Escada

It was a beautiful spring morning, and I took advantage of the weather and time in between deadlines to ride at Skyland Farm before meetings and projects took over the day.

The first ride was aboard my old friend Escada, a beautiful gray, warmblood mare that has been previously featured in my blog. I hadn’t ridden her for several months, and it was fun to reunite with her and enjoy the sights and sounds of a morning on the farm, from Roy dragging the ring footing to perfection to the calls of a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring over the fields.

My second partner was new horse named Ce Ce. He’s a bay Thoroughbred who recently arrived from California to find a new partner and niche. Although he never made it to the race track, he still has characteristics of his Thoroughbred ancestors, which include a willingness to go forward and a more sensitive demeanor.

Having grown up riding Thoroughbreds, I found Ce Ce’s “engine” and his responsiveness a delight after many years of riding mostly European warmbloods. We enjoyed getting to know one another, and by the end of the ride we were both happy and relaxed as we walked back to the barn. Ce Ce returned to his roomy stall filled with fresh hay and straw, and I headed home to my computer.

I think Ce Ce had the better outcome, as I really could have enjoyed a nice nap this afternoon in a fresh bed of straw.