Back In My Saddle Again~

My Saddle

It arrived yesterday - back home from it's final visit to Idaho.  Eighteen weeks it's been gone, since our trip to Olson's Saddle Shop, where we began the quest to figure out what was wrong, what was right & what needed to change.  After our accident, I wasn't moving too fast & my right arm doesn't want to be used for much of anything!  So I asked the UPS driver to lug the box up to the barn for me.   When Butch got home, we unpacked it & were both amazed at how good it looked!  A new tree, new seat - padded this time, new fenders, strings, pommel - about the only thing left original is the skirting leather & sheepskin!

Farah Saddled~

 Joyce & I had planned to ride today, I was going to show Joyce my training loop - a first for us, since we all know I'm directionally challenged & anyone with any common sense knows that riding with me - there's always the possibility of getting lost!  :-)  Karissa, a young friend of Joyce's accompanied us - riding Jesse, while Joyce was on Target.  Farah was just flat out thrilled that her two favorite geldings were with us today!  All three horses go so well together & we were just over 3-miles out, when two black bear came out of the brush on one side of the road & ran across to the other!  First time I've ever seen them that close to the parking area!

Joyce on Target, Karissa on Jesse

The views were just outstanding for Karissa's first visit to Victoria!  There wasn't anything about this day not to like!  I was stiff, but the further we went, the better I felt & the more I loosened up.  At one point, going on a trail with heavy growth - I noticed that Farah seemed to be paying a bit more attention to the ground - though we both knew there were no bridges on this trail!

Tide was Way out!

I don't know if we had a minus tide today- but the water was the farthest out I've seen it in a long while.  We stopped for a short break at the Monument, then rode through the Dark Woods, over to the Lake McMurray side.

Farah & Connie

Farah was really moving well...  really well... I was loving my seat, I had worried that the padding would be uncomfortable, or maybe make the seat too small, but it did neither.  The combination of Randy's tree, with the amazing seat that Mike puts in a saddle seems to be working great.  (Last evening - I wrapped my fingers & put on a glove & worked cleaning & conditioning Linda's saddle.  I'd planned to take it to her today, but Butch reminded me that it might be a while before I know if all the issues with mine have been resolved... )

My new seat~

 We were all the way to what I call the Main Line trail & trotting right out - Farah in the lead, when I heard the sound of scattering gravel & hooves...  I turned to see that Karissa had come off Jesse!  Joyce was behind her & had already jumped off Target to run to her aid.  Jesse had stepped into a mole hole - right in the middle of the road.  It took them down & down Hard!  Karissa had hit her head/helmet on the ground, skinned her hand, elbow & hurt her leg through her tights.  Jesse had skin off the point of his hip, but no blood & otherwise was unhurt.  We were both proud of the way Karissa stiffened her upper lip & took the fall in stride!  I pulled out my emergency kit again - freshly replenished from Monday & doctored her up.  We still had about 6-miles to get back to the trailers.

Heading back up~

Our trot up the hill turned into a nice walk, our original good pace, now backed off - the 17-miles took us just over four hours.

We're DONE with any further accidents now!  Joyce had taken a fall over the weekend, hurting her elbow & leg, then mine on Monday & now Karissa today.  That's THREE by anyone's reckoning!