapeutic  I run the brushes over Oscar's neck and legs  before I take his rug off. I love talking to him watching his reactions and feeling a connection. He is warm and his breath smells great its not everyone's  idea of a pleasant aroma, but I love it. Don't ask me if it s the actual smell or the  memories it evokes, the lifelong love affair with the horse. That oaty, sweaty smell  oh I love it and that warm air that passes  over your hand and the flick of the ears,yes Oscar I know you're listening to me. A snort and a shuffle of the feet ,yet when I ask him to stand he stands still like a statue ,lifting each foot in turn as I pick out his hooves. If he didn't want to co-operate their would be no way I could make him. The trust and co-operation feels so genuine and honest.

Arrive early and groom the lovely Oscar and get him ready for our ride

Hayley calls him an old boy and I don't actually know how old he is, he's certainly spritely enough  when ridden. In the stable he is so warm and quiet he doesn't push into your space but melds with you as you prepare for a ride. Hey he knows what's coming and he's relaxed about it. That makes me feel good.. I find it hard to convey the warmth that wells up inside of me when I am with him and I can tell you I have my moments of anxiety and stress and Horses well, they just settle me.

Dorothy  ready to get sky's tack on

I am so lucky because moving to a new county, you leave your friends behind and you do wonder how you will meet new friends you can really connect with, especially at my age. Well  Dorothy and Chrissie are new friends I have met through my love of horses. We all volunteer at RDA and although we are at different levels, (I am the entertainment) we can enjoy lessons together and the odd lunch etc.. Yes I am so lucky. Of course I still have my pre- move friends who I love , and make sure we see each other regularly. None of them are "horsey" though . This new episode my life  is so liberating !

Chrissie  with Latina after our ride free of her bridle waiting for some hay(Latina not Chrissie ha)

We are starting to feel like part of the furniture at the stables and glad Hayley now trusts us to be more involved with the horses. I have mentioned before my dream wold be to win the lottery so I could afford my own horse but also afford  the help, as I am not so sure I know enough to really take care of a horse well enough on my own.

I don't want to diminish the  other vital parts of my life , like being a wife and mother , sister and friend but laying underneath that on a par with my dogs I love horses and they complete me. Now watch my "horsey " friends "working" at the stables, we don't exactly break into a sweat!  Ha! Love
Alison x

Flirtatious Moi?

Look I know I have declared my undying love for Flaire and she is a wonderful schoolmistress and she is truly gorgeous. (You can sense a but here can’t you,  

And here it comes BUT,I rode Oscar last week and now I am smitten. I am such a floozy! (He's the one on the right of the photo being ridden by Meg a couple of weeks ago)

I went up last Monday because we couldn’t ride on our usual Wednesday and Flaire was not available for me, Hayley told me I could have a go on Oscar. “You will find him a bit different,” she told me.  The nerves started to creep in.

 I wanted to appear chilled, “oh tell me more?” Well go very soft on his mouth and start gentle on the leg ‘til you find the right level of pressure. Now I am summarising here and not talking proper “equestrian” like Hayley, but that was the gist as I understood it. Sorry, Hayley and all proper equestrians everywhere.

Anyway I got on and I don’t know if you get this feeling when sitting on a new horse like you’re pitched precariously like a pea on a ball, but that’s how I felt. Flaire is so comfy and familiar. Stretching out, warming up and soon into a trot, whoa what’s going on, trying to go in a 20m circle and we do a hairpin bend. I was being gentle with the legs and forgot about the mouth! Scary but exciting, I start feeling his moves better and its lovely , my transitions are pants because I am nervous and Hayley is shouting at me(nicely) “control yourself women” What is a matter with me  I’m doing an alright canter and then collapse down into trot. Ugh!!.  Rise up, she tells me, instead I am sitting there like a sack of potatoes.

The scary feeling didn’t leave me all that lesson but I tried everything I was asked even tried squeezing the rein and using my leg to get Oscar “onto the bit” very technical for me I really don’t know what I am doing unless I am instructed you know.

Later on I started feeling a bit guilty I didn’t even cast a glance over towards Flaire as I left I was just running over all the new feelings riding Oscar. I booked in for Thursday and was on Oscar again and I was thrilled it went reasonably well, a degree of progress in relation to riding Oscar as Oscar needed to be ridden, but not entirely pretty. Me not Oscar ‘cause Oscar is so handsome and now I am in love for real. Given the choice I would ride Oscar now. But I have discovered something new about myself, never ever being the dumpee in my courting days ,I always thought of myself as a loyal stick with it sort of girl. Moving on without a backward glance is an unchartered territory for me, I will be honest I like it. I didn’t plan it, it just happened! (well Hayley may have planned it for all I know!) it turned out to be the right time to try a new challenge. It’s taught me a something about life in general as horse riding often does, you / we /I can be too comfortable for our own good, so perhaps its time to flirt with change, go on you know you want to.

PS I love you all x

Alison x