Line in the sand

-

“Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.”

- Marcus Aurelius






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What a view!

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides: 192/200 (Bareback 26/40) While the colours are not as vibrant this year, we are in that magic spot between summer and winter where we get many pretty views. As I rewind my blog posts of 2021, I realize there is another view I have created ... that of my many horseback experiences with Q on the trails. There is no doubt that mileage (or "wet saddle blankets") have made a tremendous difference in our combined confidence and comfort on the trail. The lope on the buckle is almost perfect, and I can almost guarantee he will pick up the right one 90% of the time. It was quite surprising for me to read some of my posts in the spring and early summer and recall what happened. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it was only 4-6 months. Wow, how we have improved. We have also gone on lots of solo explorations ... and often that is when I have my best rides. This horse has me giggling on every single ride. Those who ride with us often chuckle at my expression "don...
Read more

The Arctic Winter Riding Handbook

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides: 29/200 Here in Quebec, Canada, we have variable weather patterns in winter from springlike sunny days of +10C to arctic freeze of -40C. While winter officially goes from Dec 21 to March 20, we find that it really begins on November 1rst to April 30th. SIX MONTHS OF WINTER! Our other three seasons are much shorter as a result. Aside from the cold, winter also brings a new set of challenges for footing. Deep snow, sheets of ice, crusty snow can bring about dangers to horse and rider and also increase fatigue and injury if not careful. For the truly committed, a set of four winter shoes with studs and plastic snowball inserts, can make a world of difference. Particularly if icy conditions are commonplace and restrict turnouts. I currently keep my horse barefoot, and as a consequence there are a cumulative 2-3 weeks a year where turnout is limited if not impossible and trail riding is off the table. I also benefit from an indoor arena when this happens, so it really is ...
Read more

Namaste

-
Image
The sun was out, the weather mild, and I decided to chance the trails. Well, lo and behold, it was awesome. Q continues to make me smile every time he stops and waits patiently as I try and get the best picture of our beautiful surroundings. Every once in a while he takes advantage of my distraction to grab a branch or a leaf ... or a big branch of leaves. He walked tentatively on the snow covered ice, but conditions were such that he never slipped. We even got a chance for a short trot! After that it was a yoga class, and now Im plunked on the sofa watching a cute movie called L’auberge Espagnole ... a nice reminder of our beautiful trip to Barcelona many years ago. A lovely day, blessed with a great horse and a lovely trail.  Namaste.
Read more

Breakthrough

-
Image
The funniest thing has happened these last few weeks. I have been reluctant to canter. At first it was the footing (ice), then it was Qs bounciness (spring sillies), then it was the footing (mud), then it was my goal to focus on long distance walking to build my endurance for long rides without taxing my horse. I finally cracked the barrier this week, but not without some serious eye rolling from Q. As we regained our broader trail network (cross country ski trails revert to all purpose trails on April 15th), Q would bounce to attention every time we would start a section we almost always canter.  I would hold him back and he would toss his head at me. Its like he was saying “omg, woman, stop worrying, Ill take care of you”.  Staying in context, I was loping long stretches on the buckle 5 weeks ago. What happened? I commiserated with a fellow boarder yesterday (similar age, similar riding pace/style) and she said we have gotten wiser. Our horses are very energetic these days a...
Read more

New month. New resolution

-
Image
November was rough. I will close that chapter and look to December for the romantic wonder that is the arrival of winter. I will embrace patience and kindness.  Rain was in the forecast, but I was going to meet B in the woods for a trail ride. I was still working this morning and left late, but I was able to make good time on the road. The fog was quickly setting in thick and driving was getting dangerous as I got deeper into the countryside. There is always more fog in November and I was grateful to no longer be doing this drive at night time. B will ride in all kinds of weather. But NOT rain. Especially cold winter rain. But I figured we would be back before the rain began. I was wrong. As I approached the barn, the fog was still very thick and I was excited to ride in the fog and maybe take some cool pictures. But none of my pictures did the fog any justice. I went straight to Qs paddock with a bag of carrots, but herd dynamics have changed recently and the beta bully was blocki...
Read more