It was, beyond any doubt, one of the worst rides I have had in my five years of riding. It.Was.Awful.
Allow me to explain a little:
There were several reasons as to why this was such a horrible ride.
1) Winsome ("My horse") hadn't been ridden in a couple weeks. He was "out of practice", he was lazy.
2) I, hadn't ridden in a while. Just like anything else, if you stop doing it for a while, it is a little harder to jump right back in the saddle.
3) It was the first day that was warm enough and dry enough to actually work the horses, rather than just walking, we actually trotted and *attempted* to canter.(which, I might add, the horses were not happy with working harder than they have for the past four months.)
All of that adds up to a pretty bad day.
We were out in the back of the property, and decided to do a little bit of cantering. We were not in a ring, so it was naturally harder to keep the horse where I wanted him.
Horses have a homing instinct, which, can sometimes be a good thing, but at this particular time the only reason Winsome wanted to head back to the barn was because that meant that he would be done working. (some of you may be surprised how smart these animals really are) so while we would try to canter a circle, as soon as we would hit the Southeast corner of the circle, he would start his stupid little game and veer to the left, (towards the barn) We wrestled for an hour and a half, trying to canter the circle, then trotting, then just walking, then doing smaller circles, and a number of other things to make sure he knew that I was in control, so to speak. I can't even put into words the frustration I was feeling, not to mention the screaming protest my legs were making every time I had to use even more muscle to push this horse over (which was about every two minuets.) Everything in my body hurt, even my upper body from keeping his head in place. My emotions were all over the place, and I'm actually pretty surprised I made it through the ride without screaming or crying or both. This horse was testing my every being.
What was worse, was that I had to be somewhere, so I didn't have the time I felt I need to work this horse. (though, one would think an hour and a half would have been plenty.) So I ended on a good enough note, he did indeed canter, (Hurrah!) but we still were not able to do it in a nice circle.
I'm not sure who all exactly reads my blog posts, but I'm going to assume that not everyone is a "horse person" "cowboy" "equine enthusiast" whatever you may call my breed of people. You may or may not be surprised to read that riding can be such an emotional and physical battle sometimes. Just know, riding can be hard. We don't just jump on a horse and ride. Not all of us "cowgirls" wear pink and sparkly hats and boots, and we sure as heck work hard.
Why do I say all of the above? I think to encourage, This was an awful day, but I made it through. I did it. I haven't ridden since, due to being out of state, I don't know how next time will go. but after that ride, after all that hardship, I still love horses,and I still want to pursue Ranching as a living. and I am stronger because of that day, I learned a little more about horses and myself.
So, whatever you're going through, whether it be a bad day, bad month, or even a bad year, stay strong in Christ, and remember that you will come out stronger.
"Count it all as joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
~KayK
