Posts tagged Horses

Running (or rodeo riding) before she can walk

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15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

I’ve come to the conclusion that Zara is always going to puzzle me, she has been at the “almost walking” stage for ages now, she will take 4-5 steps quite happily when she isn’t thinking about it but if she stops to think then she seems to bottle it and prefer the safer option of crawling. Probably completely normal and in a way I’m glad she has a cautious element to her.

She does however have a reckless obsession with climbing, why bother walking forwards when you can aim for the skies is apparently her current motto. Leave anything anywhere which can enable her to get a little bit higher and she will find it, stand on it. She has even learnt to stack objects in an effort to get higher! This evening she even attempted to climb out of the bath by standing on some of her toys.

The other evening she was happily climbing on and off her bounce and spin zebra and I took my eyes off her for 5 seconds, I look up and this is what I see…

I could get a job in the circus!

She was really enjoying it aswell, of course being a super cautious mum, rather than rushing to remove her from imminent danger, I instead reached for the camera. It must be the horsewoman in me that makes me so proud of her interest in being in (or in this case on) the saddle :) I’m already wondering how long it will be before I can get her on a pony and let the real fun begin! Maybe in a few years she’ll be joining mummy in her love of horses :) I guess the proper walking is just around the corner.

Maybe she wants to be just like mummy

Today I’m Reminiscing

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15 years ago
by dawniebrown in

For some reason today I’ve been thinking back to my life before marriage and babies. I don’t know why it’s in my head today of all days. I’m very content with my lot, I love my husband, my baby and my house up here in the not-so-sunny North East.

Before I met my husband I was single and living alone in a rented flat in Hull. My life back then was dominated by my equine lifestyle. I rode various horses and competed at dressage (or stressage as more commonly know by the horsey community I mingled in). Outside of work I lived in jodphurs, I rarely wore makeup, everything I owned was covered in horse hair and my car smelt like a stable. I was out riding in the wind, the rain, the snow, occasionally the sun and I loved it. I loved my horsey friends, the horses I rode and seeing the countryside from a different angle.

There is something really nice about riding down country bridleways on a sunny morning. For some reason the wildlife doesn’t see you as much of a threat when you’re on a horse and as you trot along you have some wonderful encounters with rabbits, deer (ok so our encounter with the deer could probably be described more as a chaotic encounter), various native birds etc. In our old menage we had a little barn own who used to sit on the fence and watch us schooling in the winter evenings when it was dark, occasionally swooping across the school with that graceful silence that only owls seem to have.

Right now I would love to just be able to change into my jods, throw on my boots and get on my old Arthur and take him for a good gallop across the fields but of course I have a sleeping baby upstairs and Arthur is now retired and living near Hull where I left him when we moved up to the North East. In fact I haven’t ridden since then (about 3 years ago :( ) and I know it’s my fault but life has been pretty chaotic with a new marriage, new baby, 2 house moves, new jobs, new business and a new community – I guess riding has just faded into the background.

I know deep down that riding is not given up forever, in fact I’m sure as soon as Zara is old enough I’ll be chucking her on a horse and in a few years it could be me and Zara trotting down those bridleways together as I show her how wonderful life in the saddle is. :)

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