On Saturday I refrained from walking down stairs, sitting, standing, or doing much of anything.
On Sunday I took some Advil and poached myself in a hot tub for an hour.
On Tuesday I will reclaim my self respect, dignity and (wannabe) cowgirl reputation and forever thereafter deny the following admission...
As a result of that single solitary ride I was one freakin' hurtin unit this weekend. I mean the kind of hurtin where muscles not only protest but actually full-out boycott, form a strike committee and draw up picket with signs that read, "We will not bend!"...
Did I go to far?
Sorry.
Why was I sore? One word: Gallop.
My Little Princes and I galloped. And galloped. And galloped some more. And I discovered that my mare L.O.V.E.S. to gallop and thankfully, she's pretty dang good at it too!
I am not a relaxed galloper outside of an arena... or really even at times inside an arena if the footing is bad or sharp turns are required. Inside the arena I worry about my horse going down. Outside the arena I worry about gopher holes, hidden logs, loose rock, shadows, birds, horse-eating-rocks and an other manner of objects that can pop up out of nowhere to spook or trip up my pony. And then there is the fear of the blind runner, because I've been on one of those before and until you've experienced it for yourself you can imagine just how terrifying it can be. I also had an accident once on my old gelding where he randomly and seemingly without reason decided to run off the road and in to a ditch. I wasnt hurt but after picking myself up and dusting myself off I did discover a group of boys, seniors in my high school no less, were standing near by and had witnessed my demise, much to their amusement. And naturally one of them was the object of my (many) teenage crushes ...
My point is that I'm not the kinda girl who confidently and haphazardly goes running all over hells half acre seemingly without a care in the world. But on LP I found a certain confidence I've never felt at a gallop, not because she was slow, because she wasnt. Not because she felt easily contained, because she wasnt. But because she ran so within herself. The stretch of ground was clear and smooth, and rolled out in a long line before us. Her cadence was even and balanced. Her ears pricked forward and body- gathering and bunching then stretching and pulling ground beneath me. Her power was evident. Her stride, seemingly effortless. To my memory it was the most beautiful gallop I've ever ridden. The sun was sitting low to the west, affording me the view of our shadow stretched out over the grasses of a neighboring field.
It was this moment...
Only except my horse is white...
And I was wearing clothes...
And I had a saddle and was not on the beach... and I'm a girl... but you get my point.
So I couldnt walk this weekend. That seems a small price to pay for one of the greatest rides of my life.
That's a happy place if I ever heard one described! Can't wait to go ride my boy tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very happy place. I hope to someday be a decent enough rider to gallop. I'm not there yet.
ReplyDeleteSounds absolutely fantastic!
ReplyDeleteA small price to pay for just enjoyment.
I see the name, Princess, has taken.
Sounds like you and little miss LP and working out just great! Glad you got in a nice gallop - it must feel great.
ReplyDeleteWere you riding in your English saddle?
I'm like you - so not a throw-caution-to-the-wind galloper. In fact, just getting the cojones together to canter on my mare was a Big Deal.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good ride.
sounds fantastic! I love rides like those, being one with a horse, it's amazing and absolutely worth the few days of pain afterwards! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love to gallop down the road. I know exactly what you mean. When I ride my mare, we run a lot, but my best gallop was the last mile before coming home. I'm lucky that she doesn't get all out of control on the way home so I can safely run her. I was in an english saddle, which I rarely use, but on this day, I was flying with her. It was awesome.
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the nicknames for your Princess. It might just morph into another name sometime! :)
That sounds like so much fun, I wish I was confident at a gallop, mostly I just feel out of control, although i know its my horse and she has never let me down, but I still worry.
ReplyDeleteI get pretty sore when I go for a gallop too. There's just so much more power there exerting itself on my joints. My body pays the price for my heart's desire. I can certainly empathize with you.
ReplyDeleteA wee bit jealous!!! Not over the can't sit on a toilet (or get up) sore, but the wonderful feeling a gallop inspires!
ReplyDeleteIt made me think - when's the last time I had a good gallop - a long, long time ago. The best one ever was when I was a teenager and I was able to race around a track. So much fun - no worries about footing or anything else. Just the sound of thundering hoofbeats and wind in my face.
If you live anywhere near a private (or public) track - take the time to see if you can go for a gallop!