I found some old pictures from when I was a kid. These are of my friend from high school, Lora, and her horse, Nappy. I am on the sorrel, Rebel's Hope. I must have been a senior in high school and this was the Lake Geneva Holiday Parade.
What I remember about being a rider from that time was not that I was brave, Lora was always braver than I, but I was confident on my horse. I trusted Hope with my life and in turn she took care of me. She was not a really good parade horse but even still we did this and she was okay, a little hot. She did not bolt and take off though. I believe one reason was because I never thought that she would.
This is what I loved about riding. Sharing a good time with a friend. Lora and I rode together because we had a good time and we both loved our horses. We laughed and just had a good time. It was not about winning ribbons or out doing each other. We did care who rode better, or who had the better horse, or any of that stuff that it seems goes on between rider in barns all the time. We just loved our horses and having fun with them.
I want to be that rider again. The one that is confident on her horse. Happy to ride, no matter what we are doing. Just to have those moments of feeling at one with my horse and being willing to go off and try different things, just because it will be fun. To share those moments with a friend. Laugh and cry and know it is all okay because we have friends and our horses.
I mean look at those two kids. They are just happy to being riding their horses.
By the way Lora as a blog of her own on her horse and his life with navicular. http://lopinon4.blogspot.com/
You two look like you're having so much fun. I would guess it's not hard to get back to that feeling, it might be a just sort of 'do it' thing. I always feel that if you trust your horse to take care of you he/she will just because you have that kind of trust in them they return it. I always wonder if they can't sense your feelings somehow. I'm pretty sure mine can on most days.
ReplyDeleteI'm just speechless. I remember never being cold when we were riding, too. Youth sure is wasted on the young! What a blast we had! By the way, my friend...we should have a pact to ride in a parade again someday before we die. 'You game? :)
ReplyDeletePS ~ Who do ya s'pose I was waving to so emphatically???
Your on! Maybe a summer on this time huh? :D
ReplyDeleteGHM Thanks! We did have fun, we can again too. Maybe later I will have to post a picture of Lora and I again. Her on her bay and me on my sorrel. :D Warning, we have gained a few lbs though :D
Thanks for coming to visit! Do you have anyone you can ride with now? I find I am much braver when I have a friend to ride with and so is my horse of course! That is what I miss most about riding as a child-- the people. Now riding is a solitary sport for me and I find myself traveling way to much in my head.
ReplyDeleteShe does have me to ride with again, and we have done so a couple of times, in the arena. I hope to do more of it with her this summer...hit the trails!!
ReplyDeleteHI neighbor !
ReplyDeleteI too, rode like that.. I never had a horse of my own. I always was on my friends left overs, you know , the horses that no one wanted to ride.. and I always felt confident. We had a gravel pit behind my house and we would canter up and slide down.. If I even thought about doing that now I would pee my pants..LOL..
But I am learning to just have fun again...
And will really be happy if my big fella gets the green light soon from the vet... : )
Good Luck MareMom, I know it has been a long time getting him sound. I hope it is soon. :)
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