Now that Covid numbers are back on the rise, it’s time to come up with some creative ways to spend time with family and friends. When my daughter posted a photo of herself taking horseback riding lessons, I asked if I could tag along.
I haven’t been riding for over ten years. And even then, I
was just refreshing my childhood knowledge of the basics. I didn’t even get
past the level of a trot. Not on purpose, anyway. I was on a horse once who had
‘spring fever’ with a heat thrown into the mix. She took me on an unsolicited
canter that had me laughing maniacally as I flopped around the ring. That
episode marked the end of my last session of riding lessons.
I am a bit nervous around horses, as they tend to be
unpredictable. Of course, horses are very sensitive so if you bring your nerves
around them, it has the potential to be contagious. The instructor, Debbie
Williams of Turnout Stables, has known me for about 40 years so she chose a
horse that was particularly well-seasoned and easygoing for me to ride.
His name is Nigel. I once had a roommate named Nigel. He was
from London, England, and he liked to make a teepee out of his toast in the morning
after it emerged from the toaster, to make it crispy. As a result of this
mental connection, I spoke to my horse with a British accent for the remainder
of the lesson.
The horses were just being let into the barn when I arrived
at dusk. I say let in and not led in, because the girls in the barn literally
opened one door at a time to allow in their various charges, who seemed to know
which stall was theirs. Some of them tried their neighbour’s stall first to see
if they had better treats.
Once my horse Nigel was brought in, we attached the cross
chains to each side of his halter and I introduced myself. I followed my
instructor’s directions to brush the horse all over. I noted Nigel had huge
burrs in his mane. He must have been rolling in the meadow that sunny afternoon.
I always get nervous lifting the hooves to pick the mud out of them, but Nigel
was fairly agreeable. To be honest, I think he slept through most of it.
Once in the riding ring, Nigel walked in a slow wiggle
around the ring, allowing me to reacquaint myself with the necessary leg
placement and hip movements. I gave him a tap with my bedazzled riding crop and
we moved up into a nice trot. An hour of squatting, posting and bouncing gave
me quite a workout, to which my muscles would loudly attest the next day.
Debbie says her riding school membership has multiplied
exponentially since the beginning of the virus restrictions. I’m happy to be
back in the saddle again. I will have to stock up on allergy meds, though. I just remembered I'm allergic.
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