Jan 25 2011
Three for the Price of One
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Sunday was a full day with the horses. I rode Forest in the round pen, then later ponied him while I rode Asali. Our trainer, Sheri, came up to work with Beauty. I rode her in the arena for about 40 minutes under Sheri’s guidance, and then I took her out on the trail by herself. Beauty was a really good girl – not spooky at all, although a dirt bike we saw made her a little nervous.
Yesterday, however, was my first day back at nursing school. After an early morning orientation on campus, I drove the 50 minutes back home. I had exactly 2 hours to get all 3 horses worked before I had to return to campus for an evening mental health lecture. So, what did I do? I rode Asali, ponied Forest, and let Beauty run free on the trail. Because we have such remote trails, we are able to let the horses run free without worrying about running into anyone on the trail (I picked a trail where ATVs and dirt bikes are not allowed). We have several trails that run directly into the ranch, so if the loose horse decided to run back to the barn, I don’t have to worry about her crossing any sort of intersection. Beauty, however, stayed right with the herd. Caine, our labrador retriever, and Ellie, our beagle, came along for the ride too. So, it was really 5 for the price of 1!
My first day back at nursing school, unfortunately, ended with a trip to the ER. No, I didn’t fall off my horse. No, it wasn’t me. Gary was playing basketball with Jakob’s team when he heard a loud “pop” and went down on the court. He was unable to move his left foot, so he called me to come get him and the boys. (Surprisingly, I had to convince him to go to the ER – he finally agreed after I consulted with my friend, Julie, a Physician Assistant and the one who got me into this crazy sport of endurance.) Gary now has an appointment with an orthopedist on Thursday afternoon. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he won’t need surgery for what might be a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Never a dull moment in the life of the Gregorys. Welcome to our fast paced life.