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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