To ride dressage is to dance with your horse, equal partners in the delicate and sometimes difficult work of creating harmony and beauty.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Ritz


This is the young Morgan I hauled last week. I went to visit him today, and take some photos. I'm surprised I held out this long. I'll admit it; I've been smitten with this horse since meeting him over a year ago. But after racking my brain for options, praying, dropping a huge hint in my Christmas card to his owner, I had resigned myself to unrequited love. Then I got that call last week, and ever since I've been fighting the rising hope that he might yet become mine.

It's too early to know yet if Russell is healing up sound enough to be Ritz' owner's trail partner, so that we could trade horses. That hasn't stopped me from thinking of all the back-strengthening exercises I would do with this boy to get him fit to carry a saddle again. I mean, this back
is clearly in need of some serious muscle-building! And this brain
needs confidence-building. But I've been there, done that with Axel (my first Morgan), and we developed the most wonderful relationship. Granted, I got Axel as a yearling and Ritzy is seven years old; I would not be starting at ground zero with Ritz and the relationship would be different. But he has that keen Morgan mind, and those breathtaking Morgan looks....