Sunday, May 17, 2009

BUCK!

Well, after months of waiting for Buck to get healthy, then his training, then my lessons, then moving, then Sandy riding him to make sure he's quiet enough for me, then putting the last bits of his tack together, the day finally came. I rode my horse today!

The western saddle weighs a ton compared to what he's used to. So you can imagine his surprise and dismay when I added my fat ass to the equation. Sandy said he splayed his legs out in a bit of a 'holy crap!' stance, but he gathered himself and didn't audibly grunt under the strain, so we can add 'polite' to his many positive qualities.

He's not as easy to steer as the horse I took lessons on, but he does understand the two speeds I need him to operate in (slow and stop) and he does generally go where I tell him. We mostly just walked, but we trotted a little also. Practice is needed for both of us, but this was a huge, successful first step.

I'm so glad Sandy got this shot of us heading back to the barn. House, river, me and my horse. Life is good.

Thanks for taking care of me, buddy!

5 comments:

hwvizsla said...

Awesome Awesome Awesome...so glad the first ride was a success. I am sure you will have many more days in the saddle this summer!!

Anonymous said...

You and Buck look Great together!!! So...We've seen Winnie riding in the car...riding on the ATV...and next...riding on Buck..???!!!!

Anonymous said...

Brilliant. He is a stunning horse. Winnie looks really good too.

Matt said...

Nicely done there cowboy!! Lookin good!

Jena said...

Awesome! There's nothing better than sitting on the back of your trusty steed with your favorite dog alongside. Happy trails!