Superlative

Yknow what's amazing?  That I actually get to own and ride this wonderful horse.  This astonishingly kind, athletic, willing creature is my own.

I still stop and am amazed sometimes that I am riding my OWN horse.  Not someone else's, not a horse I'm leasing ... my own horse.   Mine to bond with and care for and love.   I don't have to give him back to anyone (except our maker, may that be a long time from now), and I get to choose where I live and what I do -- which means staying with my horse because I want to.  I felt that way, just astonished that I was finally riding my very own horse, when I bought Rev at 31.  Now, a few days shy of 37, I still feel it, and I feel like I have gotten the opportunity to have a really nice horse of my very own.  How amazing is that?!   Close to 40 and still sometimes giddy about my very. own. horse.

But that's not really what I'm trying to say here.  What I really mean is that I am amazed that THIS horse is the one I have.  Somehow I got blessed with this wonderful animal.   How unspeakably lucky do I feel?  Unwritably unspeakably lucky.  Days like this make me believe in everything good.   Whatever force led me to call about him, try him, and buy him -- whether you call it God, Goddess, karma, fate, happenstance, human insight and awareness, Bob Dobbs -- to that force, I am a thousand times grateful.

And I'm grateful for the people who had him before me, too.  His previous owner taught him good dressage and fostered his good temper.  Redheadlins got him off the track and started him as a riding horse, and she did an amazing job of it.  (Go read her, incidentally.  She's got a lot of fun and interesting things to say about her really cool life and horses and husband and dog!)  Whoever bred him for the track chose well; I wish I knew more about the horses in his pedigree.   So all those people contributed hugely to this wonderful thing in my life, and I'm so thankful.

Obviously, we had a great lesson tonight.  Didn't do anything earth-shattering, just flat work.  Worked specifically on his outline and on my position in the canter, and made some good changes.   More than anything, I just really, really enjoyed riding Apollo.  The fact that this was just a daily ride, that this is How It Is, seems really important to me, if that makes any sense.    And the fact that things will get better from here? That's just so awesome to think about.

How amazingly lucky am I to have this horse to ride and love?  I mean, really.   I don't have enough happy words for this, and I have a frighteningly large vocabulary.  :)