I finally took my granddaughter horseback riding this past Saturday. We’d been waiting for a suitably warm and dry day to go with her, as that’s what she’d wanted for her birthday outing.
Her birthday was last fall, but I was out in South Africa so couldn’t take her anywhere then.
We had a grand day! She made fast friends with the fattest barn cat I have ever seen and spent the time we were waiting to saddle up being slave to this feline’s bottomless desire for endless head scratches and tummy rubs.
Out on the trail, her horse took the lead and mine hung back, so we didn’t get to do much talking on the trail. I really wanted to show her the woodland and field wildflowers that were there. I saw wild strawberry blossoms, blooming crabapple trees, the end of the dogtoothed violets, masses of trilliums, Mayapples popping up and a couple things I couldn’t identify.
But she did see two blue jays and an Eastern bluebird which I didn’t see – and though I heard the red-winged blackbirds I didn’t see them.
After a leisurely hour and a bit walking through the woods, we came back to the farm, watered the horses and finished giving out the apple slices and carrot chunks I’d brought as treats for the horses. Some of those we gave to the new colts.
The granddaughter stretched out in the grass, not seeming in any hurry to leave the peace and get back to the city. I sat and watched a half-dozen red-tailed hawks circling overhead, and was told by the farm staff that the past couple of years they have also had some turkey buzzards in the area. I didn’t know that they came this way at all.
The granddaughter’s horse was great. One horse ran away for a brief period with it’s tiny female rider, but that was controlled very quickly. Since our group was so big, they had to dig down to get enough horses and I ended up with a Belgian, usually used for draught horses and more used to pulling in teams than being ridden singly. It was really rather like trying to ride a card table, she was so wide, and my thighs are feeling it today. Oh, well . . . I love it out there and don’t much care, just wish I could go often enough that I’d get used to it again. Until I started taking my grandkids last summer, I hadn’t ridden in over 40 years, so a bit out of practice.
But what a lovely day – sunshine, fresh air, time in the bush and with animals, and time with my granddaughter.
