Horse riding at sunset in the Balkan mountains

After spending many weeks taking care of our two horses, Peppi and Rada, this week I went on my first ride with them. Thanks to Joanna, who’s always enthusiastic about horse riding and invited me on an excursion, I rediscovered the pleasure of riding and the incredible relationship you can build with an animal. In fact, my previous experiences with horse riding were mainly with horses I didn’t know, but that’s completely different with horses I’ve got to know and spent time with almost every day for the past two months.

So, this ride on Peppi’s back was a very intense moment for me ; I was glad to discover that the time spent with him had paid off and that, now that I knew his character, I had no trouble communicating with him and anticipating his reactions. The ride was therefore a very peaceful moment, during which I never felt afraid. We rode on with the sunset behind us, with the splendid evening light illuminating the mountains in front of us. A light rain had fallen on Zhelen a bit earlier, and we could see a brightly coloured rainbow in front of the sunset, which seemed to plunge towards the valley.

On the way back, we galloped along a forest path, and this sensation always evokes a very strong emotion in me ; the feeling of being at one with the horse, and the power emanating from its gallop, combined with the beautiful landscape rushing by and the warmth of the setting sun, were a cocktail of elements that made me feel infinitely alive. I felt all the more grateful to be here, to be able to build this relationship with these incredible animals, and to experience such moments together.

Maya