Thursday, August 19, 2010

Why Did I Stop This??

Going on Day 5 of riding to/from work.  There was a few sprinkles of rain this morning, but it's looking like it will blow over so that the ride home should be pleasant.  I'm hoping to finish off the week riding.  Makes me wonder why I wasn't doing more of this throughout the summer.  Once the kids are back in school I won't be able to ride often, if at all.

I don't mention it much, but I have horses.  We had 4, one died last winter (very old age), and a couple months ago I sold my very favourite horse.  He went to a sweet little girl who loves him to pieces and spoils him rotten.  It killed me to let him go, but the opportunity came up, and it's a perfect match so I'm happy.

Now we are left with two horses and have been talking about selling at least one, if not both.  In talking with an old aquaintance on facebook, I asked if she knew anyone looking for a horse and she did.  It's been a LONG time since I've ridden them and I thought if someone is interested in them I probably should at least give them a little ride.


This is the two of them running around.  I was warming up the black one (Dawson), and the other one (Levi) just followed him.  As I asked the black one to speed up or slow down, the other horse listened to my voice commands and did the same thing.  It was too cute.


Here's Dawson warming up. 
It's very hard to get decent pictures while controlling the horse - heehee.

This next horse, Levi, is my special boy.  My FIL bought him from a ranch in eastern Alberta when he was just 3 (he's now 10).  He rode him the first day he brought him home and he bucked pretty hard & high (young horse, new location, 16 hour trailer ride, ridden immediately = really bad idea).  From that point on my FIL didn't trust him.  So I worked with him slowly, getting him adjusted and settled, and he has always been a doll for me. 



It's been years since I've ridden consistantly.  For a while there I was riding 5-6 days/week and show jumping.  I haven't had the slightest desire to do ride at all in at least a year.  But last night, after just that short ride, I'm seriously unsure if I can sell both these horses .. Levi particularly.  I think I may just have to dedicate a couple days a week to some riding.

And I can tell you that, no matter how fit you are, riding a horse will work muscles you didn't know (or had forgotten) that you had.  I only rode maybe 25-30 minutes last night and my arse and thighs are screaming today.  I think this could be a great cross training for running.  Surely it's got to compliment it.

In this last week I have participated in two activities that used to be HIGH priority for me, but I had stopped doing for various reasons.  Riding the horses and riding my bike.  I still bike occassionally, but I used to bike commute pretty much daily, most of the year when the weather was decent, for a few years.

Oh, and on a super high note ... my hips feel fantastic today.  No achiness at all in the last 24 hours!!  YIPPEEE

♥♥♥ BLOG TO NOTE ♥♥♥

I came across this blog yesterday (Dorothy at Yellow Brick Beauty) and just wanted to share.  It's a wonderful little blog, relatively new, with lots of great food ideas and just looks like a nice little blog that I thought some of my readers would enjoy.  Check it out!


Have you ever had a hobby/activity that you thought you were completely over .. just to find one day that you were so not over it?  Did you go back to it?  Did you not, and then regret it?


Keep Active!

Heidi
♥♥♥♥♥

9 comments:

Nej said...

Your horses are beautiful!!!!! I've always wanted to own one or two, but don't have the space, the money, or the time. Maybe someday though. :-)

What you were saying about hobbies that you used to do, and don't anymore......I can completely relate.

We each own a sea kayak (16.5 feet). We used to take them out to paddle all the time. Now, if we get them out once a year, it's a miracle. (In fact, if I didn't volunteer at triathlons, the last two years I wouldn't have gotten mine out at all!)

Every time I get into it, I wonder why the heck I don't do it more.

Missy said...

Beautiful pictures of your horses! They are gorgeous. I'm a little scared of horses but admire their beauty.

Mark said...

I used to be quite musically inclined and have played a couple of instruments. Somehow I just fell out of it, and haven't played anything in years. I guess I just grew out of it and it lost its appeal :)

Marlene said...

Horse back riding sounds like great cross-training! Your horses are gorgeous.

misszippy said...

The horses are just beautiful--I'm sure it will be had to let them go, if you do.

Syl said...

Horses have such a unique beauty - I haven't been on a horse since I was a teenager. My mom had 2 on her acreage but no one ever took any rides on them, and she sold them a few years ago. So great you were able to get out there and do something you use to love. There are so many ways to be active and if you find something you like it's so great!

ajh said...

I have recently gone back to biking which I had totally stopped and I am loving it/

Marcelle said...

I have never ridden a horse in my life...have sat on one and then told everyone at school ( I was 11 ) that I had a horse....and everyone believed me, the horse belonged to someone else...but I so wanted everyone to think I had a horse!!!!!!!!!]

LOL ~ this post brought back those long forgotten memories for me.

Fran said...

What a beauties! If you don't need the money I would definitely reconsider if you want to sell them, especially Levi. Maybe you could ride some more in the near future before you decide.

I have ridden a horse once when I was a teenager and that was not a succes :lol: but I do love the beauty of horses.

It breaks my heart every day when I see this little Shetlander who has to live on a very small piece of land next to a house in the street where I live. Animal protection has already been warned and came to watch but they say the horse is taken well care off. But it looks so sad every day.

I've been pretty consistent with my hobbies since I was young. Cross-stitching, making puzzles and reading are my hobbies from childhood till today.

Going to check that blog out.