Wow!! He is just gorgeous— such presence. You guys are so good together, and that smile in the last photo says it all: pure enjoyment!!
Has to edit to add that I love your outfit too. Sharp and great color for you both. Keep sharing your journey, Kath!
Well, I did a thing on Friday…my friend was hauling a steady Eddy to a local show, just for lead line, so offered him to me for the rest of the day. First reaction “hell no” followed quickly by “why the hell not”
So I found myself showing a horse that I had taken on a trail ride, that’s all I knew about him. I was beyond shocked to get a ribbon in Showmanship, my first ever try, but he was a good sport. Did not expect to achieve anything else, ribbon wise, and I didn’t.
I did slay a demon, just getting on and riding a strange horse, on grass, in a show setting. I did decide that him going ugly one handed wasn’t doing it, so happily changed to making him look really nice with two hands. I did get him to complete the rope gate, which was my one and only challenge in the trail class, because he hates getting close to ropes, but he found he COULD do I and not die.
I also got to realize what it must feel like to be married to a famous person, so many people coming up and saying “Hi” before peering behind you and asking “Where’s Braam’
This is what prompted this thread:
I was there to have fun, join in, riding a spare horse that does most everything, but doesn’t do anything well 
I can’t help thinking that people don’t want to enter unless they can win, borrowed horse, safe but maybe not correct tack and equipment, who cares, the experience is priceless.
Can I just say you and your story are an inspiration to me. Truly— I admire your pluck and “get up and get it done even if it scares me” attitude. I’m going to borrow a bit of your mojo as my own nerve has deserted me as I’ve gotten older. Thank you for sharing your ups and downs and photos. 
Aww thank you, two big drivers for me at the moment,
The sign I made at the request of my barn owner
“Make an effort not an excuse” So I ask myself can you make an effort even if you don’t succeed
And the BIG one.
While we all know that day will come, when we can no longer ride, I am a couple of weeks short of my 66th Birthday and it is becoming more of a THING.
Once again the word is:
You will be never be ready, you will never be thin enough, rich enough, pretty enough or brave enough. You will never have enough money, time, talent…
Go
Been a great riding summer, around the heat and drought! Braam and I are getting more in tune, he continues to be fun.
He also highlights in such a big way my short comings, particularly in actually sitting square. To be fair to me there is something going on with my right hip/thigh, has been for a while had two different diagnosis, both required rest and pain pills. I have started doing Riders Pilates again, or P fart es as I now call it, and wasn’t sure it was helping, last Thursday could only ride for 20 mins before the pain, and the fact I couldn’t sit straight, so he couldn’t travel straight, so I quit.
Yesterday, painkillers on board, had a 90 minute group lesson, and my right leg just felt weird, like it was longer than the left, got coach to check it out, nope, all level, but I’m thinking that some tightness has stretched out of that thigh. It was a great lesson, we were mainly on the same page, and I actually had fun popping over a cross rail, with placing poles each side. Started at a trot, which was OK, then had to lope the long side, round the short, turn up the 1/4 line, lope the line.
We did it a few times, and suddenly it felt like being young again, starting looking at the fence when passing E on the long side, balancing and planning the turn, counting strides in, big stride over the placing poles, gather and pop the cross rails, straight on over the poles……beautiful, awesome, feel like a million dollars. Until I find I can’t sit back, because my belt got stuck over the horn as I got forward over the jump, so 2 point is my only option until I get myself unhooked…
When we repeated the exercise on the other rein, I undid my belt!
The day I cut short, he didn’t want to drop his bit, “we can’t be finished.!”
Great update! So glad you’re having fun— and that’s what it should always be about.
I have no idea how I missed this thread. I think with the sale of Mellow I missed this one. I remember you riding a Friesian and loving it, so LOVE this development! You look so happy, Braam looks like a good soul. I’m glad I stumbled upon a new happy thread. Sounds like this one is solid on those rails.
Well as solid as it can be with a lease!
I refuse to worry about the “what ifs” and enjoy the now, i am blessed to have this chance, and am going to enjoy every minute that I can.
That’s the right attitude! Braam is lovely and
This is my favorite pic. He is all of my childhood big black hairy horse fantasies and you look thrilled to be up there.
I am late to the party. You two are two peas in a pod. I love everything about this. SOOOOO pleased for you!!!
How long is 2 minutes?
Well obviously it is 2 minutes, but turns out when your coach asks you to pickup a lope, hold it for 2 minutes, while navigating around all the obstacles in the arena, without ever taking the same route twice, it feels like an hour! I nearly nailed it, but failed by a few seconds, and a couple of breaks in gait. That’s our next target, complete that, then move to 3 minutes. A small goal for a lot of people, but bigger for me, we’ll get there.
Because I was early for my lesson the other day, I decided to practice my running braid, kind of like it, now trying to decide if I should go for the lattice or the running braid next show.
Then there is the last show of the season, which is the Halloween show, I want to paint him as a skeleton, if I can work out what paint is best to use, and I get permission to paint him in October when we could have snow, so bathing isn’t an option if I don’t braid, or do the lattice for that one, then I only have to paint one side of his neck. But it would look cool to do both sides…
Being retired is hard work, I haven’t had time to update last weekends 4 day spectacular,
As a taster we did this
And it made me feel like this, picture shared with permission, got to select which ones to buy, going to be a hard choice!
That is an awesome horse! And you look utterly fabulous. You look like a youngster, just having so much fun on that course. Well done. You are an inspiration.
The biggest compliment I can give is that I would love to ride your horse.
I know I know never let anyone ride your horse.
Kath-- FABULOUS!!! Oh my gosh that looked fun! Such a nice pair and you look so happy in that ring. Woot!
I love him!!! He looks so majestic. What a good boy!
I am an arena rider, have only ventured out of the “safety” of my sand box a few times since my fall, 10 years ago, and even then had some level of anxiety. Did manage to enjoy a nice level ride out with a group in the summer, with minimal panic.
When I finished work yesterday, and wanted to ride, there was a kiddies lesson indoors, and the outdoor was out of bounds. A friend asked me for the umpteenth time to ride out with her, and being fresh out of excuses I said yes. Well seems that my idea of a nice quiet trail ride, and hers differ somewhat
I am used to riding out on tracks, across fields etc, seems that trail riding now means up and down slopes, pushing through bush, squelching through marsh, popping over a ditch, out and back, oh and navigating areas of dead fall above Braam’s knees. IF I had known in advance I would have probably chickened out, and I would of missed out on what was actually a fun, and peaceful ride, we walked and chatted, Braam led where Josh whimped out, The dogs had a grand time.
More little demons getting chased out, loving this.
I don’t know how I missed this thread but I’m so glad that I found it! Your whole journey makes me smile. You convey your joy so well that I feel like I’m right there with you. Well done and well deserved!
At last I have pics from the fall show, and can get around to updating, lots of things have happened, so lots to say over the next little while.
Overall we had a good show, struggled in the dressage, which was a shame, it meant that our great 2nd place, beaten by a mere .071%, in EOH, and a not to shabby speed round, meant we could only place 4th overall. We both enjoy the Ease of Handling, he knows his job, I just have to figure out the best course to take, stay out of his way, and try not to DQ.
I LOVE this picture, it was taken while we were warming up, don’t know WHY I like it, just do.
This made the cut, just after the salute in a test that you know lacked forward, and therefore had wobbles, but you enjoyed the ride anyway.
Doing our thing.
Concentrating on doing our thing.
Eventually a speed round that included, well speed! If we hadn’t of collected penalties for knocking down the side pass we would have been second so pleased with elapsed time.
Nice comments from our judge!
The journey continues…….
Let’s catch up…
After the Fall Frolic Show I thought everything had gone sideways, was getting a hard time in lessons, but felt things were going well when riding in my own. I eventually realized that ‘playtime’ was over and I wasn’t being given an inch of leeway…and eventually I did find out why, we’ll loop back to that later. I did get down, at 66 having ridden on and off for 60 years, how can I be so bad? Turns out not bad, just being pushed to be better in a new discipline and a well trained horse. So a whole bunch of stuff before the Halloween Show, which was great fun, did well, a good show to finish the season on. Do have to say I am STILL finding flecks of paint on the boy!
It was after the show that the big news of the year came out…The Cross National Cup is coming to our Province next year, it’s very exciting. It’s a week long event, with riders from the US, New Zealand, Australia and of course Canada. It’s a week long event, 4 days of workshops and mini clinics, then 3 days of competition, team and individual across all levels. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I would be going, to audit, or volunteer, being sure that my coach would want Braam for it. then we had the conversation, where I stated that, and got
“Well don’t you want to ride?”
“Yes, of course I do, but I thought you would want your good horse?”
“Why did you think I would take YOUR ride away from you?”
I admit I teared up, I really didn’t think I would get to take him. I get him for the clinic, and for lower level class, she will ride him in the advanced level. THEN I understood why the bar had been raised, we now have a big goal.
Will be renaming this thread “the road to CNC (Cross National Cup) now for a journey.
My goals, lose another 40 pounds, to go with the 60 I have already dumped.
Work on my fitness both in and out of the saddle.
Improve my technical skills.
The hardest one…raise enough money to pay for this……what’s the going price for a kidney these days?
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