Teacher Daughter Lisa has been a real force behind the "get Mom back in the saddle again" movement. (I think she was as excited as I was when I rode this past weekend!) But even though she has been asking me to give her riding lessons, she is already a skilled rider herself.
She hopped onto Diablo after I was finished riding.
She has only ridden twice in the last eight years.
And she had never ridden in a western saddle before - she has always ridden English and was jumping while in high school.
But her seat and hands came right back to her as she took Diablo around the arena.
It only took twenty-seven years, but this finally happened.
Totally unplanned. Totally unexpected. And totally wonderful.
Horse Buddy Trinity is visiting from Colorado, and she and Teacher Daughter Lisa had gone out to the barn with me to check the horses. While there, we ran into Tim who was getting some barn chores done. He asked Trinity and Lisa if they'd like to ride, and I took a (very) deep breath, and asked if I might ride, too.
The surprise on Tim's face at my question was comical - after all, I've boarded with him for eight years and never once asked to ride. But he immediately responded enthusiastically, "You bet!" and we rounded up Diablo, found helmets (I dug mine out of my tack trunk), and got her tacked up.
Tim invited me to ride first, but it was a real struggle for me to mount. Both my knees are artificial, and I just could not get into the saddle despite using a step stool.
Lisa brought in a chair from the barn lounge, and that gave me enough height to step into the stirrup and swing my leg over Diablo's back.
I absolutely could not believe I was sitting on a horse again. My heart swelled with joy. (You can see by my daughter's face just how excited she was.) After leading me around in a large circle so I could settle into the saddle, Tim turned me loose to ride as I wished.
It was absolutely wonderful.
I just could not stop smiling. Diablo went into a running walk a couple of times and I felt like I was floating on air. (She is half Arabian, half Tennessee Walker.)
Unfortunately, dismounting was even more difficult than mounting had been. Not only have my knees been replaced, but my right hip is also artificial and has been very weak since the surgery in 2004. I was dismayed to discover that I did not have the strength to lift it and swing it over Diablo's back to dismount. I tried and I tried, but I just could not do it. Fortunately, Diablo is a tolerant mare, and she let me lean my body way over her neck for leverage and then drag my leg across her back.
I was teary with happiness, Lisa and Trinity were hugging me, and Tim had a big grin on his face.
Finally, after years and years of being unable to ride because of health issues and surgeries, I had made it back into the saddle again. (Truth be told, I should not have ridden. I didn't remember my post op restrictions from my June surgery until I was driving home. Oops!)
What a feeling to be on a horse again! I still cannot stop smiling.
