Hi everyone,
I don't have a horse to make a diary about but I do love to blog. I suddenly realised I should make a diary about my journey to (hopefully) getting my first horse. So I'm going to start at the beginning and the first few posts will be about how I got to where I am now. I'm really happy I can do this as I am beginning to see what a supportive bunch NR members are and I'm enjoying sharing the journey with you all.
The first saddle:
So today I started thinking about how I got into riding in the first place. Having the silly thought 'who do I blame for this obsession that I can't seem to leave alone?' The answer, is my parents. My mum always wanted to ride when she was younger and never got the chance so, on my fourth birthday, her and my dad announced to me that I would be having riding lessons once a week as my present. I'm not sure they still realised they'd be paying for them 10 years later at that point! I was so excited that I ran up and down the room pretending to be a horse and eventually treading on my dads toe with my 'hoof' which, as I recall did not go down very well at all!
I began riding at the nearest riding school. A small seaside school that eventually shut down only a few weeks ago. I rode a horse called Daisy who had a purple browband and walked back and forward across a field on a lead rein. After that, I'd frequently request the biggest horse I could find. And, as a pretty tall 4 year old, managed to get on the biggest horses in my class because of my height. My mum used to have kittens when she saw who I'd be riding. One of my favourites was 'Wellington', who was one particular nerve-wracker for my mum! I stayed on the lead rein walking back and forward across the field weekly for the best part of 3 years when my dad finally decided to have a go somewhere else - another local riding school this time in the countryside.
The joy of ponies
It was at my second riding school that I finally got to ride some naughty ponies and had my first few falls. One particular character that I remember riding was a pony called 'Rocky', nicknamed 'Rocky the boxer'. And having my first fall. Not off Rocky - although that would inevitably come later... My first fall came on a horse called Popsi when we were riding in the outdoor school and it started to rain. I told everyone I 'did a forwards roll straight over her head!' but in reality I think it was a little more boring than that - she dropped her head and I went straight over her shoulder! Rocky had a little more style. He had me off doing the 'I don't want to do this' shoulder drop after I attempted to trot him around the indoor school for the fourth time. He decided what he ought to do was canter around the smallest circle possible before dropping his shoulder and dumping me mid canter. I cried both times - I probably still would now - not because I was hurt but because I don't do well with shocks! I like to warn people of this when I'm riding "If I fall off, I will cry - ignore me!" tends to be how the conversation goes. That way, when I inevitably fall off and cry it's not like they weren't expecting it.
Anyway, here's a token photo of me and Rocky in my naughty pony era that ended not long after this photo was taken.
The quietest stable hand
Whilst I was riding at this school, my dad became friendly with the owner and asked if it would be possible for me to come and help out at the stables once a week. However, my biggest problem was my shyness. I could have learnt so much from these days but instead, I didn't dare ask anyone anything so I didn't really learn much at all except how to groom a horse, which I did non-stop because no one ever told me I'd done it enough so I kept going! I remember some of the other girls coming and laughing at me because I was using the wrong brush and had been grooming the horse for a long long time. Thinking back, I should have taken it all in good humour but at the time I felt very hot and flustered and carried on brushing from behind the horse where no one could see me! Shortly after, due to the death of the owner, the riding school shut down and I went back to my first riding school where I had spent 3 years walking up and down a field.
Now, at the age of 9, I was old enough to go on the beach! By this time, I was really into horses and lived and breathed for my riding lessons and days at the riding school helping (even if I wasn't very good at it).
So that's how I got into horses in a big way. How did it happen for you?
More later xxx
I don't have a horse to make a diary about but I do love to blog. I suddenly realised I should make a diary about my journey to (hopefully) getting my first horse. So I'm going to start at the beginning and the first few posts will be about how I got to where I am now. I'm really happy I can do this as I am beginning to see what a supportive bunch NR members are and I'm enjoying sharing the journey with you all.
The first saddle:
So today I started thinking about how I got into riding in the first place. Having the silly thought 'who do I blame for this obsession that I can't seem to leave alone?' The answer, is my parents. My mum always wanted to ride when she was younger and never got the chance so, on my fourth birthday, her and my dad announced to me that I would be having riding lessons once a week as my present. I'm not sure they still realised they'd be paying for them 10 years later at that point! I was so excited that I ran up and down the room pretending to be a horse and eventually treading on my dads toe with my 'hoof' which, as I recall did not go down very well at all!
I began riding at the nearest riding school. A small seaside school that eventually shut down only a few weeks ago. I rode a horse called Daisy who had a purple browband and walked back and forward across a field on a lead rein. After that, I'd frequently request the biggest horse I could find. And, as a pretty tall 4 year old, managed to get on the biggest horses in my class because of my height. My mum used to have kittens when she saw who I'd be riding. One of my favourites was 'Wellington', who was one particular nerve-wracker for my mum! I stayed on the lead rein walking back and forward across the field weekly for the best part of 3 years when my dad finally decided to have a go somewhere else - another local riding school this time in the countryside.
The joy of ponies
It was at my second riding school that I finally got to ride some naughty ponies and had my first few falls. One particular character that I remember riding was a pony called 'Rocky', nicknamed 'Rocky the boxer'. And having my first fall. Not off Rocky - although that would inevitably come later... My first fall came on a horse called Popsi when we were riding in the outdoor school and it started to rain. I told everyone I 'did a forwards roll straight over her head!' but in reality I think it was a little more boring than that - she dropped her head and I went straight over her shoulder! Rocky had a little more style. He had me off doing the 'I don't want to do this' shoulder drop after I attempted to trot him around the indoor school for the fourth time. He decided what he ought to do was canter around the smallest circle possible before dropping his shoulder and dumping me mid canter. I cried both times - I probably still would now - not because I was hurt but because I don't do well with shocks! I like to warn people of this when I'm riding "If I fall off, I will cry - ignore me!" tends to be how the conversation goes. That way, when I inevitably fall off and cry it's not like they weren't expecting it.
Anyway, here's a token photo of me and Rocky in my naughty pony era that ended not long after this photo was taken.
The quietest stable hand
Whilst I was riding at this school, my dad became friendly with the owner and asked if it would be possible for me to come and help out at the stables once a week. However, my biggest problem was my shyness. I could have learnt so much from these days but instead, I didn't dare ask anyone anything so I didn't really learn much at all except how to groom a horse, which I did non-stop because no one ever told me I'd done it enough so I kept going! I remember some of the other girls coming and laughing at me because I was using the wrong brush and had been grooming the horse for a long long time. Thinking back, I should have taken it all in good humour but at the time I felt very hot and flustered and carried on brushing from behind the horse where no one could see me! Shortly after, due to the death of the owner, the riding school shut down and I went back to my first riding school where I had spent 3 years walking up and down a field.
Now, at the age of 9, I was old enough to go on the beach! By this time, I was really into horses and lived and breathed for my riding lessons and days at the riding school helping (even if I wasn't very good at it).
So that's how I got into horses in a big way. How did it happen for you?
More later xxx