It's been a tough winter, with ice and snow lasting into April, Spring was wet and cold, warming up as it is coming to its end, and we've embarked on a new project: equestrian martial arts.

  Oakley just turned 22 this month. My hip is very much better, but I have to be very careful not to overdo any exercise, as the muscles will tighten and lock up, the cartilage in my hip is recovering, but will never be 100% again, but at least I can walk and ride again. So, light exercise and not too long for either of us as he's older and I'm going to take a long time to get fit again, or at least as fit as I can be.

  I introduced him to a lance and pennant and basic tent-pegging exercises years ago, when I rode in parades with the Governor General's Horse Guards ceremonial unit, now I've been re-learning how to do tent-pegging with the lance, with some success. Next phase will be doing medieval knight jousting at tilting targets. But that is to come.

  Last year, I bought a Chinese-style horse bow -- it's the only time in the past 40 years I've actually not minded seeing "Made in China" on a product -- and have been learning to shoot on foot before I showed it to Oakley. This spring I introduced him to the bow, the arrows, the quiver on my back, and shooting the bow. The process of introducing new things to him is now so straightforward that within 20 minutes, I was already shooting from the saddle. I had some moderate success on my first try. Lots of work to be done, but it was fun.