Amy And I Have Interim Boyfriends. With Ponytails.
Trip Start
Jun 07, 2008
1
6
13
Trip End
Jun 28, 2008
Christchurch,
New Zealand
Sunday, June 15, 2008
We headed out to the yard and we met Jackie who was our instructor. We put on our hats and gloves and went to find helmets
Sunrise
. She taught us a release knot and then we had to go catch our horses. So, we grabbed a handful of oats and harnesses and headed to a pasture above the driveway. There, she pointed out a medium sized horse and said it was Rissa's (Willow), she demonstrated how to out on the harness and everything. There was a huge horse near us who kept trying to eat our oats and we kept freaking out while she calmly pushed him away. God, they're huge. Turns out that was Tuscany, my horse. So, I gave him his oats and put on his harness and the Amy and Mom caught theirs. Mom had Lyrical and Amy had Dundee. Then we headed back down to the yard and we tied them up. We took off their covers (known as rugs). Then it was time to groom them. We had to pick their hooves, a job that involved bending over and holding very heavy horse feet while pushing away from you. This is a great bicep/tricep workout. That took us a while to get the hang of, but now I think I can do it fairly quickly. When that was done, we brushed them, which wasn't strenuous, but required you to watch the horse and see where they were tender. Then, we were ready to put on our saddles and strap them up. Jackie bridled them for us. She said it has to be done correctly or they'll learn they don't like it and won't let you do it in the future. Then we led our horses to a mounting block, hopped on and headed to a training arena. For a long time, we learned basics about steering and starting and stopping. We got up to a trot and Amy got up to a canter. Rissa's horse led her off down the path and Jackie had to go running after her
Sunrise
. Mom's horse was content in not doing anything really strenuous which was fine with Mom. Jackie said that Tuscany respected me because usually he didn't cooperate as well as he did. She also commented that I made the stand-sit necessary for trotting very easy, but that I didn't always do it. That was hard for me to get the hang of, but I did eventually. Around lunchtime, we all got tired and decided it was time to stop. So, we had to take the horses back to the yard, unbridle them, unsaddle them, reharness them, pick their hooves, brush them down, and re-cover them all before walking them to their lunch paddock. There is SO much work involved in riding. It's not like you can be all, Oh, I feel like riding RIGHT NOW. Lunch was chicken noodle or fresh pumpkin soup with more toast. Lots of carbs here. After lunch, Amy and I said we wanted to go out again on a trek, while Mom and Riss were sore and tired, so they stayed at the farm. Amy and I went back out and did everything again to get the horses ready. Then, we set off, just us and Jackie. She was a young horse, who was pretty skittish and looked like she was going to buck her a few times.
This trek was one of the coolest things I've ever done. We rode through some fields and pastures, heading our way up a mountain. When we got there, the view was ridiculous. Because of the hedges around each pasture, it was little patchwork squares of land and the sun was coming in between clouds so some areas were light and some were dark
Sunrise
. We had a 360 degree view and we felt like we were in a movie. It was unbelievable. As we were walking up the hill, Amy said I thought New Zealand wasn't going to be as cool as Australia, but I was wrong. I said, yeah, Australia's got some catching up to do. Jackie took pictures of us up there, Amy's turned out wonderfully. My horse wasn't cooperating as well though. Then we came down the mountain and we got to trot across meadows. It was SO romantic and movie-like. Next, we crossed a stream and a little farther down, we went IN the stream for a good while. I have video of that. We did more meadow riding, more trotting, more streams and then we headed back. By the time we got back it was dusk and by the time we put the horses away, it was dark. Then it was dinner time! We had lasagna, but without tomato sauce, just meat, cheese and vegetables, along with leeks and mashed potatoes and carrots and green beans. It was all so yummy and fresh. At dinner, we said we'd love to go out for another ride tomorrow before we leave if possible. They said absolutely, but be ready early. Bruce passed his beer down the table and said Give this to Mo. Amy said she didn't normally drink beer, but that she'd try it, and after she took a swig, she declared it delicious, so I tried it and I also thought it was great. I usually don't like beer, but it was almost fruity and very low in alcohol content. For your reference, it was called Export Gold. After dinner, we watched some TV and used the internet. Amy and I played some cards games, Spit and Gin. We each won 2, I think.
Then, I was tired, so I slept, again I think Amy stayed up.
Oh, and I finished the book Sarah gave me for the trip yesterday. It took me a week, which is about 1/3 as fast as I would have normally read it, but that's great, because it means I've been actually doing trip things and not just reading :)
