The. Best. Ride. Ever.

Friday December 17 2010

I love my horse.

Stormy, the lazy, retired Thoroughbred racehorse took me on a great ride.

I get on him once every couple of months, just to prove I can - but he's usually foot-sore to some degree or another - he's got navicular disease, the severity of which comes and goes - and he usually moves carefully, with little short strides.

He's looked pretty sound the last month, and today when we went out for a ride with Carol and Suz - wow! He positively sauntered along the trail - a long, free reaching stride at the walk, head swinging back and forth, and an easy-moving trot - gone was the short choppy protective jog he does when his feet hurt.


And when he's sound, he's fun to ride. He doesn't spook like these Arabians. He's bold and relaxed and unworried - though he wasn't always so, and at times I thought he never would be. Age (he's 19) and the pursuit of laziness has surely played a part in that. He's also big and solid - 16.2 hands which is about average for a thoroughbred racehorse, but larger than the average Arabian.


Stormy's just doing well all around. Lately, he's even taken to playing, something I'd never seen him do in the 14 years I've known him. (Thanks, Jose!)

Maybe it's just a good cycle his feet are going through, maybe it's not being overweight, maybe it's having a good buddy, maybe it's the cold winter he's thriving on (like me!), maybe he's getting younger as he's getting older. All I know is, this was the Best Ride Ever!