This morning, I creaked through a very slow, relatively brief mini-yoga series: a greatly abbreviated version of what I try to do in the mornings. Fortunately only minor pain and stiffness - it felt really, really good because I haven’t even attempted to do anything yoga-related in these 2 weeks since I cracked my ribs. It appears I shall live 😊
My New Year’s resolution (such as it is) is to continue to try to drag myself out of this pit of injury & ill health. I already completed my first goodwill mission of the New Year, hauling Twoie & Baraq to our ride in order for Christina & Catie to successfully complete their first endurance event together. (My pre-injury plans were to sponsor Catie myself in another LD event, but I didn’t think my ribs could stand up to 25 mi; it wouldn’t have been fair to downgrade the boys to intros when they’re doing so well!)
It was a strange empty feeling to go through all the prep work: the hustle & bustle of getting them ready for the ride, only to wave goodbye as they headed out on the trail… but I enjoyed basking in the glow of their accomplishments as they Top Tenned - they popped in off their first loop after only 2 hrs 15 min when I was expecting closer to 3 hrs. I had just sat down with my breakfast taco…
Ride manager Kerry gave me a “Hard Luck award” - a cute little bedazzled purse with a Chihuahua on it! Catie immediately put on her T-shirt & (as the only junior rider on Sat) was thrilled to get a Breyer model as one of her awards. Her dad posted this thoughtful reminiscence on FB, as he stayed home as ranch manager: (Brownie is his mustang whom he rescued & trained; Blue is Catie’s cast-off barrel horse)
I moved the cows from pasture to pasture today on Brownie. Spent the rest of the day riding Blue. She's been running through the bit and probably never knew what a right lead was. Likes to throw her head up and run off, well she got to run off all day long, maybe tomorrow too. She never had any leg control til today. It's been a long time for me working on the horses, but it comes right back to me as I mess with them. While I'm riding I can't help to think about lost times and people. I was burning some circles in the ground on Blue and this song comes on. I was immediately taking back to my childhood near the Red River in McCurtain County. I don't know why, but living closer to the place where my Dad was born makes me feel lost and found at the same time. The past year with all the deer, cows, dogs and horses have made me think of times I spent hunting with friends and family. Herding and working cows and all the trail rides and people and horses I've known. I have missed it so much. It takes a while to build a good horse, even longer if the time is not there. After all these years trying to get back to it, I find it bitter sweet. You set goals in life and try your best to hit them, but there's no promises the people you thought would be there to share them with are no longer here.
I'm riding horses everyday now.
