I love Smokie Brannaman’s slogan, “Just ride.” Just get out and do it. Throw a leg over a horse and rack up some miles.
You don’t need to ride perfectly. Just ride. There’s plenty of time for finesse later, after you’ve pumped up your confidence, improved your balance and coordination, and developed some muscle memory.
Want to ride but afraid to? We’ve all been there. My advice for you is, “Just do something!” Pet a horse, groom a horse, bathe a horse, lead a horse, longe a horse. Do whatever you’re comfortable doing with a horse. Slowly but surely your comfort zone will expand and you’ll find yourself doing more and more, including riding.
I remember when I learned to ride a bike. My dad gave me a push and I wobbled all over the place, eyes glued to the handlebars, worried about falling over. But I stuck with it and rode every day. Before long I was looking up, enjoying the scenery and thinking about where I was going, not the mechanics of getting there. You can reach that same place with riding a horse and I’ll prove it to you.
For one week, ride two hours each day. Challenge yourself to do something different each day. Create some wet saddle blankets and tired muscles. See how you feel at the end of the week and see if there’s a difference in your horse.
Too busy? Sure you are, but with planning you know you can work this out. The idea should excite you. If it doesn’t … well, maybe you don’t have the right horse for this time in your life. More on that later.
Have fun and ride safely.
Rick
4 comments:
Thank you! What timely advice for me personally. I work with my horse everyday from the ground. I have been gaining more confidence to ride her. And you are right, she does respond better with me in all areas after I have ridden. Thanks for the encouragement!
I so agree. I have a guaranteed anti-aging
compound: 1 horse and iPod with singing
music. I ride and sing at least 1 hour a day,
6 days a week. BTW, I am a 73 yr old female.
I ride as often as possible, that's my sanity. Riding the trails around my house takes my mind off the day to day grind and makes me a more pleasant person to be around. If I were to sing while riding, my horse would buck me off:) Jane
I'm really anxious to hear what you have to say about maybe not having the right horse at this particular time. We spend alot of time with ground work, and I love this horse, but, he is unpredictable. I have training for groundwork, but even my trainer thinks we're not ready to really ride. It's not my total only goal, but, I miss riding... Thanks!
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