by Doranna
Duncan and I have had the Summer of Sick in common this year–me with the Lyme, him with his autoimmune reaction from his shots. That should be over by now but it’s lingering in a worrisome way, flaring up on a regular basis. And with neither of us well, he’s not been ridden. So he’s not fit, and he’s missing a lot of his usual war horse attitude.
But not all of it.
Just a glimpse of the old boy in action. I hope it gave you a grin!
He is so gorgeous! And fit or not, he moves very, very well. Hurray for DuncanHorse and Duncan’s horsemom.
The millenia of breeding for an ultimate riding horse shows in his actions. Even with his age and issues his stride flows. He must be a wonderful ride
Elizabeth–isn’t it amazing, how well that bionic stifle holds up? I was so glad to see him playing yesterday. 8)
Mona–yes, he’s an awesome ride. When I first got him, I was astonished–it was like riding a cat.
It’s been years and years and … well, you get the idea … since I’ve been near enough to pet a horse, let alone ride one and I miss it soooooo much. This was an absolute JOY watching him! You go, DuncanHorse!! He & I share age and a somewhat creaky body, but watching him raise up his heels and strutting — well, it gives me hope.
All my riding has been done on ‘rented’ horses, so neither the horses nor I were particularly schooled. I do remember one horse — a pinto named Molly — who had a wonderfully smooth, fast gait. It wasn’t a canter, exactly, it was more like a swift pace or the closest I ever got to a horse when they ‘racked on.’ Sweeeeet. It was like being in a rocking chair that moved slightly side to side. Since I was only about 13 or 14 at the time, that experience has stayed with me for *sigh* over 50 years.
You and DuncanHorse have such a bond … thanks for sharing it with us all. Here’s hoping BOTH of you put your illnesses behind you and you can begin to ride and enjoy yourselves very, very soon!
Laurie–sounds like a gaited horse of some sort, for sure. 8) What a fun ride that must have been!
Duncan is a silly boy. I don’t know what had him upset yesterday–he was pretty peeved at something. But you can see the point in that last approach when he realizes I’m waiting by the fence–his ears perk up and he starts interacting with me with body language. The hard part about taking these piccies when he’s doing a peeved strut is that if he sees me, he comes over so I can hold his hoof for a moment and then that calms him down. ;>
Duncan is SO PRETTY.