It's been a year since I rounded up the courage to get back in the saddle. I went to Wild Rose Equestrian Center, and I've been going almost every week since. I'm so much stronger and more secure in the saddle. My seat isn't what it used to be, but my balance is much better.
I had several months with a very sweet horse who was willing to forgive my mistakes as I got back in shape. He's in the picture, a Morgan Halflinger cross. If I ever see another horse of his type of breeding, I'm gonna snap 'em up. The draft horse blood means an easy temper and makes for a nice strong horse with good gaits. I didn't understand why people are out crossing with draft breeds until I rode him. Now I get it. Quarter horses are more Thoroughbred than not, my horses were 3/4 TB and 7/8 TB respectively. The cold blood of the draft horse is a good counter balance to all that hot Thoroughbred blood.
Those first few months back in the saddle had me half-crazy with frustration. I didn't have the strength to do more than cling to the saddle. I couldn't make the right cues to get my lesson horse to do much. I felt old, weak and off-balance. But I made myself go, and in the process, figured out how to communicate with a horse again.
I'm still making mistakes, and have a hard time getting my lesson horses to do what I want. As my old instructors would say: "The problem isn't the horse." Still, I'm not a fan of riding without a bit. I have a lot of trouble with the modern hackmore. I'm used to a mild bit and a whole lot of contact with the horse's mouth. A Hackmore has no feel to it. It makes sense to use them indoors with beginners, but my brain says it's the same as riding with a halter, when it's not.
I had no idea, when I got started again, just how well behaved my old horses were. They were an extension of my hands and legs, but that's after 30 years of riding the same horses. We knew each other inside and out. They knew me so well, it was as if they read my mind.
Now I need to be more aware of what I'm doing and not doing. I still believe that being back in the saddle has been great for my mental health, as well as my physical health. I'm walking more, lifting more and doing more in a day because I get that mental lift once a week.
I'll check back in a few months.
