Night Shift

One of the rotations I do at work comes with having the latest shift. When compared to other jobs,  it's really not as late as some, but it's late enough to generally put me in the dark by the time I arrive at the barn.

When Griffin and I arrived at Tammy's barn 10 years ago, she did not have an indoor arena. The only building was the small, main barn (...and, believe it or not, I miss those days because I like smaller barns).

It goes without saying, that Griffin and I didn't ride much during those winters simply because we didn't have any daylight left. I often satisfied our time together with long groom sessions and hand walks down the drive (which, fortunately, is pretty long so it isn't boring).

I don't recall getting a lot of snow during those winters either, so I think we were able to continue doing the walks through most of those cold months.

Having pondered about all of this in my mind recently,  I've decided to try to do that again with Griffin this winter.  The walking will be good for his healing leg and will give us that bonding time together.  I don't foresee trying to do any riding with Griffin until we hit the latter half of February or so when temperatures begin to rise again. At that time, we can try to slowly incorporate some tiny rides in as Griffin dictates when/if he is ready (and willing) to do them.

I did the first of these many, nightly hand walks on Tuesday of this last week.

It wasn't a particularly warm night, but it was clear and there was no wind. Stars flooded the sky and, overall, it was a lovely evening.

Griffin was VERY happy to be out for a stroll. He was very forward at the end of the bridle and I had to stop and back a step or two several times to request his attention. He was a good boy and did as I asked. We enjoyed each other's company and my mind drifted back to those earlier years at Tammy's when Griffin was still a middle - aged horse.

I know it would have bothered a lot of people to not be able to ride through the winter months, but I honestly can't say it ever really bothered me. My horse was happy and healthy. I was outside with my best friend and it was quiet and peaceful.

...perhaps the best part was that I didn't have any training/competition pressures and therefore had no need to worry about climbing aboard to pilot my horse while dressed like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow man from Ghostbusters.

During our walk, I also thought about camping and wished that Griffin and I had managed to find the opportunity to go while he was still able to do longer trail rides. If I have any regrets with all that my boy and I have done together, not being able to go camping will always remain the biggest one.

Still.....looking at all of the years we have shared together...

I am immensly grateful that Griffin is still part of my life and hopefully will be for a few years yet to come...

Sometimes when I can get outside and feel relaxed (and not suffer from any of my own arthritis pain) and enjoy a walk like this with Griffin --it really DOES beat even a good ride on any other horse!