Back in the Saddle

In early January I sat down, like most people do, and thought about the start of another year. I decided that one of the things I wanted to accomplish the most in 2011, something that was very important to me, was to get back into horseback riding. I learned to ride at age six. Throughout my childhood and all the way up until my horse, Derby, died a few years ago, horses and riding have been a part of my life. What started as a summer activity with weekly lessons turned into riding several times a week. That morphed in to joining a 4-H club which led to leasing a pony which turned into showing on weekends and finally culminated with owning my own horse(s). Honestly I'm not sure who I would have become without that constant in my life growing up. I have missed it tremendously during these years I have gone without.

On January 4th I bought myself a GroupOn for riding lessons in New Hampshire.

On August 20th I finally got around to using it.

On September 19th I finally got around to telling you about it.

People often ask me what the deal with riding is. Non-riders can't quite always grasp the idea that a rider is actually working (often really, really hard) while they're up on a horse. If you've ever thought, when you watch any sort of show jumping or eventing that the horse is doing all the work? You are in for a surprise. Yes, you need a horse who can carry their own weight. But you don't really think they'd navigate their way around a jump course without someone up top do you? My point, in a nutshell, is that riding is a serious workout. When you're up on a horse you use muscles you don't normally use, you think about things you don't normally think about, and to me, it's one of the greatest feelings, exercises, and past-times in the world.

When I drove up to New Hampshire to cash in on my first of two riding lessons I didn't know what to expect. At times the "horse world" can be a strange place and the characters that tend to be a part of it run the gamut. I won't lie and tell you that I wasn't a tad nervous as my jeep took me closer and closer to the farm. Not because I didn't think I could handle the lesson - I am not one to brag, but I will say with confidence that I can hold my own on a horse - but because I hadn't ridden in over three years. Which meant I had zero riding muscle. (And trust me when I tell you riding will make you use muscles you didn't even know existed.) Couple that with having zero idea what sort of farm I was headed to and, well, all I knew for certain was that I was off on some sort of adventure.

To be honest, the farm was a bit of a disappoint. It was small and casual, which was something I'd wanted, as I have no interest in the extreme moneyed world of equestrians and horses, but it was a little too casual, a little too laid back. Plus, the New Hampshire/Massachusetts state line where the farm was is about an hour from my house, which would not make for an easy time getting to and from the barn a few times a week.

Now I know.

Still.

On that Saturday morning when I climbed aboard that horse and started my hour long private lesson? Well, there wasn't a greater feeling in the world to me. I was, quite literally, back in the saddle again. Later, as I made my way back to Boston post-lesson, I was proud of myself. I was sweaty and dirty, red in the face from the hour of trotting, cantering, and jumping in the August sun. My jeans had horse hair on them, my riding boots were muddier than they'd been in a long time. And of course, every single muscle in my legs hurt for days after. While I won't return to that particular farm now that I've used my groupon, I am now one step closer to getting a regular riding routine going again. And as we all know, the first step - whether it be a foot or a hoof - is often the most difficult.