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!