Back in the saddle ......

A few years ago .... dressage is far from the minds of the cowboys here!

It's been nearly two years since I rode horses semi-seriously - and by semi-seriously, I mean that I did the early morning weekend competitions, the occasional after work drive to ride, the manure collection and the hay-filled car thing.  This afternoon, I needed no convincing to dust off the jodphurs and Italian riding boots to go for my first Canadian ride.  To say that I didn't fit in is an understatement .... I seemed to forget that I was living in the middle of cow country - jeans, cowboy boots and cowboy hats is the order of the day here.  A visit to the nearest (and there are plenty of them) Western horse shop is on the cards this weekend.  I've committed myself (still not sure if it was a wise decision?!) to helping out with the polo ponies for the season and today marked the first day riding after the scruffy ponies surfaced from the winter.  It was a beautiful ride, across the farmland, through the valley watching deer pounce out in front of us, much to the disgust of the skittish polo ponies.  But, it felt good to be back in the saddle, albeit a tired old polo saddle.