So many times in my life I’ve looked at gorgeous photos of Ireland and people galloping down its beaches and thought…wow…wouldn’t it be loverly…And now I can officially say, “I’m countin’ on it!” because my husband is now officially Irish (all it takes is the right ancestry, lots of documentation and a patient acumen for red tape, and you, too, can become Irish!). And he and I are making a pilgrimage to the homeland this year. While his vision includes regular injections of Guinness at stops along a clockwise island route, the only vision I can focus on is of me galloping down a beach.
I’ve picked Dingle for the beach, and in preparation for riding an English saddle, my previous barn and friends are graciously allowing me to use their English saddles and wonderful schooling (push-button) Morgan horse named Joe. I can’t help but compare how much easier it is to learn new things on Joe than it is on Dodger. Joe patiently does what he thinks I’m asking him for, then waits for my equitation to catch up. Riding Dodger, on the other hand, feels like we spend a lot of time wondering what the other is thinking/saying, taking a stab at the translation, then waiting for the other to catch up. And, when Dodger’s into it, things click really well, but before I started riding Joe these last few weeks, I really didn’t understand what several good clicks in a row felt like under saddle.
It doesn’t make me love Dodger any less…and I do love learning right along with him, but I’m sure there are many who would prefer their midlife horse be the type that is good at guessing with less-than-perfect cues, then patiently waits for their rider’s skill to catch up. If you have the choice, it’s a good one to carefully consider…I’m just sayin’…