Not much new happened today other than that I got a roommate named Lauren (she's from Atlanta) who seems pretty cool. I thought I'd give you a little recap of the rides I've been on so far.
Yesterday I went on two rides. The first one was a 1-hour ride with a large group (about 18?). I rode Ariel and was an outrider (rides along the back of the line and makes sure everyone is doing well). Ariel, however, is in love with Rufio who was riding at the beginning of the line so she was a mess, prancing around, trying to run to the beginning, calling out to him. So Kristyn had me lead the ride while she was outrider. So, essentially, my first ride was the first one I was the lead rider which is kind of a big deal if you don't know the trails. But we did well and made some money! Exciting first ride.
The second ride was at the end of the day since it was slow. A bunch of the wranglers (Malori, Kristyn, Clay and Jeff) and I went out on a short 30-minute ride. This time I wrote Otis who was boring but reliable and a good way to become more re-familiarized with Western riding. Good ride.
Today I went on another 1-hour ride (about 6 people) and got to ride one of Malori's project horses, Oliver. He is one of my favorites from his personality and looks so I was excited. Malori says I'm the first one to ride him other than her. He was prancy and kind of pining for Malori (who rode a different horse on the same ride) but we did well. He was really sure-footed and did well on the steep, rocky paths. The weather was pretty crappy all day but we did well in spite of it.
So that's my short recap! Thought I'd just share a little, even though not much has happened.
P.S. It's snowing...
So is Western riding different from what you did before? I had no idea (although I don't know why) that each horse has such a different personality. Glad you are getting to actually ride this early in your job!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I normally ride in the English style which is much more formalized and specific. Almost purely for recreation and sport. Western riding is very functional and used on ranches an in trail ride situations since it's much more laid back and safe.
ReplyDeleteAll horseshoe have different personalities--just like dogs. They have moods and best friends and we just have to learn how to work around them! It's a constant lesson in teamwork and collaboration.
I've gone on a couple of rides and might even get to go on a 2-hour steak ride tonight which I'm really looking forward to.
Since you are at 7500 ft elevation, please remember to drink lots of water even though you aren't thirsty. Dehydration will prevent you from enjoying this adventure. Hugs
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