FROM MY PONY

Awhile back I had to start riding again.  I say “had to” because my horse is for sale and for her to be at her best she needs to be in work.  Soooo, even though I practically grew up on horseback, I dreaded having to get back into a riding routine.  Mostly, it was one more thing to do, but also it seemed as though the me that loved to ride had gone to live somewhere else.  Unfortunately, this was not an excuse I could justify.

I am lucky.  Ella is extremely generous with all of my flopping around.  She is so good that it triggered a memory about a personal project that I had an idea for some years back.  Like a book on a shelf I dusted it off, opened it up and wondered about how to begin.  Essentially,  I am revisiting the trails of my youth and also later,as a mom, when I shared these same fields and woods with my own children and their horses and ponies.  I am capturing these places on film as a form of closure.

Ella is technically a small horse because of her size but I like to call her my pony in honor of her Connemara roots. Her full name is Irish Elegance and she was born and raised right here on the farm.  Ella’s wide set eyes have a glimmer that give away her mischievous personality and if she were a human she would be the one to play practical jokes.  She may be small but she is large in spirit!

What started out as dread has turned into delight as I have been able to enjoy short little adventures every day while benefitting from the exercise,  creativity, and beauty of the natural world.  I guess the me that loved to ride hasn’t gone to live somewhere else after all.

Peace,

Amy