Hi All, I’ve never joined a forum before so hope I get the etiquette right! I’ve been reading posts from the shadows for a few months and yesterday had a moment that I realised I needed to share with like minded people who would understand my joy.
A little back history. Some lessons in the UK between 7 and 9, then hacking out/cross country as often as I could to about 25 when life engulfed my time for horses. Never lucky enough to have my own horse though. Fast forward to 50, a little girl asked to keep a horse on our land, one whiff and I was right back to age 12 and in love with horses again. A wonderful 18 yr old quarter horse arrived in my life six weeks before a breast cancer diagnosis. Then my husband couldn’t believe he ever swapped his horse for a motorcycle at 17 and we realised we could enjoy this together. 8 weeks after my mastectomy and two sessions of chemo into treatment, and having ridden twice in twenty five years, I found myself trying a 17.2 10 year old ex racehorse I was right about his kind eye though and he has the kindest heart to match so he came home tooFinished all treatment with all clear results. And then I fell in love with a three year old Morgan filly. Incredibly sweet matured and stunningly beautiful. She came to her forever home tooSo I’m now unbelievably lucky enough to have three horses at this stage in my life. I read and watched all I can during my health journey on natural horsemanship, groundwork, caring for horses etc as some of this simply wasn’t around when I learnt or at that age I didn’t have the interest in the how or the why. I’m slowly getting back into riding, dealing with physical side effects from treatments. Building my confidence (felt a weird wearing a safety vest!) and yesterday.....I stopped looking down, stopped overthinking, breathed and with my big TB had the most amazing, joyous, uplifting, life affirming ride. In the arena, walk, trot and glorious glorious canters and then (and I know I was meant to do a couple of trotting poles) but we broke into a couple of canter strides and cleared a 130cm caveletti spread instead! So good to be alive, so lucky to have found three beautiful horsey souls to care for and learn with, So Lucky.
A little back history. Some lessons in the UK between 7 and 9, then hacking out/cross country as often as I could to about 25 when life engulfed my time for horses. Never lucky enough to have my own horse though. Fast forward to 50, a little girl asked to keep a horse on our land, one whiff and I was right back to age 12 and in love with horses again. A wonderful 18 yr old quarter horse arrived in my life six weeks before a breast cancer diagnosis. Then my husband couldn’t believe he ever swapped his horse for a motorcycle at 17 and we realised we could enjoy this together. 8 weeks after my mastectomy and two sessions of chemo into treatment, and having ridden twice in twenty five years, I found myself trying a 17.2 10 year old ex racehorse I was right about his kind eye though and he has the kindest heart to match so he came home tooFinished all treatment with all clear results. And then I fell in love with a three year old Morgan filly. Incredibly sweet matured and stunningly beautiful. She came to her forever home tooSo I’m now unbelievably lucky enough to have three horses at this stage in my life. I read and watched all I can during my health journey on natural horsemanship, groundwork, caring for horses etc as some of this simply wasn’t around when I learnt or at that age I didn’t have the interest in the how or the why. I’m slowly getting back into riding, dealing with physical side effects from treatments. Building my confidence (felt a weird wearing a safety vest!) and yesterday.....I stopped looking down, stopped overthinking, breathed and with my big TB had the most amazing, joyous, uplifting, life affirming ride. In the arena, walk, trot and glorious glorious canters and then (and I know I was meant to do a couple of trotting poles) but we broke into a couple of canter strides and cleared a 130cm caveletti spread instead! So good to be alive, so lucky to have found three beautiful horsey souls to care for and learn with, So Lucky.