Had a lovely little surprise right outside of our window. I was getting dressed when I noticed a grey horse running right outside my window! I called out to Denise, whose room is across from mine.
“Denise!”
“Yeah?”
“Did you see that?”
“Yeah.”
There they were, about six horses grazing in the pasture right outside our front door. This is something that you just don’t see on a daily basis in NYC! Fed them a few treats and made a few new friends before heading in for our breakfast.
Was pretty good, even without power. They were able to serve up cereal, fruit, boiled eggs, cheese and plenty of hot tea. After being fed and caffeinated, I was ready to face the day.
Thankfully, unlike the day before which was cold and wet, this day was promising to be absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze in the air. I didn’t even need a jacket. Very much an improvement and I had to go back to my room to dig out my sunglasses.
We drove out of the pastures to pick up our horses. Of course, they were all grazing at the very far end of the field, in the boggy area way in the back! We all had to hike out there in the much to round them up. Like yesterday, they were willing to be caught and come back with us, but leading them through the muck wasn’t easy. They move faster in the bog that we can, so I was nearly run over by the horses I was leading a few times.
Got Nelly neatly groomed (she’s so much prettier when not covered with mud), and managed to get her tacked up all by myself! Very proud of this little accomplishment. Getting the girth on her is the hardest part because she is so round in the barrel. Unless I get it good and really tight, the saddle tends to slip (which is no fun when you’re riding a full gallop). I usually end up having to tighten it again once I’m up on her, which is a real trick.
We spent the morning riding up into the Slieve Aughty Mountains, taking a couple of long trots and canters while admiring the scenery. Lots of trees, and thick patches of heather all around up. My riding is definitely getting stronger, and I’m having no problems with all of the time spent in the saddle. We rode down into a valley where we saw more farmland and pastures. Some absolutely gorgeous houses in the area. One of them had a “For Sale” sign - a nice little place with a stone fence about the property and enough pasture for a horse or two and a run-in shed. I have to admit that I was seriously considering which organ I could sell at that moment.
We caught up with the other group for lunch and picnicked outside. The horse, of course, got fed before we did. Nelly made quite a stink until she got her bucket of grain. Snuck her an apple too. Between that and all of the treats that I’ve been feeding her, this horse was going to get awfully spoiled.
After lunch, we headed back up into the mountains, taking a winding trail high up onto the slopes where we saw some peat bogs. Peat, which is compressed decomposed plant material that, when dried, makes great fuel. Ireland still derives a significant amount of energy from peat and in this area it is still cut by hand. You could see the sections of ground where the layers of peat were cut.
The ground up here is quiet difficult to ride across – very soft and wet. Nelly didn’t have a problem with it, but I was very glad to be riding my little SUV and not one of the taller, lighter horses. One of them foundered in a mud hole for a minute and it took a bit of work for him to claw his way back onto firm ground. Nelly just powered her way through the muck.
High up on the slope, we got our first sighting of an early Celtic monument, a Neolithic dolmen called Oisin’s and Grainne’s Grave. It was a small monument of piled stones that dated back to the Bronze Age. The legend around the stones is that Oisin and Grainne that were two lovers that were only permitted to marry by the High King if they did not set foot on Irish soil again. They remained in the Blessed Lands for many years where they remained young and beautiful. Eventually, they grew homesick and returned to ride across Ireland on horseback, their feet never touching the ground. At that spot where they dolmen stood, Oisin was unhorsed. When he hit the ground, all of the years that had passed rushed upon him and he died instantly of old age. Grainne, at seeing her lover die, leapt from her horse so that she would die with him. The dolmen was built in their memory.
Seeing it set there amidst the fields of heather in this wild and lonely place touched something deep within my heart. I was so glad that I had chosen to travel Ireland in this manner, because I would not have seen it otherwise. In this area, it would be almost impossible to get there except by horseback or on foot. How much would I have missed, sitting on a tour bus?
We had one more good long canter before settling down for a long walk down to our evening pasture. The ground was pretty slick on the way downhill, and it would not have been safe to take it faster than a walk. Even my sure-footed Nelly slipped once or twice on the way down.
On the way we saw more farms. One of the pastures had some Connemara ponies – small and light, but very sturdy horses. They had such wonderful, inquisitive little faces. Really wanted to take one home with me, but I didn’t think it would fit in my suitcase! Also saw a few donkeys grazing, one with a little baby. It was so cute! Looked like a little plush toy, except a lot noisier.
All it all, we rode for about five hours before calling it quits at the pasture. Again, they rolled around in the grass after we got the saddles off of them, then set out to graze. I loved watching them like this. Denise and I lingered a bit in the pasture, watching our horses. We were the last to leave them and had to hustle to get to the van before it left without us.
Got back to the riding center where we were greeting by electricity. YIPPEE! Hot showers for all! Still felt a bit sore, but much better after a good shower.
Dinner was wonderful again. Actually, we haven’t had a bad meal since we’d been there. A honey melon to start off with, then chicken breast with mushrooms, parsnips and rice. A yummy banana cake for dessert. Good thing I’ve been so active on this trip, of I would have been a whale by the time I got home.
Our cottage was warm and cheerful tonight. Now that we have lights, I could read for a bit, but I do want to get some sleep. Tomorrow is the longest day of riding and I’m going to need my energy. My gear is getting to be a bloody mess! With all of the rain in recent days, we were getting pretty well splattered with mud, and my boots seemed to be taking the worst of it. They were going to be hell to clean at home.
