Not once but twice

Annual Trail Rides 153/200 (Bareback 12/12)

Anxiety overload. I had 5000 reasons why I shouldn’t do the thing, and only 1 reason to do it. I tried a few times, but it didn’t feel right. But this day, a stinking hot day, where the bareback pad was the only option for a short jaunt in the woods ... was the day. August 21, 2021.

I did the thing I had not done in 30 years. Those blissful teenage years where your body is like a rubber ball, and you have no sense of death or serious injury. 

I was feeling locked in to the bareback pad, with my sticky sweaty skin sticking to my sticky jeans that were sticking to my sticky bareback pad. We did a little trot and it felt good. And Q was feeling mighty chill in the sweltering heat and humidity.

I had scoped out this section of trail two days ago and had deemed it acceptable. If I fell, and Q left me, it was a short trot back to the barn without any road crossings. If he stayed with me, it would be a very short walk of shame. Help was nearby if something bad happened.

I was worried about the bounciness of the transitions. I was worried I would clamp my legs on for balance and he would take off.

And then I gritted my teeth, grabbed some mane between my fingers, and asked. We cantered five strides and I asked for a walk. It wasnt super smooth but I managed. And then I did it again. Much easier the second time.

And so we cantered twice, and I proved to myself that age is just a number and that attitude is a choice.

Cant wait to try it again!