Ouch ouch oof

Bit of a summary here, or, a tale of over-doing it, or, I don't bounce like I did in my 20s.

Work was light last Friday, so we had the option to use some time and skedaddle.  It was a lovely day - especially after the past two years where nature forgot to give us spring - so I jumped at it.  It looks like this might be another shaky spring year, so I'll take any opportunity I can!

Knowing that we wanted to take longer rides, we got out the map of Fair Hill and started looking at the unexplored squiggles.  We zeroed in on a cluster of them that would be relatively easy to get to and set out.  We hiked for a good 3 hours, and found a really nice but difficult trail that we wanted to explore with our horses.  There are several steep hills, a hillside broken into switchbacks, and a difficult stream crossing where there wasn't much room for a horse to walk before the rocks gave way to a void going downhill.

We decided that Sunday would be the best day for a long ride, so Saturday we took a short ride.  Mona was not walking.  She was trotting.  Once we got back, before I got off, we came across Rick who was in his car.  I motioned to him to roll down the window so I could tell him that Mona was about to get a little work in the ring, when my horse wasn't where I left him.

I hit the dirt on the berm at the edge of the road, and actually hung my foot in my stirrup for a second.

Ow.

I keep thinking that I should have been able to ride it out, but I don't know if I subconsciously ditched because of the steep downhill to the road right beside us or what.  Either way, I got up, walked a calm Peanut back to the mounting block, and got back on.

My neck was aching, my butt was aching, and it all-around sucked.

I didn't know if I would be able to do our long ride the next day, but I decided to wait and see.

The next day I felt good enough to ride, and so we did, taking the new trail.  Peanut did great.  We went through the tunnel under the road nicely, through the ups and downs nicely (including one downhill that I think is the most difficult we've done, and Peanut was so very good all the way), and nicely through the switchback.  At the difficult stream crossing, Peanut put his head down at the edge, took a long look at the drop-off (turning his head this way and that), and then sidestepped to take the perfect route across it.

All in all, we were out from 2-3 hours.  The horses still felt as fresh as they did going out on trail which surprised me with Butter Butt Peanut.  Fabulous!  We even did a very fast canter down one woody trail.  I was so pleased when we got back that even Joan had to comment on how I couldn't stop smiling.

The next day.... agony.  I ached from stem to stern and my wrists and hands were in desperate need of braces which, well, I don't have at work.  All I could think of is that I couldn't wait to get home to my wrist braces.

I don't know if my wrists were somehow related to the fall or related to holding the reins in the fussy English way for so many hours when they're not used to it.

Only yesterday did my wrists work themselves out, and my butt's still a little sore.

I just can't wait to get back to see him!  What an odd little hobby - hurt yourself and can't wait to go back for more.