All posts,  Horses

Two Riders. Two Steeds.

May 20, 2011 / 17 Comments

We made a rare appearance at Pony Club last weekend.  It was the first time this year, what with floods and travelling and being busy and mustering and such…

It was a great chance to focus on the kids and the two horses we bought around December for them. It’s hard buying the right horse for your child – the pairing has to be right, or the little riders lose confidence or get frustrated.  So it was good to review the choices we had made in the sand-floored arena at the local showgrounds.

Violet took the opportunity to use her new deerskin gloves (picked up in Houston).  She also decided to ride with her reins up around her ears…

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In spite of her Mother calling out: SHORTEN YOUR REINS, SHORTEN YOUR REINS!!!

(I may be scarring her for life, in my ambition to be the Most Embarrassing Mother in the World.  Apparently I am well on the way to securing this title.)

Will you check out the concentration on this girl’s face though?

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And what a darling horse is Sandy?  Check out that flying mane and sweet collection… nursing his young rider along. He has had much experience in the show/pony club arena, and it shows.  Violet soon gave up on the gloves (while they matched Sandy nicely, they were apparently TOTALLY to blame for the too-long reins).  Sandy continued hacking along on the correct leg regardless…

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I suspect he also knows how good he looks in purple. Or under Violet. (And yes, I am cracking myself up here.)

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Whoa Sandy. WHOA Violet.

They are both competitive and focussed and have the odd tussle when Violet has been known to come off and then clamber right back on again – riding soulmates.

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I have a good feeling in my gut about this pair.   Along with a little tugging in my heart.

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Of course, there was another pairing that caught our attention at the rodeo arena in our small town, where the Pony Club rally was taking place.

Dash and Pickles.  Dash is not as naturally keen as Violet to GO riding, and is easily made nervous if something doesn’t go according to plan.  He worries and frets but once he is there, in the saddle, he looks right at home.

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And Pickles, his steed… well, Pickles has not only worked his way right into our hearts with his cuddly nature since arriving just before the Big Floods at the start of the year, he has also transformed.  He is only five years old and was all long and lean and awkward when he came. And then with the floods, he got rain scald really badly and lost a good percentage of his hair. He wasn’t pretty.  I wondered if we had done the right thing actually, bringing him into our wet, wet world – he just looked so miserable.

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But then as the country dried out, and he was wormed, and he adapted to his new environment, he started to fill out, re-grow his coat, and BLOOM.  We arrived home from our trip to a rippling, shining bay beauty.

How handsome is he now?

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But what I adore most about him, despite his youth and inexperience, is that Pickles is kind. And gentle. He is quite tall (standing at more than 15 hands) but stands like a lamb when Dash clambers up a fence and crawls aboard.  And never looks like bucking or being too naughty with him. For this little jockey, that matters far more than looks.

And the pair of them together is a sight to inspire a satisfied sigh in this Mama.  And the pair of these PAIRS makes me think we must be doing SOMETHING right. (Even if my sideline manner could do with some toning down!)

So far, so good.

🙂

BB

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17 Comments

  • Barb.B
    May 20, 2011 at 10:13 am Reply

    Nothing makes you prouder than seeing your kids riding there horses and feeling in control, enjoying something that many people never get to experience.

  • Reena
    May 20, 2011 at 10:26 am Reply

    What a lovely post and great pics. I grew up on a farm and had ponies and horses always at my disposal to ride. Sometimes I would go to the field and hop on them bareback. My grandmother was always afraid of letting me use the saddle (fear of catching my foot in the stirrup when out of her sight). Wonderful memories of exploring the woods, trying to set up jumps, etc. Had many spills and it was seared in my brain, “You fall off, you get right back up in the saddle.” Good advice for everything in life!
    Reena´s last blog post ..Doomsday

  • Colin (HB)
    May 20, 2011 at 5:12 pm Reply

    “SHORTEN YOUR REINS, SHORTEN YOUR REINS!!!” Yes – yes!
    Looks like BB, young Violet, took too much notice of the riders in Houston (?), yes, young Violet, listen to your mother.
    Nice looking horses for Dash and Violet, and why aren’t they wearing proper skull caps, like equestrian riders?
    Also from an OLD hand, just the toe section of the riding boot into the stirrup, easier to come off, if an incident unexpectedly occurs. Full boot can result into being dragged – old pony club rules 1950’s.
    Great photos and good to see the kids are having a real ball with their new steeds.
    Cheers
    Colin

    • Bush Babe
      May 21, 2011 at 10:35 pm Reply

      Colin – the kids did have closed-in riding boots until they were about 5 (when most kids stop using them as they grow too big for their boots to fit safely in them). They have safety stirrups which prevent their feet being caught. You will notice their skullcaps are also regulation riding safety hats with a shade attached. Can’t get a whole lot safer!
      🙂

  • Lynda M O
    May 20, 2011 at 5:53 pm Reply

    My absolute favorite posts of yours are these (as I mentioned on FB) of the children and their horses. I have never had a good relationship with a horse and always wanted one. May I live vicariously thru your kids from the far shores of the Pacific ?~!

  • Theresa in Alberta
    May 20, 2011 at 10:29 pm Reply

    Those kids are receiving fabulous life lessons, getting self confidence, and making life long friends. I am sure they will over come the trauma of their sideline mother 😉

  • debby
    May 21, 2011 at 8:47 pm Reply

    Violet is beautifully focused. I remember that picture of Dash before his first campdraft and his nervouse face (I love the picture still, and have saved it). I think that Dash was a bit more cautious than Violet, but both of them know their horses now, don’t they? The confidence that they learn while managing horses will stand them in good stead for all of their lives.

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