Jo's Monthly Challenge #1
Challenge begins....
So, today I get to ride a racehorse. Nervous? Perhaps a little. Excited? Definitely…
It’s not even daylight as we arrive at Nar Nar Goon at 6.30am, yet the place is alive with horses snorting and neighing, dogs barking, cats playing hide and seek and John and Andrea taking care of their morning routine. Mitchell, John and Andrea’s son comes to greet us, with a maturity beyond his 15 years and gives us a little insight into my steed for the day, Whistle on By.
A sleek and majestic racehorse, he is one of more than 20 on the property who gets taken out each day, and this morning is no exception. Only today, it will be me who takes him….
So, even before the sun comes up, I take him from his stable and walk with him to the yard to prepare for our ride ahead. He is calm and steady, as I spend time grooming him and getting to know him. No nerves yet, but once he is saddled up and ready to head out, he knows the drill and gets a little impatient as Andrea rides out on a silver mare for her morning exercise. He knows he is next, and can’t stand still….my nerves kick in a little at that point so I turn my attention to dressing for the occasion. Boots, check. Body protector, check. Gloves, check. Helmet, check. Headcam, check. A little left field perhaps, but got to capture every possible moment of this fantastic opportunity!
Time to get moving as the sun starts showing from behind the Pakenham hills, as we jump on board John’s quad and follow Andrea as she trots Whistle on By across the property…we meet her at the top of the hill where she trades the saddle for her riding boots, firmly on the ground and it’s my time to shine…
‘In riding a horse, we borrow freedom’
~ Helen Thompson
The sun is still rising as we saunter together to where this begins, with no one else around, there is no sweeter sound than the breathing of the horse and the chirping of the birds.
As we reach the bottom of the hill, with some sound advice from Andrea ringing in my ears, we turn and face the uphill track and the tiny figures at the top, with cameras to capture this from all angles.
With a little gentle encouragement, Whistle on By takes off, slowly at first as I’m holding him back to gauge how much power he has, and whether I can cope with it. He knows exactly what he’s doing, and we ride together up the hill at a steady pace, pulling up at the top of the hill where I get to experience not only the adrenalin pumping, but the most amazing views of the area. A quick turnaround and we’re walking back down the hill to retrace our steps, and without a second to waste, we turn and hit the track again, this time harder and faster. I lose my right stirrup as we take off, but only momentarily before we are thundering up the track, this time reaching the top much quicker and more comfortable.
Clearly having not reached our full potential, we head down to the hill to prepare for our third run. This time everything feels perfect. He takes the bit, I let him go, and we are gliding up the hill, all I can hear is the snorting and the hooves in the ground, and for a short while I was somewhere else…completely.
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The strength of this horse and the speed at which he can travel should never be underestimated. As an amateur, and having not put my boots on for some years, I am extremely privileged to be able to experience this with him, but am under no illusion that he has way more in his engine that I probably at this stage would be unable to handle. That’s probably best left to the professionals!
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From the track to the yard, and it was so hard to end this morning’s experience – some very kind words from both John and Andrea left me wondering why I had never continued horse riding all those many moons ago.
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‘We could make a rider out of you in six months…’
A huge thanks to John, Andrea and Mitch Leek for their help with making this challenge become a reality, with a special thanks to the gorgeous Whistle on By for his patience and kindness, because let’s face it, it could have been a very different story!!
Whistle On By