Few other things are as relaxing and refreshing, for me than riding. Summer or winter, in the rain, sun, or snow, on a horse that is being well mannered or one that needs training, it doesn't matter.
From the adrenaline of the gallop, to the peacefulness of the walk. Riding feels as natural for me as walking, breathing, or talking.
From the adrenaline of the gallop, to the peacefulness of the walk. Riding feels as natural for me as walking, breathing, or talking.
After finishing my school for the day, I headed out to the pasture, and after doing about a minute of ground work, bridled, and hoped onto Shiloh's back. Using a saddle is great for long rides, when first training a horse, or for cow work, but nothing can compare to riding bareback on a cold day. Doing so, keeps most of your body nice and warm! It was cold and bleak out, with snow covering the ground, and coming home through the hay fields, the snow collapsed under his powerful, energetic stride. By the time we got back home, my face and the fingers on my left hand, were half frozen, but it was well worth the short 20 minutes.
A year ago, I would never have even considered riding Shiloh bareback in the slick snow, due to being an untrained, unconfident, and nervous horse. No way, would I have been able to put a dog on his back. It makes me excited and gives me a feeling of satisfaction to see how far he has come, and I am anxious to see the results of spending another summer training, and putting miles on him.
I taught him a lot last summer, but he taught me more about persistence and patience then any other living thing on this earth.:) You would not believe the many battles, of wills and herd leadership, that occurred between us. It is so nice to be able to ride him, and enjoy the ride, not just spend the entire time in a battle.
Dixie, begrudgingly, joined me atop Shiloh for this picture. She looks pretty relaxed in the picture but she sure wasn't initially!
Do you enjoy bareback riding? Do you ride during the winter... or even at all?
~Maria
I LOVE that picture!!
ReplyDeleteThat is so encouraging how much Shiloh has learned since you've started working with him!
Goodness, I sure miss my horse. I didn't ride much during the winter, but I loved sitting on him in his stall while he was eating. Sitting backwards, and resting my head on his rump - there is nothing more comfortable and soothing than that. :) I didn't ride him bareback much, aside from riding him in from pasture. He has really high withers and a narrow back, so it was extremely uncomfortable.
Hi Maria! I'm new to your blog and find it to be just lovely! I have been horseback riding twice . . . Once when I was six and took a pony ride, and then in New Mexico with my family. I truly love horseback riding, but haven't done it more due to the fact that we don't have a horse and horseback riding can be rather costly. Still, I would love to find a way to ride more often. We live in Colorado, and live just down the street from a beautiful area where people ride a lot!:)
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Natalie
Maria, I am new to your blog also, and really enjoying it! I have a 12 year old horse that was green broke as a 2 year old and has been ridden rarely since. I would love to be able to ride her. Do you have any suggestions? Or cautions?
ReplyDeleteHello Coral! That sounds like a familiar situation, and one that can appear quite daunting at the onset. My horse was 8 1/2 when I got him (will be 10 this spring), was supposedly green broke and hadn't really been ridden much.
DeleteYes I do have some suggestions as well as cautions. If you would like to, it may be easier to tell you through email instead of commenting.:) My email is nwesterngirl(at)gmail(dot)com. Shoot me an email, and I would love to throw some suggestions out there for you as well as get to know you a bit!
~Maria