Ride in the Park

The fog never did let up

The weatherman predicted the temps to be in the upper 60's and sunny today so I couldn't help it.   Despite me just having two rides under my belt since my knee replacement -- one at five minutes in length and the other fifteen minutes long, I had to try for a trail ride at our local park.

The weatherman was wrong.  The temps got up to about the middle 50's and the entire day remained foggy.  I've never been to Scotland but I imagine the weather today was something a Scotsman would find familiar.    It wasn't raining but as you moved through the air, it was wet enough that you felt as if you were collecting raindrops from the air.

So not the weather that convinced me to give the park a try but not bad for a January day.

One of our trail mates -- Wash the Mule!

I had convinced a few other folks to join me so I had some help thank goodness.  One of my friends held Golly as I used a picnic table to mount.   Yeah!.. mounting on the picnic table worked just as well as my tall mounting block at home.

We ambled around the ring for a bit as a start.  I had decided not to ask any "questions" of Golly during todays ride.   He's had seven weeks off as well and he has in the past gotten sour to work without some relaxation time so I thought a simple ride with the only expectation of going forward and having fun would be best.

After a bit we hit the trail and that's when I realized that not only is physical therapy humbling after surgery but riding was also going to be a humbling experience.   I've always been the one that "helped" out on the trail.  Making sure that everyone was safe.  Providing leads across streams or a good "bumper" to a horse that had forgotten their brakes.

On the trail

Today I was the one who needed help and it was a new experience.   I had to ask my trail mates to wait after crossing a stream and stop and when we got to fields to ensure that Golly remained calm and there was NO chance of an upset horse and a potential fall on my healing knee.

It was a new experience for me and I realize its way more fun to help than to be helped.  I sincerely appreciated my trail mates help though.

Overall Golly did well today but I could feel some tension in him and he was quite insistent on not being left behind.  At one point he stopped to pee (this horse pees more than any other horse I've met on the trail) and was a bit upset when he started off again and realized how far back he was from his friends.   We had some light bucks right then but not bad.   Its been a long time since he's been ridden so I don't think he did all that bad considering.

I didn't go long.  After about an hour I decided that any more would be pushing it so we headed back to the trailers.   The picnic table served as a dismount block and I was happy that not only was there no pain, my knee actually felt BETTER than before the ride.  Success!