Today I had my first ground lesson at Hoofers horse stables just south of Madison. It is hard to believe that in less than a week, I will have my first riding lesson in 8 years. I started riding when I was 12 at Double creek farm just down the road from my house in Round Rock, TX. Of course in TX we learned western- and it was a perfect fit. I don't know what it is about those lovely animals, but horses are truely amazing.

I kept riding until I started undergrad, switching to Kelly's Kids in Georgetown learning more western events- barrels, poles- and teaching my final year. At 18 I stopped riding due to the cost- about $20 an hour back then- and lack of time. Since then I have been encouraging my parents to ride with me on vacations- Dad has been very adventurous riding at the beach, and just outside of Big Bend twice.

Now I get the chance to ride again- English style- here in Madison. I am very excited! Today I went on the ground lesson- learning about hoofers- there is an upper and lower barn for the horses- an indoor arena- three different pastures- and an outdoor arena. There is also an indoor restroom (yeah)- I can't tell you how many times I have used port-a-potties in my teen riding. There are about 30 riding horses- it is amazing how tall these english jumpers are. I can't wait until Friday.

Today we also cooked for the week- making a light cold pasta dish with roma's, fresh basil, cracked black pepper and feta. We also made the most amazing meatloaf I have ever had! I have never liked meatloaf- but am glad that we tried this recipe from our new Cuisine At Home magazine. The results were moist, flavorful, tender, and just plain great! I highly recommend you give this one a try.