Charlotte and George's Great Summer Adventure 2017: June 19th, 2017

G&C Summer 2017

Blogpost 004

June 19th

Today marks the first horseback riding session for both Charlotte and myself, and boy, it could not have come sooner! Growing up on a horse farm my fiancé was and will never be a stranger to any member of the equine species. I however, grew up in a city and us urbanites are rarely given the opportunity to straddle anything without a human heartbeat.

I have been fortunate enough in my life to have rode a horse or two in years past from a summer camp here, and family vacation there, but never to the extent by which I’d consider myself a skilled or even halfway decent rider. Last year, at this time and place exactly was by far the most exposure I’d had in the saddle. While my performance was novice at best it certainly left a taste in my mouth that left me wanting more. And so, here we are again. This morning was the first ride for both of us this year and by the lord above, and devil below, it was well overdue.

Two rides were held on this day. Our first occurred shortly after breakfast, which consisted of a simple yet by no means unappreciated walking ride. For those unversed in equestrian terminology (which I by no means claim to be an expert in but when marrying a horsewoman such as my lovely you pick up a term or two) there is a hierarchy of speeds in which a horse can travel which are as followed: WALK, TROT, LOPE, and GALLOP.

You may view of these speeds or “gaits” as they are called by those who actually know what they’re doing. You may view the manual transmission of a stick-shift automobile; with a “walk” as first gear, “trot” as second, “lope” as third, and so on.

Charlotte rode atop a flea-bitten gray named “Silver,” who has developed a somewhat infamous reputation as having an evil alter ego named, “Sparkles.” Silver is all-in-all a well mannered mount and has been ridden by Chot for years but on occasion will revert to Sparkles and become an absolute diva where he will just flat our refuse to behave and often causes trouble for whomever’s he assigned too. You may think this would be an inconvenience for my fiancé but you couldn’t be more incorrect; she’s a teamster at heart, patient, formidable, and unyielding to any pony’s unmannerly behavior. It’s because of this fact that Charlotte is assigned Silver/Sparkles year in and year out. Makes me wonder why she choose me out of all others to shack up with and if I, too have an alter ego of equal or greater difficulty that only she can see through (and tame to great success). I wouldn’t be surprised; after all aren’t all mortals beasts like the very creatures we domesticate and ride without question?

Well enough existentialism, my horse’s name is Romeo, and by far a better steed than last year’s. The year before I’d been assigned an older, lazier pony named Oscar. A tall and heavy beast often given to newbies as he was less likely to throw one off his back or surprise his rider with a sudden bolt of energy and jubilance. The downside was that Oscar was (and is) extraordinarily lethargic and would more often than not refuse to increase his gait, which often lead to him (and I) falling behind the other riders to embarrassing lengths. Though Romeo and I often fought over whether or not he could eat all the grass alongside the trails I am very pleased with his overall performance. He’s a beautiful dark brown draft, responsive to my commands, and always eager to pick up his pace to catch up with whoever’s ahead of us or overtake them entirely if he’s feeling particularly competitive.

Our second ride was a walking-trot, which for the most part consisted of a series of brief, bouncing trots in-between larger periods of walking throughout the incredible river valley surrounding the ranch. Charlotte has told me, that at some point many thousands of years ago the very land in which we rode was completely underwater which was the result of glaciers and other natural phenomena I’ve not studied. The contemporary result has been a most gorgeous one with luscious fields of un-manicured grass and bush between groves of aspen full of hiding elk and crystal-clear streams so transparent you can spot every blade of submerged vegetation. All that paired with the Grand Tetons towering all around us in the background made every sight reminiscent of a National Geographic calendar. You couldn’t adjust your view without becoming overwhelmed with Mother Nature bringing her A-game directly to your retinas. Our ride ended with everyone smiling ear-to-ear despite the pains in our legs and rears that are often felt at the start of one’s riding excursion. You can imagine how much we are looking forward to the rides ahead and the beauty that awaits us.