The Return to Riding Report Card

[lagilman]

Once upon a time there was a litle girl who fell in love with horses. Not the way most little girls do, lusting after a magical, sweet-smelling, silky-haired, bright-eyed pony of her own to play with. No, she wanted the whole messy deal. After assuring her parents that yes she really really really was sure, they sent her off to riding lessons, where instructors beat her (verbally) and worked her (physically) until she came home and collapsed in a tired puddle. And for ten years, at various stables, she did this, never becoming a rider of any particular brilliance, but enjoying the hell out of it just the same. She also spent more than her share of time cleaning tack, grooming bodies, shoveling stalls, and in one spectacular instance getting kicked through a stall door barrier when someone spooked the horse she was hoof-picking. Ow.

And then she graduated from college, and the time and money she used to spend in the stables was required for other things, the local stable was too expensive, and the impulse got stiffled under the weight of Life. But the desire never went away.

Fast forward to 2008, when that little girl, now with her toe poking at middle age (in my family, 'middle age' runs from 40 to 70), found herself living ten minutes away from a stable. And she said, Self? Now or never.

Alas, there are no photos, because I forgot to bring the camera. But rest assured, it did indeed happen.

Me, I felt like a lump of straw, jouncing around. However my instructor assured me that my seat and hands were nicely quiet and my overall form not bad for a 20 year hiatus (although my leg will insist on moving forward and turning out, despite my knowing that's a badness. Grr. Must work on that). It is, I am told, apparent that once upon a time I was well-trained and reasonably competent, and the expectation is that it will all come back to me quite quickly.

We'll see. In the meanwhile, I stink of horse, I ache in muscles I'd almost forgotten I had, and I feel fabulous. :-)

And I get to do it again next week. Life is good.


(dancinghorse, the stable was founded by Rusty and Ashley Holzer, if the names are familiar to you...)

Comments

[smoemeth.livejournal.com]

Yay!!! Congratulations! :)

[webmonkeyjr.livejournal.com]

It's not quite like riding a bicycle (as far as remembering) but a hell of a good time :)

[eeknight.livejournal.com]

Good for you.

I love horse stink. And there's no way (barring divine intervention) to get a nicer-looking behind than by riding.

[lagilman]

I think the world divides into two types of people; them as appreciate the smell of a well-run stable, and them as don't.


(I'll leave it to others with a better view to judge the state of my posterior)

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

I like the smell, but the smell doesn't like me. I only have to get near a horse and/or a stable to get wheezy and sniffly. And don't ever talk to me abot a "roll in the hay". I'd end up with welts all over my body. Which is too bad, because our new house in the country would be perfect for a horse.

[windrose.livejournal.com]

Yay you!

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

You're small, so you don't have this problem. But every time I think about riding a horse (which hasn't happened in a long time), I get the feeling that I'm going to hurt the poor animal, being much too big and too heavy for it to carry comfortably on its back. That, and there are faster, less person-ish conveyances available (cars, trains, airplanes if I need to go far and fast; bicycles and feet if slower and quieter is desired). I know, I know, a full-grown Clydesdale or other war horse probably wouldn't even notice my mass vaulting onto its back, but still.…

[lagilman]

A lot of mounted cops work out here -- they ride these big, gorgeous creatures that look like they could carry a linebacker without flinching, and still move like a dancer. Squared-off, yeah, but not heavy at all.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Ian, my partner is 6 ft 2 and 17 stone (used to be more), and has ridden for years - it's not the weight, but how you distribute it. He says: if you're over 16 stone, you need to have a large horse, true, but you mainly need strong legs and thereby to stay out of the saddle, off the horse's back. Then you'll be fine.

His horse (who died at Xmas) was part Shire, and thus enormous. You do need something fairly hefty, just to be fair to the horse.

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

I know I can do it; it's just a feeling.

And I don't recall the riding stables actually stocking any of those XXL horses for us big people...

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I get the feeling that I'm going to hurt the poor animal

Many moons ago when I rode, there was a pony that was part draft. One night, one of the instructors was leaning on its neck (the kind of lean where you have both elbows on the other side and your chin on your hands) and I said "You're an adult and that's a pony, that doesn't seem right. Don't hurt him."

As an answer, he picked his feet up, hanging from the pony's neck. Its nose didn't move an inch and it gave no indication of noticing, much less minding.

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

Now that must have been an impressive display.

And I know it isn't a fact that I'm too big to ride a horse, but it's a feeling, and since they are living, thinking mammals, I guess emotions kick in a bit, too.

[bigferret.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Sounds like you had a blast!

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

WOOT WOOT!
I knew you could be redeemed ;)

[lagilman]

*raises eyebrow and eyes neutronjockey carefully*

dancinghorse's herd liked me. I wasn't aware I needed redeeming beyond that....

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

The Mother of Nations delivered her last foal in front of you. I'd say that covers a few hundred years of karma right there.

(Oh, and yeah. Ashley Nicoll I had heard of. Do she and Rusty still teach, or did you get a TA?)

[lagilman]

I got a TA, who, after a few dubious moments, practically lit up when she realized she hadn't been dumped with a total newbie and wasn't going to have to spend her time teaching me how to walk and trot.

(she asked me if I'd ever been thrown, so I got to tell her the story of Foxy and my Flying Thump. The fact that I used to ride a retired polo pony seems to have gotten me some additional respect...)

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

I meant you're back to riding.
I can't imagine after being introduced to "the horse world" as a lifestyle that separating from it is easy.
There are plenty of people who get into it on a hobby level to leave it and never look back.

Just sayin' I was happy for you...in my own special way.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Yay! I could feel the yearning when you were here. So glad you finally could do something about it. :)

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

All RIGHT! That is very cool.

What a wonderful feeling it is, isn't it?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Huzzah! Horses are wonderful things!

[christymarx.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! Good on ya! I was never a very good rider, but I sure did love horses. Like you, I love the smell.

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

I don't ride, but I have friends down in Maryland who hav a horse farm & teach riding & do shows & stuffs