On top of the world

I had forgotten how joyous it is to sit astride T and feel her move along, quite fast, too, I might add.

Today was the open house/opening ceremony for SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program. We area riding in a new place that has more space and seems lovely. My youngest sister and her family brought me and watched. It was pretty awesome to hear the chant of "Uncle Matt" every time I passed their side of the ring.

I always feel at a disadvantage at these functions because some people tend to know me from this blog, but I don't know them. Or at least I don't remember meeting them before. Ah well, I guess it is how Brad Pitt must feel, huh? Of course, I am kidding; I have a long way to go before I am even as famous as Brad Garrett. It is so fun to see everyone again, especially the kids who just seem to love riding. One little girl just started clapping when she saw Dada.

Because a lot of folks were riding, not just me, T did not have any of my usual adaptive equipment. So no rein clips, or toe stoppers or different length stirrups. I don't know if they would have made a difference, anyway. I really felt awkward at first. I kept sliding to the left, despite my best efforts.

About midway through the ride, Dada, who was working with other riders, came over and walked with me. First, she tightened the saddle, which helped a lot. Maybe just having Dada nearby helped, too. It was nice to see her, especially riding. I hardly ever see Dada ride.

And in case I thought she might go easy on me the first time I had ridden in months, I needn't have worried. She told me to stop at X, and I didn't. Mostly, I forgot to plan my stop so T knew we were stopping; partly, I could not get the reins in my hands properly. After a talking-to from Dada about using my head, I got us to stop at the right place. I missed that. Dada is quite a good mix of encouragement and constructive criticism and praise.

T was great, really walking with a fast pace. I think she might have been bored this winter.

We have to get schedules set up so I don't anticipate riding next weekend, but I am back in the saddle. Figure 8's, here I come.