Saddle Up

My sister really wanted a horse. But the rules of the house required lessons first. So, Mom signed us both up for classes at a huge horse ranch and arena. 

I could see my sister’s excitement, as for me, I just smelled the horses and the hay. We were led to the stables, where the instructor sized us up and matched us to our horse.

A stable hand had already saddled the horses and we led them by their reins to the arena. About six other kids joined us in an hour long lesson. This was only the beginning.

We were taught how to mount these huge creatures. I always needed help. Then we’d slowly trot around the arena. As the weekly lessons followed, my sister got more enthused and better at horsemanship. She saved every babysitting dollar she earned for her own horse.

Me, on the other hand, hoped the lessons would soon end. 

Then, just a few lessons later, we had to saddle our horses before class. This meant entering the stall, saddle in hand, lofting it up onto his back, and cinching it tight. My horse gave me a daring look and snorted—breathing out loudly. It was as if he was waiting for me to screw up. He didn’t have to wait long.

Once in the arena, we were instructed to begin with a trot and then when our instructor yelled, we galloped—keeping a safe distance between riders. At a full gallop, I felt the power of my horse. He wanted to go even faster.

That’s when my saddle slipped and I flew off the side, landing with a resounding thud. My horse kept merrily galloping on with the saddle dangling beneath him. I’m not sure who was more undignified—me in the dirt, or him riding with a saddle the wrong way.

The instructor strode over to me scowling. “You didn’t cinch your saddle tight, did you?”

“I thought I did.” I replied lamely.

“Get up and get your horse and see if you can cinch it up tight.” She commanded as she stomped away.


I muttered something snippy. She spun around in her well worn cowboy boots and barked, “Better cinch up that smart mouth too.”


I haven’t ridden many horses since then, but over time I learned that keeping things cinched tight, like my mouth, has kept me out of the dirt more often than not. 

And for that, I guess I can thank those horseback riding lessons. 


Photo credits: Anna Kaminova, Jez Timms, Fernando Puente

Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention

Image
We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty. Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display. The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love. Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pi
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more