Finally, Some Saddle Time!
It’s been a crazy year. Many things are in the works and the one activity I love—riding— suffers the most. A couple of weeks ago I finally got some saddle time. Both my horse and I were rusty, but we managed to find a couple of hours to enjoy the mountain air and scenery. Accompanied by my good friends, Duke and Wendy Croney, we explored national forest land trails right off the back of their property.
We had plenty of schooling options. My horse Chip was a bit nervous, so he couldn’t hold still. I circled him and kept moving his feet. It’s so different with a new horse. I could ride my previous horse April through almost anything, but Chip and I are still getting acquainted, so we had some challenges. Crossing a tiny creek proved to be a big scary, dark hole so we spent about an hour working through the process. Thankfully, I had patient companions.
When Chip finally decided it was okay to cross, I knew what I was in for and hung on. He gathered himself up and lunged across the little crossing. I’m sure I was air born for part of the trip as my reflexes and balance are not what they used to be, but we managed to stick the landing. After all that, he still balked when it was time to cross back after the ride. I tried driving him across, but finally got soaked leading him across. He still jumped it like a gazelle. Obviously, we need more practice.
The age of a horse certainly has nothing to do with how gentle or broke they are. I consider myself lucky since I’ve had horses all my life and Chip is not dangerous; he just needs saddle time. As the saying goes, wet saddle blankets make a good horse.
Be watching for news about our new business directory for all things horse! We’re very excited to launch this new resource. I get so many calls from people looking for a particular boarding stable or other equine-related business or club. Visit our website if you’d like to list your business in this valuable resource.
Enjoy the last days of summer and make time to ride!
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell, American Author
See this article in the September 2024 Online Digital Edition:
September 2024
Owner/Publisher Karen’s lifelong love of horses began at a very early age when she wore out a couple of rocking horses before convincing her parents to get her the real thing. That ill-tempered bay gelding, Brandy, was a challenge for the young horsewoman, but it drove her ambition to become a horse trainer. After attending Canyonview Equestrian College’s Horsemanship Program, Karen realized she needed work that was a little more lucrative than training, so she took a job with Customs Brokerage to pay the bills. There, she discovered an affinity for computers and a talent for creating informative, entertaining newsletters. The Northwest Horse Source began as such a letter in December 1995, with a distribution of 1000 copies for its 12 black and white pages. Now 29 years later, it’s an online magazine and website with a reach of over 10,000 per month and growing! Not bad for the results of one woman’s dream to work with horses!
Today, Karen remains involved with every aspect of the magazine and treasures the community of thousands who share a common passion.
