Reckless riding

In my late teens, I vowed together with my best friends that we would never be square, boring adults.
Volvo, kids, the whole package. It sounded so absolutely Not Fun.
We would stay young.
I even remember something about wearing skin skirts (this was in the beginning of the happy 80ies) but at 47 with sagging knees and cellulites I don't find it such a good idea as I thought at the age of 18.

But maybe my 18 yo self would have approved of me Monday.

I have missed riding Fame being away so much, and as she had her vaccine she had the weekend off from work.
(Grumble, grumble)
This week I would stay at home though.
When Monday came I had planned to do some dressage training, but the weather had been lovely lately and the outdoor arenas were dry and very dusty, and it was warm.
Hmmm.

Instead I found my hackamore, jumped on bareback and headed out in the forest.
The evening was lovely, and Fame kept tossing her head and jogging.
Had I been a horse I would have been tossing my head too.
We felt GOOOD.

After splashing around a bit in the creek, we settled for the long and winding gravel road up the slopes of Grøttum, several kilometers steadily climb up one of the mountains.

Sometimes I get these wonderful moments of togetherness with my horse, and this was one of those occations.
I was just so very happy to be on my horse again, enjoying the scenery and the wonderful summer evening, and I could feel that my horse was just as happy as me.
I guess we both felt a little bit crazy.

And when we came to the start of the slope, I just gave her the reins, and let her go.
She started out in a normal canter, but soon the joy of being alive, feeling powerful and strong, made her take off.
And here I was, a middle-aged, grey-haired (un)responsible Mum clinging on my horse bareback and going at full speed so fast that it made my eyes water, and I had this itsybitsy feeling in my stomach about "will she stop?".
And it was wonderful.

And of course she stopped.
She's  a dressage horse, isn't she?
We just forget ourselves sometimes.

(To be frank, even dressage horses get tired after running at full tilt uphill for a long period of time. Hahem.)