There was some stress to the morning, but when we got our butts in gear we hopped into the Subaru and drove up the mountain to I-81.
There was a horse adventure to be had.
Carrie has been trading emails about a potential free lease (keyword: "free") that would be safe for Shane to ride. The pony was in Radford, so we stopped in Lexington on the way.
Carrie got to visit a horse store and Shane got to get racked hopping on a saddle-pad!
He also got some riding equipment. Here he's posing in a pair of gloves after accidentally breaking the plastic that held them together! Luckily, they were the best fitting pair and Carrie wanted them anyway.
We grabbed some lunch in town, but Carrie wanted to get on the road fairly quickly. We were running late and she'd hurt her knee the night (or so?) before. The injury limited her mobility and enjoyment of moving.
The property we went to was expansive. It was down the street and up a 'hill' from the college and looked like it had miles of trails and hundreds of horses!
The lady we were meeting was on a trail ride with some customers, so we explored.
I took a picture of the trail system to show Carrie.
Shane geared up to ride, but discovered his boots were suddenly too small. Carrie said, "No way," and I said, "It's what you got, so suck it up. We don't have any alternatives."
Shane complained, but got distracted by dogs and sand.
The dogs arrived with the lady we were meeting, so Carrie talked shop while Shane played (He only threw some sand into the fan which only got him in a little trouble).
Carrie happily talked shop while Shane and I walked behind (with Shane saying "ow" with every step now). One of the dogs plopped into the mud and earned the name, "Hippo."
I kept insisting Shane tough it out, but I hadn't realized how much walking we were going to have to do. We helped walk a couple of horses back to the field, so that the woman could pull Primrose out of her pasture.
Primrose was a 14 year old warm-blood and draft cross who used to be a Pony Club veteran until her girl outgrew her. She'd been on the trail ride circuit for the Scouts of America's summer camps since then, but was looking for a more permanent home.
We walked Prim back and Carrie got to know her with a grooming session.
Shane was thrilled when he was offered a bottle of water. It was hot out.
The end goal for Carrie was to find a super safe horse that she would be comfortable with Shane learning to ride on. She'd love to take him on trail rides and share her passion for horses with him. She wanted a pony sturdy enough that an adult could ride, as well, in case she had a friend visit or I popped on.
My goal for the day was to get Carrie in the saddle, then Shane. She loves riding and she hasn't ridden her own horse much at all.
She put Prim through her paces and had me play photographer.
I took plenty of video for her to check out the gait, leads, composure, and whatever else she wanted later (She's the pro, not me!).
I was worried that Carrie was going to overdo it and exacerbate her knee pain, but Prim was remarkably smooth for a beefy little pony.
Meanwhile, Shane had a ton of fun getting dirty. He doesn't seem to play with toys as much as I remember, but he's all about getting dirty.
I had to squawk a few times at him for throwing dirt up in the air while the trainer and I chatted. If she'd seemed offended, I would have told him to clamp down on the shenanigans more.
Carrie lunged Prim after riding. It didn't take a horse whisperer to notice that Prim was counter to going counter-clockwise. She was much happier and kept the circle going when Carrie switched her to clockwise.
Carrie worked Prim thoroughly and then called for the boy. I asked him for a smile.
Carrie's the boss around horses. She has a wealth of knowledge I lack.
I wonder if she'll enjoy training Shane to ride. From my own experience, it's a different trying to coach your own. I'm glad she's willing to try (both for the chance at bonding and to avoid paying someone else! Training is more expensive than any sport I've signed Shane up for!).
She took Shane for a walk and trot around.
Then I said, "Wait....why are you doing all the walking on your bad knee?"
I took the last several laps around the arena with Prim and Shane.
Carrie and the trainer kept talking shop after Shane hopped down. I watched him wander of...
...to where I told him I'd seen a barn cat.
It turned out Shane was right: He had outgrown his boots! He had big ole blisters on his heels when we switched back to shoes.
Shane did a phenomenal job for being on the barn for over 2.5 hours. Carrie didn't realize we'd been there that long until I mentioned it (She could live at a barn.....oh wait).
It was a another 2.5 hours home, but we stopped at a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Roanoke, sang tunes I DJ'd, and listened to The Terrible Two Get Worse to enjoy the ride home(good audiobook, btw). We managed to be out of the house almost the entire day!
As to whether or not we take on Primrose, Carrie's interested. She's going to keep talking to the trainer and arrange a vetting.
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