How Long?

If I could roll back the years

Back when I was young and limber

Loose as ashes in the wind

I had no irons in the fire

I could ride them wild young broncos

The adrenaline came quickly

And Juanita down at Mona's

Was my only hearts desire

We were living for the moment

And the sunlight on my silver bits

The ringing of my jinglebobs

Was the music of my soul

In the alley back of Mona's

I held Juanita in the shadows

How we held on to each other

And the lovin' that we stole

[Chorus:]

And the sighing of the pines

Up here near the timberline

Makes me wish I'd done things different

Oh, but wishing don't make it so

Oh the time has passed so quick

The years all run together now

Did I hold Juanita yesterday

Was it fifty years ago.

If I would have quit them broncos

She might have quit that business

But that was back in the fast days….

For weeks I keep hearing in my head Ian Tyson’s song, Fifty Years Ago, especially the verse about being young and limber and loose as ashes in the wind. I do not regret a single bronc I ever rode, but as I get older, I do mourn a bit for what they took from my body. Not the aches and pains-I consider those well-earned badges of honor, what I mourn is the suppleness and elasticity that horses need from my body for their education. It’s a fact of the human condition that the lessons we learn tend to take a toll on our bodies so that as our knowledge grows, our physical abilities become depleted.

I am six weeks beyond the day I was medically cleared from my tib/fib fracture. It does not give me much trouble now, but I am battling the core strength I lost while it healed.

In 2003, I had an accident playing polo in the spring. In the fall of that year, a bee stung a young prospect I was riding and caused another injury. The result of 2003 was my back looks like a snake.

So now I struggle with connection in my horses through my core and spine. I see it in every video. Every photo. Every horse. Can I strengthen and correct it? How long will that take? I have no idea, but I do know this-I am grateful for the struggle. I am grateful for every horse that accepts my limitations and tries for me. I am grateful for the knowledge I have earned and what talent I do have. And I am so, so very grateful for every ride I ever got to make.

Sometimes what you can do today just needs to be enough. If you swim through the day and still get to the barn-it’s enough. If you get two rides a week that were marginally better than last week, it’s enough.

A life without challenges would be dull.