I wish I could make a quirky intro about how my CFS is like an unwanted roller coaster, but even with a roller coaster you can see the drop coming. With CFS, you never really know what awaits you, or, I should say, you never know how good or bad it’ll hit you on any given day.
So you learn to just roll with the punches and make the best out of what you have. When a bad day hits, you just have to accept it and listen to your body as best you can. But when a good day comes along, you seize it with both hands and enjoy it to its fullest.
I love nature! I love being out in the fresh air, and throwing in some exercise can do wonders to help you feel a little more human. Also, in my case, I’ve found that the company of animals helps me a lot! Hearing the birds chittering away, spotting wildlife in-between underbrush and trees—I love it all!
One way to combine all these amazing things is through horseriding. Not only do I get to bond with an amazing animal up close and personal, it’s also easy on my joints and doesn’t require me to walk long distances myself. It also does wonders in clearing my over-busy head too.
I still enjoy going riding as much as I can, but I especially think back fondly of my friend Buddy. The first time we went on a ride together, I was definitely in a ‘not so great’ CFS phase. I remember arriving at the stables that day and seeing a horse being shod for the first time.
There was quite the hustle and bustle going on in the yard. The farrier quickly and skilfully manipulated the hot malleable metal, making sure that the shoes fitted the hooves perfectly. The hammer clanked and thudded, the smell was distinctive, but hard to describe.
I started off grooming a different horse called Harvey. He was a little joker and clearly easily bored. While trying to get him brushed down, Harvey decided to amuse himself (and me) by grabbing the zip of my body warmer, opening and closing it fairly vigorously.
After that, I was then given Buddy to ride. Standing at over sixteen hands, he was the biggest horse I’d ever mounted and an absolute joy! We set off, and I still remember Buddy’s enthusiasm, just ready to trot ahead at the drop of a hat.
We rode through Haldon Forest, and it was an all-round amazing experience. We saw so much wildlife—especially deer! But there were also buzzards riding the thermals, not much higher than the canopy. Then the moment when all bird song halted as a sparrowhawk came into view.
The forest and village were host to lots of butterflies and day moths. Feeding orange tips and basking peacock butterflies were begging attention, but the demure speckled wood butterflies held mine more.
The most memorable of all, however, was when we came across a glade carpeted with bluebells. Standing there, was a herd of ten or fifteen roe deer. It was a little like something you’d see in a dream; a truly magical sight.
I’m still a bit sad that I didn’t get to capture it with my admittedly unsophisticated phone. But, in some ways, it might even be better to preserve the sight with the haze of fading memory, as I don’t think any kind of picture could give the experience justice.
So I suppose my memory of it will have to be enough.