I decide that if I'm to have any chance of getting into the saddle at all, I'm going to have to shed the insulated coveralls down to the Wranglers underneath. I wriggle out of them and toss them over the round pen panels where Matilda-the-tenacious-heeler proceeds to plop her furry back end onto them and wait for the show to begin. I have a very fancy horse operation here.

Funny thing is, I can vault onto a horse this size at a canter on a 20-meter circle. You run alongside the horse near his shoulder on the inside of the circle, match his stride, grab the surcingle handles, punch forward with both feet in time with the horse's inside leg, and the horse's lift gives you a little flight, enough to swing you up through the air and onto his broad back. (I practiced that a whole bunch of times on the vaulting barrel before I was able to do it on a real horse!)

Maybe if he gets up enough speed here in the round pen, I can run alongside and vault on board. Although as I'm just backing Toby, I don't think that would be a good idea.

No where's that old bird seed bucket? I am definitely getting myself a mounting block.