Wild ride!

This is me. With Chanel, my "mid life crisis." I am drinking champagne. In a barn. Out of a beer mug. This picture was taken the day I laid down money and made Chanel mine. We were celebrating. Or at least I was, I am not sure how she felt about her change of venues.

Today I met the woman I bought Chanel from to go for a ride. We've been trying to get together for months, but life has consistently intervened. Jane planned to meet me where I stable my horse. She arrived as planned, on Thad, her stallion. Thad and Chanel know each other. In the biblical sense. In fact, they have two foal's together. The plan today was that I would follow Jane and Thad back to Jane's place, then she would put Thad away and get out the 4 year old filly she is saddle training. It was a lovely New England fall day. Clear and sunny, but with a nip in the air. The leaves are turning, and everything looked as bright and charming as a calendar photograph.

Thad was awfully excited to see his ex-honey, and she was awfully excited to see him. He walks FAST, and Chanel was having to go double time to keep up with him. The trail we rode on was unfamiliar to me, and had lots of boggy spots, steep hills and rushing streams. This was all a bit thrilling, and made more so because my saddle was slipping, making it even more challenging than normal to stay on board. The MOST exciting part was when we got to Jane's house. We had to navigate a steep uphill path, with a hot wire fence to the left, and Chanel's babies racing about and making a LOT of noise inside that fence. To the right- woods and a bit of a drop off. I had to keep Chanel from running up the stallions backside, keep her from smashing into the hot wire fence in her excitement to see her babies, (thus keep her from getting a jolt that would no doubt send her into the woods and down the drop off.) Very challenging stuff for a very rusty rider like me!

Once we arrived safely, I rode around in a fenced riding ring for a bit, until Jane came back with the trainee. Chanel and her foal greeted each other rather enthusiastically, (a few squeals and jumps...) and then we rode in the ring together a bit. The foal spooked a few times, so it was quite a trip to be in close quarters with her. And to make things more interesting, huge dark clouds were rolling in, and the wind was kicking up, promising a cold rain shower.

Hoping to avoid a soaking, we decided it was time to ride back. Jane informed me that the filly had only been ridden in the pen, never on the trail. The plan was for me to ride ahead on Chanel, so the baby could follow a calm horse. This was a perfectly good plan, except Chanel is the sort of horse that likes to FOLLOW on the trail, not lead. We did manage, up and down the steep trail and through the water and mud, and I felt wildly successful and EMPOWERED when we got safely back to the barn.

Even Jane, a very accomplished and seasoned rider said, "That was an exciting ride, eh?" Yes, yes it was. This riding stuff really stretches me out of my comfort level. Go me!