It was strange to be on horseback again. I hadn't ridden for several years, and never in a saddle that rose so high at the front and back; it was like sitting in a lego-slot.
It hadn't been a good start to the morning.
I almost dislocated a hip getting my leg over the high back of the saddle—called a cantle—when I mounted. Luckily, Ash had boosted me nice and high. As it was, I had to grip the tall horn at the front and hold myself forward until I could straighten the wide, divided skirts Abigail had dressed me in.
I'd been assigned a massive chestnut gelding with a graying muzzle, who was thankfully quiet and solid, and happy to do as he was asked, though not an ounce more. But since I spent the first hour reacquainting myself with riding, I ended up on the edge of the group, Ash at my right, trying to get my horse that I had nicknamed Buzz to do more than plod.
