I don't believe it, I wrote my blog and published it and it all disappeared except for the title.  I feel like crying, this has happened to me about five times in the last few months.  Well, here is trying again.

I was supposed to get a lesson on Mick on Wednesday but Debbie called me earlier in the week saying she would have to go pick up a horse in Maryland.  I asked if I could just ride Mia and Debbie said fine.  When I got up on Wednesday I really did not feel like riding, I was nauseous, felt like I was coming down with something, and my lower back muscles were spasming everytime I moved.  A ginger capsule finally fixed my nausea (the third thing I tried), and since the weather people were saying it would rain Friday I decided I had better go ahead and ride, after all what could be better for my back than riding a horse at the walk?  My husband told me he felt good enough to do the grooming and help me tack up so I decided to ride.

When we got to the stable Darryl, Debbie's husband, kindly went out into the slop and caught Mia for us.  Cary groomed her while I made sure to scratch Mia's head really well and went over her with the slicker brush.  We saddled her and then I got to bridle her.  I had gotten a new bit, a Centuar brand Mullen mouth snaffle with a mouthpiece that is 1mm thinner and more arched than my Korsteel Mullen mouth snaffle.  Since the bit lies slightly differently in the mouth I had shortened my Micklem bridle up on the cheek piece, but Mia told me that was too tight.  Then I lengthened the cheek pieces one hole and Mia told me that was too loose.  Then I tightened the cute little bit straps one hole, and Mia gave me a contented little snort, it finally fit.  Mia actually TALKED to me!  She has given me those little snorts while riding, but never before tacking up.

When we got to the ring it was very wet and sloppy, with lots of big puddles, lots of small puddles, and innumerable tiny hoof sized puddles in the sand.  The ring was too wet for anything but walking around.  When Mia and I got to the end of the ring Mia stopped and asked if she could look around.  On the left horses were playing, on the right horses were walking around, and the birds were singing and flying all over the place.  After a minute or two Mia looked back at me, her signal that she thinks she has stood long enough, and we went slogging through the wet sand around the ring.  After a few minutes of a gentle walk my lower back started loosening up and stopped hurting.  Sort of bored, I decided that it was an ideal day to work on my two-point position.  I have this bad habit in the two-point of slouching my shoulders and my back, but on Wednesday I knew if I did this my lower back would be guaranteed to become a mass of pain.  So sinking my weight into the stirrups with my heels down, pushing out with my solar plexus, relaxing my shoulders, and keeping my face vertical I practiced it at the walk.  I must have done it right because my lower back stayed pain free.

So Mia and I wended our way around the ring splashing through the puddles.  Horses in the paddocks were playing and running around.  Every few minutes when I got tired we stopped and watched them.  In the next paddock a grey mare was trying to convince her friend, a bay mare, to play but the other mare just wanted to bask in the sunlight.  Finally the grey mare gave up, her friend was not going to move.  The Thoroughbreds were running around like foals, really opening up and stretching out.  The other horses were playing with each other, all the birds were singing, and then a warm south breeze started blowing and all the clouds finally went away.  I kept on practicing my two-point every few minutes, the ring was so wet that I could not do anything else, even extending the walk was out of the question, it would have torn the footing up too much.  Mia did not mind at all, she was sort of stiff too and did not feel like going fast.

The last time I rested basking in the warm sun, watching the beautiful horses play and listening to all the birds singing I got a mental picture that Mia and I were like two little old ladies sitting in the park on a pleasant day, both creaky and stiff, and sort of cranky, but good friends.  Basking in the sun, watching the world go by, it suddenly dawned on me that no matter how bad I had felt when I woke up Mia had helped make Wednesday an

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL DAY!

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran