Horseback Riding: Bucket List Item

This has been a crazy year, but I decided it shouldn't stop me from doing new and exciting things, albeit being limited on what those things are.... obviously traveling and eating out has been very limited. One thing I had never done: Horseback riding, I decided this needed to be done. Despite all the dangers of 2020, I was pretty confident I'd be ok and was willing to take the chance. 

So, on a crisp, sunny day on a Sunday in Early November, I went riding. My friend Angee came with me and it was exciting. First they let us get to know our horses, hers was named Caspian and mine was named Windy. Angee's horse was huge. It is a horse used for vaulting. The place we went to is called Legacy Stables in Caledonia, MI and it is also a place where children come and they learn to vault off of horses. They have a lot of programs for children with horses. 

We learned a lot about horses. It's completely unnatural to have someone riding them. It's the only way predators can attack them, so people being on top of them really freaks them out. It takes years of training and it's taken thousands of years to get them to this point. We got to get to know our horses a little before the lesson started. 

First we learned to walk the horse. We walked the horse into this stadium like area, (it was a large barn with a platform to get on the horse), where we could practice walking the horse and then learn to ride the horse. When you walk a horse you have to walk in front and lead them. They will not respond to you if they think you're not in control. Horses are really smart. They follow direction really well, but if they think they can have the upper hand, they will take it. 

After we mounted our horses we learned how to have them walk, turn, and stop. We had two different kinds of saddles, Western and English.  Windy was already equip with an English saddle and I didn't really know the difference so I let them keep it on her. Angee's horse had a Western saddle. The main differences are how much there is to hold onto. Western Saddles are made for wrestling cattle, so there is a lot more to hold on to and English saddles have a lot less.  It was not easy at first. I could not steer the horse and it didn't really seem like she was listening, because she wasn't. You have to tell show the horse you are in charge and you can not be gentle. This was difficult for me, but it was necessary and after a while I was able to soften up on her. 

Then we walked the trail. It is very important when you start on the trail to pull back on the reigns if the horse starts to eat. Horses like to snack along the way and if you let them they will eat constantly (The phrase "eat like a horse" comes to mind). Angee and I learned the hard way and at one point her horse decided he didn't like being told when to snack and jerked the reigns right out of her hands. We had to stop while our guide dismounted and got Angee her reigns back. 

When we arrived back at the stadium we dismounted and walked the horses back to the barn. We were able to feed them horse treats and say goodbye. It was an excellent experience and I might even do it again. It's basically like renting a horse and they teach you how to ride it. 

Here is where we went: 

Legacy Stables & Karin's Horse Connection (karinshorses.com)