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August 14, 2020: In My Horsey Comfort Zone

I got up at the undogly hour of 7 a.m. this morning, so as to have all my morning chores done and the horses ready to ride at 9 a.m. This is when my friend Terri was scheduled to come over and ride with me. As always, she was to ride Raudi. I’d decided to ride Tyra.

Once she got here, we began yakking, as we always do, about a wide variety of topics. We talked all the way to Grizzly Camp and back, about many, many things, including our continued involvement with horses. Terri is most likely going to purchase an Icelandic gelding. She is going to check one out that’s now in Washington State. This gelding is supposedly very well trained and, she has been told, has trail experience.


Raudi and Alys on Bridge


Terri’s reasoning, in going with a well-trained horse, which has a fairly high price tag, is that, yes, she could get a much younger horse for less money. However, when she figured out the cost per year, for all its care and training, this was equivalent to what she’d pay down the road if she now purchased a younger horse.

Terri’s take on this matter made sense to me. It was also what prompted me to say that, finally, I am in my horse comfort zone. I added that it took me 15 very long years to get here. I now have four horses that range in age from 7 to 31. They are all very savvy, reliable trail animals, and now I seldom if ever feel any apprehension when riding them.

This was not always the case. I remember the first time I came down Grizzly Camp hill on Tinni. I was very anxious and could hardly wait for the group ride to be over. Then the group went up and down the steeper hill that we call the bench. I thought for sure that Tinni was going to bolt in the direction of home. Of course, he did not.

The two oldest horses, Tinni and Raudi, have bore more of my angst than the two younger horses, Hrimmi and Tyra. By the time I started riding them, I was feeling more self-assured.

I now look forward to rather than dread riding alone, or with others. All it took was going out again, again, again, and again. I sensed that I’d get there. And I did.

The question some may have is, do I want to challenge myself by going out of my comfort zone, say, by riding unfamiliar horses? The answer is no and yes. No. I am quite happy riding my own horses. Yes, I would like to go to Iceland and participate in a sheep roundup. This would of course mean that I’d be riding different horses.

If presented with such an opportunity, I would do this. I’d initially be apprehensive and maybe even remain apprehensive if the horses were uncontrollably forward. But then again, I now have a fairly good seat and would be able to go along for the ride.

I don’t know if with the Covid restrictions if I am ever going to go to Iceland. No matter, my comfort zone is right now a good place to be.

Next: 225. 8/15/20: Shadow’s Dog Blog

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