Riding Horses

I have many hobbies, but one of my favorite ways to spend my afternoon is to ride our hoses. We have two horses and their names are Turbo and Stormy. Stormy is a Palomino horse which means  that he is a cream color, with some white spots, while Turbo is a bay horse which means that he is dark brown with a black mane, tail, and stockings.

Our hoses are beautiful and I love to ride them. Sometimes it is hard to get outside in the hot sun or the cold rain, but when the weather is nice it is very enjoyable. My sisters and I ride western style which includes, barrel racing, roping, and trail rides. Most western riders do not jump on western horses, but we are learning how. When jumping a horse, there are some challenges. Horses try to use shortcuts when they are asked to do something which takes a lot of effort. Sometimes if we do not put the jump high enough, and we do not kick or squeeze hard enough, the horses will just stop right before the jump and walk over it or take a sharp turn so that they do not have to jump. To have horses I have had to learn much patience. It is hard work but in the end, if I have confidence and dedication, I will have well trained horses that I can ride in a pleasurable way.

Although horses can be easy going and relaxed, at times they can be unpredictable and dangerous. When riding horses you have to think things through and use all the knowledge you have about horse behavior. This is a story about one of the times that my sisters and I did not think things through and put ourselves in danger.

One evening our family came to our house for a dinner party. My sisters, I and our cousins wanted to ride the horses. Because we did not have a lot of time to saddle the horses and were too lazy, we rode bareback. At first, I asked if we did not have to wear helmets, but our mom said that it would be the safest idea. Olivia went to catch the horse, while the rest of us got the food and reins. Finally, we met her out in the horse pen, and put the reins on the horse. Before we got on we decided who would ride first. Our cousin Georgia really wanted to ride, but she did not want to ride alone. I decided that I would ride with her. Soon the halter was on and she hopped up. Right behind her I climbed, but before I could get my balance, the horse bucked, reared up and we came flying down head first. Emily, our other cousin, had been holding on to the reigns so that the horse would not run of while we got on, but as soon as he reared up, she had to let go. Turbo, who we were riding because at that time we did not have Stormy, just stood there like nothing had happened. Emily waited while Olivia, my sister, tried to help us up. Our backs were in pain, and my arm felt terrible. But we were so thankful that we had listened to our parents and put on our helmets. If we had not, we could have had a terrible head injury. Landing straight on your head is the worst way to land and especially without a helmet. Soon my mom and aunt had come and they checked if we were okay. Even though our backs and my arm was sore, nothing was broken, and we were alright. This was an experience that I have learned from, and will always remember.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, and that maybe you will be inspired to ride horses as well.

These are two pictures of Western and English riding that I think you would like.  

 English Jumping Horse

Western Horse