The day started off with promise – a beautiful morning with not a cloud in the sky and already 20 degrees at 6am. She was excited to be heading out on her first club ride – something she would not have done on her previous horse – not because of the ride itself but more the anxiety she felt just to get there. He was not an easy horse and she could never trust him to stay put.. stay tied .. or even get in the bloody float to start with.
August was different. This horse didn’t have any racing trauma or triggers and was always easy to float and take out and about. Although still young and “green”, August showed more promise in the last few months than she had seen before in all her previous horses. She was so pleased with how August was going – so versatile, calm, clever and the perfect size for her which certainly helped with her confidence.
It didn’t seem fair that she had found this wonderful lifestyle so late in life. She’d always loved horses right from the age of four when she’d first sat on her uncle’s big old farm horse Gypsy in her cowboy outfit … she’d fallen off that day but clearly it had not deterred her as she’d been riding on and off since. Sometimes lucky enough to own her own and other times having beg, steal or borrow any horse that was available – the good the bad and the ugly! She had learnt a lot from those horses – mostly how be patient, calm a stressed mount and how to stay on and persevere – amusing given she was not a patient person.
Always wanting her own acreage, now she finally had it. Living the dream as they say although it had taken the last four years to find her forever horse to match the forever house.
First the welsh pony who never grew quite big enough and then Apples – the beautiful big, bold ex-racehorse with all his quirks but he tried so hard. The hand reared foal Sunny – a stunning cremello but he was a psycho – hand reared foals have no boundaries and in her view could never be trusted. And then Apples the racehorse back again – the universe clearly hadn’t finished teaching her what she needed to know to be ready for August. Apples was a fabulous horse to ride but his ground manners were a different story – literally, dear readers and one that may be written.
So here she was on August, feeling relaxed and happy for the ride ahead. A beautiful day with beautiful people. She had arrived at the club meet early, more out of habit. She was used to getting to rides early to walk her horse around to settle – August didn’t need this but the habit persisted. Plenty of time to tack up and get ready for their ride briefing. Her friends were there – her trail and endurance buddies and she felt calm and ready for the ride ahead.
She counted about thirty horses – all types, colours, breeds. Young riders and then the old cowboys who clearly had been there and done that in their very Aussie Akubra hats and jeans. Other than her endurance ride a few months ago, this was the most horses she’d been out riding with but she felt prepared, calm and wasn’t concerned… famous last words indeed.
So off they went .. out the gate heading into the forestry. And that was when the fun started. Her friend Sue had a beautiful Dunello, a big chunky, creamy gold, quarter horse who had been out on a few rides together with her and her endurance friend. Jimmy was stunning and knew it. Jimmy also was not impressed with being in a group of 30 horses and not at the front where he believed he belonged.
Riding horses is always a lottery – some days are great and some a challenge. Horses have a mind of their own and off days, just like we do. She was pretty sure this was why she loved it so much – the challenge and the building of that partnership needed to ensure a great and safe ride. This was not Sue’s day and Jimmy was not going to settle – not happy and showing it. He certainly was not impressed with being spun in circles either to try and calm him down which in fact today seemed to wind him up more.
Horses pick up on the energy around them and August did exactly that. She panicked and lost her tiny mind clearly stressing with the other horses around her. A bucking horse is one thing, rearing and pig rooting another sign of not being happy and not coping. Running backwards was, to her, the worst. You never knew if your horse was going to buck, rear, jump forward or all of the above! Running backwards into trees or fences was a fear that she had never overcome so the only option was getting off and walking August to give them both back the confidence they needed to continue the ride.
August did indeed settle and the rest of the ride was mostly without drama – another notch in her belt as they built their partnership.
Sue was not so lucky. With Jimmy clearly not giving in or calming down Sue was escorted back to ride base where Jimmy continued his tantrum before being loaded up and taken home with a promise of no more lucerne for him and a good talking to no doubt.
Riding horses is hard. It’s a challenging journey with many highs and lows. It can be a deeply rewarding journey but one that needs patience, perseverance, and effort. It’s not just about sitting on a horse … it’s about building trust with a creature that has a mind of its own and doesn’t see the world the same way you do. There are moments of triumph, where everything clicks and the ride feels effortless, but also days filled with frustration, setbacks, and even doubt. Some days you feel like giving up but she never had .. even after all the falls and the tears, horses were in her blood and remained there.
So now she was home, watching the storms roll in, drinking wine and reflecting on her ride, and thinking “did not die”. She was happy, she was blessed and ready to ride another day.
The She Diaries 
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