Riding Horses
You know how most young girls go through a horse phase? Well, I never did for whatever reason. And now that I’m 31, I’ve decided it’s time to have my horse phase.
It’s been a little while now that I’ve been wanting to learn how to ride a horse, but it was after reading Cheryl Strayed’s Wild that a plan was set in motion. In the memoir, you learn that Cheryl grew up with horses. During that book club meeting, Sarah and I discovered that we both had a desire to learn how to ride horses. And the next day, as if by fate, there was a Groupon for horse riding lessons. We just knew we had take advantage.
Earlier this week, Sarah and I headed up to Chase Farms in New Hampshire for our first of four lessons. We were beyond excited. And the drive up was just so beautiful. The further north you drive in New England in the fall, the more beautiful the scenery is.
Our first lesson was pretty basic. We learned how to groom the horses, saddle them up and some very basic riding. When I first got up on my horse - Gracie - I was terrified. And yes, I opted to wear a helmut. Does that make me super lame?
While any riding portion of the lesson consisted of a very slow walk, I swear it felt like we were going five times faster than we actually were. But I did my best to relax and do all of the things our instructor - Gina - told us. Let me tell you, if you’ve never ridden a horse before, there are some inner thigh muscles you will work that you didn’t know even existed.
Sarah and I had a really fun time during our first lesson. We learned that while she was more anxious around a horse while standing next to one, I was more anxious while riding one. We can’t wait for our next lesson, which is this afternoon.
And horses are really expressive and have such great personalities. They really reminded me a lot of dogs in that respect. This guy (pictured above) kept on sticking his head out so we would pet him. And he really likes licking your hands.
Here’s to hoping I’m less fearful today and actually remember how to saddle a horse at our lesson.
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