As the Doll's Festival has passed and spring seemed just around the corner, it now appears we'll have to wait a bit longer for its arrival.
It's going to be a cold day.
The day before yesterday, thankfully, a friend of mine who rides horses was finally discharged from a hospital in Chiba.
The discharge was supposed to happen a bit earlier, but unfortunately, a COVID infection acquired in the hospital delayed it.
And so, the day before yesterday, she was thankfully admitted to a rehabilitation center. The aim here is to rebuild the muscle strength that was lost, and to return to the physical condition necessary for riding.
Being senior, the goal is to gradually build up strength and hopefully, by the time the weather warms up, to be able to resume riding.
From this unfortunate series of events, there are lessons to be learned: not to ride horses recklessly.
On windy days, for example, riding should be avoided. An air jacket, which is an excellent device, will be utilized fully.
Ride at a riding club where instructors can accurately understand the condition of the horse on any given day.
Even if normally calm, horses are living creatures and can have off days or moods.
Maybe they haven't been let out to pasture for several days, haven't been ridden by an instructor beforehand,
or haven't been exercised with a lunging line.
I've seen calm horses turn seemingly into entirely different creatures. It's an incredible sight,
and there are times when I think I couldn't possibly ride such a horse. But once the saddle is on and I actually start riding,
the horse often becomes calm again. Where did all that earlier behavior go, I wonder?
First and foremost, for seniors, trusting the instructor and having confidence in the riding club is essential for safely and enjoyably riding.
Being constantly afraid of horses means you can't ride them,
but riding horses without understanding their potential for fearfulness also seems questionable to me.