In March I updated my First Aid Certification, renewed some equestrian memberships and scheduled the spring vaccinations visit with the vet to be ready in time to compete. I signed up for the Jen Hamilton Clinic (cancelled a few weeks later) and received notice that the Ottawa Dressage Festival in May is scrapped. We cancelled our planned sunny holiday and hunkered down. My day job is considered essential, so I’m still going in to work. I wonder how much daily time I now spend washing my hands, cleaning shared surfaces, and considering the risks. I don’t think the horses have noticed, nor have the deer and turkeys passing through our yard. The flower beds and vegetables are sprouting, and the songbirds are hard at work. The bread maker churns out loaves as fast as I can butter and eat them!
It’s a good time to reflect. The horses of my past often walk through my thoughts.
This was Robin:
In 2004 John and I relocated to Timmins from Brockville and searched for a farm. We found a 40 acre parcel just out of town with a sweet little 8 stall barn. We owned Andy and Quinn, but I had also found some young, unstarted paint/draft crosses near Westport. We made an offer on a couple of them, and just like that more dreams came true, and my workload doubled! 2-year old Clydesdale cross gelding Fred and Belgian cross filly Robin came north. Our first couple of years were spent working so hard on the property: fencing and making the riding ring.
When Fred & Robin turned four I started them under saddle and realized how much I had to learn when it came to starting horses from scratch! Not much fizzed on Robin, and she kept her sweet and fun nature as I trained her. We rode in some pretty busy rings, and while she was wide-eyed at times, she kept us both safe and I treasure our ribbons together. She won us a green pail at the New Liskeard Fall Fair that I still keep in the horse trailer. When I started teaching lessons at home, Robin was one of my most popular horses. Seven years later she moved to her new home near Barrie. The following year, in 2012, I met up with her and her new owner at the Cornerstone Dressage Show at the Barrie Agriplex. Tracy told me "She's very sweet and we love her and she has been a great addition to our family." When I found her in the show stalls, I put my hand through the bars and said her name. She paused, blinked and nuzzled my hand. My heart swelled in the moment, and I walked away.
This was Robin:
In 2004 John and I relocated to Timmins from Brockville and searched for a farm. We found a 40 acre parcel just out of town with a sweet little 8 stall barn. We owned Andy and Quinn, but I had also found some young, unstarted paint/draft crosses near Westport. We made an offer on a couple of them, and just like that more dreams came true, and my workload doubled! 2-year old Clydesdale cross gelding Fred and Belgian cross filly Robin came north. Our first couple of years were spent working so hard on the property: fencing and making the riding ring.
When Fred & Robin turned four I started them under saddle and realized how much I had to learn when it came to starting horses from scratch! Not much fizzed on Robin, and she kept her sweet and fun nature as I trained her. We rode in some pretty busy rings, and while she was wide-eyed at times, she kept us both safe and I treasure our ribbons together. She won us a green pail at the New Liskeard Fall Fair that I still keep in the horse trailer. When I started teaching lessons at home, Robin was one of my most popular horses. Seven years later she moved to her new home near Barrie. The following year, in 2012, I met up with her and her new owner at the Cornerstone Dressage Show at the Barrie Agriplex. Tracy told me "She's very sweet and we love her and she has been a great addition to our family." When I found her in the show stalls, I put my hand through the bars and said her name. She paused, blinked and nuzzled my hand. My heart swelled in the moment, and I walked away.
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