Another ride

Well, I got another ride in this weekend, my 8th since having Cody.  Coming 'back' this time after having a kid has been a lot harder, and slower than my first, 10 years ago.  I'd like to blame the ms, but I am coming to realize that the added time, and age, has a lot to do with it too.  I've been working as hard as I dare on my PT, which is hard when you don't know when your tank is going to be empty... like today, for example, doing some of my exercises AND organizing and going through clothes for my little man.  I'm definitely feeling it in my back!  But, I can tell it's helping and that I'm getting stronger.

Anyway, the ride.  It was a rather uneventful one and probably only an hour long, But I can say that the biggest moment came at the beginning when we were deciding if my instructor should go get my mounting block or not and I just stuck my foot in the stirrup.  Then she made sure it was secure and I got on w/out a push.  I just walked, working more on my horse's roundness and obedience, and letting my instructor figure out where I was, physically.  THEN, I got OFF the best I have since I started riding again!  Most dismounts have looked like 'controlled falling', as on friend who rode with me called it, or required someone pulling me off the horse.  This time, I grabbed the mane up fairly high on the neck and used that to lift myself up and out of the saddle so I could swing my leg over.  It worked!  And lowering myself to the ground went 'easy-peesy' as well.  I now know for certain that I can 'get back' what seemed to have been 'lost', and I plan to start working through riding exercises set up to strength and secure your seat.  I am grateful that if my job had to 'let me go', that they sent me through the instructor accreditation program first so that I was able to learn these exercises, designed for teaching beginner riding students.

This picture is not from Sunday, but is my first ride after Cody on January 10th.  Perhaps I'll remember to bring my camera more places now that I'm writing this. :-)