shh, don't tell my doctor!

Well the inevitable happened :D

Probably a few of you would have reached this point before I did... but really, once I felt solidly stable and balanced on me feet it was time to end my longest non-riding streak in nearly 5 years.

proof!

Ah, and what a feeling to swing a leg over again! A barn mate held Izzy for me since she's never been particularly well-mannered about the mounting block and I was predictably feeling a little vulnerable about the mechanics. It was surprisingly easy to hop on tho. Yay for ponies!

The saddle is such a comfortable place to be - we were in business the moment I was on! Naturally tho I can't do much with the leg from the knee down riding-wise. The design of the boot is really.... not very horse friendly haha. Plus I opted to drop my other stirrup too to avoid any unnecessary torque on her back. That's ok tho - we just hit the trails to get a little reacquainted :D

so happy to have this view again

It probably wasn't really the best choice for a hot horse who has been out of work... but eh, the weather was gorgeous and the pasture lanes were beckoning.

Plus I have total and complete faith in this hackamore. Izzy will not run through the curb chain (in fact I actually cover it with sheepskin to dampen its effect), and I don't end up getting fussy with her mouth.

so much better than crutches

As it was tho, after looping around all the big summer pastures and meandering through the woods a bit, Izzy started getting pretty amped up and jiggy when we turned onto the trail towards home. My general rule for the trails is that Isabel is allowed to walk as fast as she wants (and she can really haul ass in the walk) provided the gait maintains four beats. I hate the jig. Ugh. Hate.

does she look happy?

Tho on this ride, even Isabel's jigging, snorting and head flinging couldn't bring down my mood. I just kept talking to her and trying to stay soft with my legs and seat (no stirrups, remember). But then she ran my bum leg into a tree and I decided to be a bit more assertive about those rules lol.

the weather was perfect too - all week it'll be clear and in the 50s. i'll take it!

So I turned back away from the barn and she immediately found her four beat walk again. Funny how that works lol. We went a little ways like that, making sure she understood that she was being very good for walking, then turned back for home and made it back much more politely.

still plenty of grass to snack on too

So more or less a very successful ride and I felt SO GOOD to get out there! The jigging episode doesn't bother me excessively, especially given her speedy recovery. Isabel is mostly confirmed out on the trails - but she can get a wild hair every now and then. The only antidote really is more trails. Oooh and a martingale haha. That will probably come along with us next time (are there any issues with a running on a hackamore?).

tho the woods are fairly well cleared of anything green

Plus it was a great workout for me - and I was very pleasantly surprised by how not-loose I felt in the tack. Granted I was probably more tense than is ideal... but eh that's ok too and will get better as I get my strength back.

dis how we selfie. you can get most of her face, or mine. but not in the same pic!

Not sure yet how much saddle time I'll get in the next couple weeks. The whole process was much easier than I anticipated (provided someone holds the mare while I get on), and actually getting off was a total breeze.  But... we're pretty limited in what we can actually do (esp in the evenings when it's dark).

The boot isn't fit for any serious schooling, but maybe I can at least build back some of my own riding muscles and help give Isabel a semblance of a routine (even if she doesn't end up doing a lot of actual work)? We'll see haha.

For now tho, I'm just SO HAPPY OMG to ride my horse!!!! :D