Fresh Start

So I went AWOL for a few months,

it's good to be back.

The reason for this return is my bored self aboard this WIFI covered Irish Rail Train. Where am I going? Sligo. The small town the farthest north in the Republic of Ireland. I am on this journey to establish myself at a new barn, one more suited to my abilities. The last yard I was at was a dead end for me unfortunately. I came here with the confidence that I could ride and jump anything when in fact I had never ridden young horses before. Especially young, hot, temperamental ones. I was sent to the groom stall to care for the horses I longed to be riding. It was a personal hell for a rider with limited grooming knowledge. I'm grateful to the owner for pointing me in a direction more suited to my skill level.

I am going to work for a European silver medalist at his yard, Sligo Riding Centre. He has 50 horses, 3 of them for personal interest, 15 on board, and the rest school horses of varying abilities. A large amount of his school caters to students who jump and show at the 1.10m level. He was copious amounts of talented school horses that need to be worked out and cared for before being introduced to lessons. His personal collection is quite nice and he has no time to ride them and give them proper care. My job will be very riding oriented and I will work out his show horses and give them the grooming and medical attention required. Basically, treat them as my own and make sure they are fit and happy.

The first day I was here was for a short visit a week ago. I wasn't sure what he thought of me after I jumped around a school mare named Tia. She was a nice mare in her prime, winning the 6 year old class at the DHS. She is 17 now, but still jumped around the 1.10 track like a pro. I suppose I did enough to impress him because when a client showed up with a trailer of horses to trial, I was thrown up on 2 of the 4 and jumped them each around a 1.10 track. With 2 misses all day, I'd say it was a good learning experience as I felt exactly what kind of horse they were right off the bat and successfully jumped them. If that was only the 1st day there, I expect many hours in the saddle! And isn't that what I longed for all along?

TTYL!!