All went well………………phew!

It appears I was overly apprehensive.

But at sixty-four, apprehension adds to the percentages for survival.

Addy was a challenge to climb up into the saddle, but once there, all went well.

Yippee-Ki-Yo-Ki-Yay!……………………

 

 

I had to channel my inner rhesus monkey to reach the top.

 

 

 

She’s very tall!……………and my artificial joints only flex so far.

…….I rode with my friends Ester and Eliza……….

……….Ester rode Chantilly for the first time ever.

Chantilly behaved…………phew!

Eliza brought her wonderful Hunt horse, Mackie.

It was one of those “firsts” that you are so glad when it’s over…………I’m here now in the den in front of a cozy fire………..glad to be on the couch…

What ever leg muscles I had last year are well and truly gone now…………my legs are room-temperature Jell-O.

There were more than enough opportunities for the mares to freak if they had any inclination whatsoever.

 

 

There were deer.  There were hikers.  There were cyclists.

 

 

 

 

Plus let’s not forget the cute, errant armadillos who would stand stock-still until you were right up next to them and then they would scream and take off running…………………..heart attack material.

 

But the BEST hazard that the horses sailed by without even batting their overly-eye-lashed eyes at———was a rattlesnake———YEP!

Without knowing it, Mackie and Addy both walked past him………….but he/she let loose with his rattles right as Chantilly was passing him……………aaaaaauuuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhh!

Chantilly spooked big time.  Ester stayed on.  And we got out of Dodge City just as fast as possible.

But you know all of those “tests” are good experience for developing a good reliable riding horse.

Oh, I forgot to mention……….one of the first things that happened when we first turned from our road into the woods———-I face-planted right into a big, big spider’s web………….fun times!………..I missed them…

I love tall horses!