Riding On

I haven't trained horses, or managed a riding stable, in many moons. In fact, I'm now one of those people I used to smile politely at when they'd come for a first lesson and say, "Well, I used to ride," or (worse yet) "I used to train horses." Big deal, I'd think.

But as happens ever so more frequently as time passes, I am now who I used to sneer at. Oh, well.

This autumn, though, those days of sawdust and Neat's Foot Oil (100 pure, because the compund rots stiching) have come back to me. The cool weather and sunshine are the perfect days to saddle up and work on lightening a horse's mouth, working on a "shoulder in," or practicing pacing between jumps set two or three strides apart.

Fresh hay in the loft, oiled leather in the tack room, and a contented horse munching after a good schooling. A perfect autumn day.