During our stay in Casperia we were encouraged to sign up for other activities in addition to the Pilates classes that Page taught. We could go to the massage-spa, take a cooking class, a couple of hikes, a horse back ride of an hour or two, go to a hot springs, and go to an olive oil tasting and lecture. In addition to the massage of course, I chose the cooking class, hot springs, and the horse ride. Since most of our gang, including Page, chose the two hour ride I opted to follow along. Call me crazy!
My experience with horses dates back to my high school years when my father bought a farm, moved us from Seattle to Kentucky, and used the fact that the farm came with two horses as an enticement. Since I was new, had no friends, didn't understand the language, I had no choice but learn to ride Midnight. An experienced Tennessee walker, Midnight never needed to strut his fancy footwork because I was a novice and scared to death he would deposit me easily within a few gallops. I quickly discovered that riding bare back was far superior to the English or Western saddle that hung in our barn. Without a saddle I could always feel one with the horse and knew what he was thinking. Midnight and I became close buddies. In the evening I'd call to him and he'd run from the field to be petted and lay his head in my lap.
While I have ridden a horse occasionally since those days it was never for as long and never with a western saddle. Unfortunately, this activity really did not live up to any one's expectations. We had no idea we'd travel a third of the time on steep, slippery paved roads with motor cycles and cars whizzing past, another third up and down slippery red clay paths, and the rest of the time on unsteady gravel roads. Nor did any of us know that along the eay there would be thorny vines and tree limbs smacking us in the faces, arms, and necks!
Worst of all my horse, Luna, a real sweetheart of a horse, had a right back foot that she dragged lazily at times and she slipped several times nearly loosing her footing and falling. All that was bad enough, but the worst part by far was the rock hard saddle that bumped and ground my sit bones into my flesh. I would have opted for labor pain over this experience. After one hour I was practicing Lamaze breathing! My knees ached from the short stirrups, my sit bones screamed, and if a morphine drip had been available I'd have taken it.
Everyone was complaining about the pain, the terrain, brambles tearing at our skin, and wanting to shorten the ride! We all longed for open pastures to run the horses so at least half the time our butts would be in midair. Page just wanted to run her horse. But no, we had to get back the same way we came, loping along two by two at an agonizingly slow pace. My horse and I slipped and slid through much of it. When we came to the last steep paved road going straight down, I could not risk falling nor could I manage the pain any longer. So hopped off my gentle beast and carefully led her the rest of the way home. Luna seemed grateful and my legs and butt stopped screaming at me! I realized that there's a market for gel-foam or memory -foam saddles.
Page's Pilates classes were wonderful. The massages were good, the hot springs were not so hot, and the cooking class taught me how to make pasta that I'll probably never make. But over all we had a lovely time here in the tiny city of Casperia. Florence awaits!
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