rode yesterday!

Yesterday was the first time I was able to ride since my accident in August.

I've never been afraid to climb on any horse before. Yesterday I was nervous about getting back on the one that dumped me in August. I lounged the bejeebers out of him before I climbed on the make sure he was tired out first. Once I was on and we started walking around the ring it was SO WONDERFUL! Am looking forward to more rides the rest of the week. Come Monday when I go back to work I'll be limited to weekend rides until spring, but jeeze it felt SO GOOD!

i'm jealous! i used to have a horse, and i miss him terribly. actually, i dreamed about him last night. my husband would let me have a horse again, but we just can't afford it. one day i will have another horse.

i'm glad you had fun, and that it all went well.

Glad you had a great experience! I have a friend who loves horses. I'm still learning to feel comfortable about riding. But, I did have a bad experience with a horse when I was a child, so I guess I'm still getting over that. I do ride horses, but I feel awkward with them.

Payne, I recommend finding a good instructor to work with so you can be more comfortable around horses. Back when I taught I loved working with clients who were nervous with horses. I had a great success rate with them!

Whenwillitend, have you considered leasing a horse? It can be cheaper than owning one. Sice you have experience riding have you tried looking for someone who needs help keeping their horse fit? You might be able to ride for free that way.

God for you LL! Love horses! The one we are using for my son is a little trickster, though! A real school horse who has learned how to get his way with the little girls. sigh!

Lonegael, I used to teach riding. Boy am I familiar with those school horses you are talking about. I had one that had a time clock in her head. At the end of an hour she went in the middle of the ring and quit whether the lesson was over or not! Had another who only did exactly what he was told to do, no more. Frustrating as they can be for the rider, they are great teachers!

Totally! My old horse was so great with kids, they sometimes borrowed him for lessons. He loved kids, but he also knew how to teach them to be assertive. They either told him what to do, or he'd walk in circles, smaller and smaller circles, until he reached the middle of the arena, and then he'd just stop and stand there. Too funny. He never ever bucked or spooked, and I even jumped with him bareback. They called him the babysitter horse because he was so great with kids. Man, I miss him so.

I used to teach riding too. I always took over when the "real" instructor didn't feel like it. The kids loved it. And I did too.

I've thought about it. I've done that before too, before I bought my horse. But it's just not the same. Plus, it's hard to find a horse that's trained english around here, and I don't know how to ride western style. I always look at the horses on Craigslist, and then I'm upset because I can't have them. My husband would love to have a farm, or at least a house with some acreage. Maybe some day our dreams will come true. Who knows.

Great news that you managed to get back on the one that you were scared of - it's a huge step forwards. Not easy, but once you've done it, it takes down a wall of other barriers.

I miss my riding if I don't go regularly. There's something that just hits home for me when I'm around horses. I cannot imagine a life without them, even if I only get to see them intermitently like at the moment