Sunday, January 8, 2012

Day 3: Saddles and Being in the Saddle


This is a western saddle and is a lot different from an English saddle.  It’s big and bulky, but thick and beautiful. English riding and western riding are very different, Here's an example; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqUIoI0BPg0&feature=related But western saddles are the best things ever invented for horses and humans.  They’re so comfortable and when you’re in the saddle everything is better. Being in the saddle on a horse makes me more aware of my surroundings, but more than anything it just makes me happy.  Riding and being around horses is my stress reliever.   When I’m riding a horse, whether it’s in the ring, or out on a trail I don’t think about anything else besides my horse Tank and I.  Now I don’t own Tank, but he’s the horse I ride, and the only horse I want to ride.  He’s fast but smart.  Being smart and having a plan when you’re in the ring riding is so helpful.  Also learning about the horse and how they work is how I start my ride.  Riding isn’t as easy as it looks; it takes a lot of effort and skill to be a great rider, not to mention time and effort.
When I ride Tank in the ring I know he’s going to be fast and probably try to do something stupid.  That’s when knowing a horses quirks helps.  I jokingly say that horses are big smart animals with medium sized brains; they can be really dumb one day and really smart the next.  But even when they’re acting dumb there fun.  The saddle is only a small piece of the puzzle for horseback riding.  I mean you can ride a horse without one, which is so much fun.  So western riding is simple and fun, and riding a horse brings me joy in every way possible.

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