Ya know I'm sitting here thinking to myself that I don't fall off horses because I'm stupid or I did anything wrong. When I was young, we used to say "I learned something when I fell off, and I'll never fall off for that same reason". The last couple times have been complete and utter accidents.
Accidents happen. You try to avoid them. Sometimes you can try all you want but you might make it worse. So yeah, I feel like I hit the ground more than I should(at my age/level), but I can count plenty of times I could have hit the ground and I didn't. That's what is exciting and scary and exhilarating about my sport- I team up with a 1100+ lb animal with a mind of its own who speaks a different language. Sometimes we get each other, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we trust each other, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we trip and fall on our faces. But we do it together. And as long as I want to get back on and the horse lets me get back on, I will keep on climbing up into that saddle. Because no matter how scary a moment I had, there's so many more moments of pure joy that my horses have brought me. I just get some bruises along the way #rideon #cowgirlup#equestrian #fallandgetbackon #nevergiveup #livethedream #liveyourdream #horsegirl #dirtoffyourshoulder #cantstopwontstop
And honestly- anyone who isn't an avid horseback rider who thinks they know a little something about horses and thinks I clearly don't- keep your opinion to yourself. I've got 20 years under my belt and I learn something new every day. No I don't train under top names in the industry, but I've ridden some damn good horses and been taught by some damned good people.
I read something today where someone who competes in high level equestrian events said “If you don’t risk, you’ll never win!” and someone else replied "That mantra is what may account for so many recent horse deaths and rider deaths".
My thoughts on that were: I have fallen off 2x in 2 months- one was because the horse spooked and one was because the horse tripped. Every day that you choose to saddle up and get on you take a risk. Every day that you team up with a 1,000lb+ partner who doesn't speak your language and who is programmed to "fight or flight", you take a risk. Every time you ask them to do something- be it walk, trot, jump- you risk them not understanding, overreacting, or throwing a tantrum because they just don't want to. Honestly, sounds like the daily interaction you'll have with most people you encounter! Sometimes "risk" means dangerous, sometimes it just means outside your "comfort level". My husband is afraid to trot. Some would say that's not a very risky thing to do on a horse. With knowledge and training and encouragement, puddles and poles don't seem so scary- to people or horses.
Accidents happen. You try to avoid them. Sometimes you can try all you want but you might make it worse. So yeah, I feel like I hit the ground more than I should(at my age/level), but I can count plenty of times I could have hit the ground and I didn't. That's what is exciting and scary and exhilarating about my sport- I team up with a 1100+ lb animal with a mind of its own who speaks a different language. Sometimes we get each other, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we trust each other, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we trip and fall on our faces. But we do it together. And as long as I want to get back on and the horse lets me get back on, I will keep on climbing up into that saddle. Because no matter how scary a moment I had, there's so many more moments of pure joy that my horses have brought me. I just get some bruises along the way #rideon #cowgirlup#equestrian #fallandgetbackon #nevergiveup #livethedream #liveyourdream #horsegirl #dirtoffyourshoulder #cantstopwontstop
And honestly- anyone who isn't an avid horseback rider who thinks they know a little something about horses and thinks I clearly don't- keep your opinion to yourself. I've got 20 years under my belt and I learn something new every day. No I don't train under top names in the industry, but I've ridden some damn good horses and been taught by some damned good people.
I read something today where someone who competes in high level equestrian events said “If you don’t risk, you’ll never win!” and someone else replied "That mantra is what may account for so many recent horse deaths and rider deaths".
My thoughts on that were: I have fallen off 2x in 2 months- one was because the horse spooked and one was because the horse tripped. Every day that you choose to saddle up and get on you take a risk. Every day that you team up with a 1,000lb+ partner who doesn't speak your language and who is programmed to "fight or flight", you take a risk. Every time you ask them to do something- be it walk, trot, jump- you risk them not understanding, overreacting, or throwing a tantrum because they just don't want to. Honestly, sounds like the daily interaction you'll have with most people you encounter! Sometimes "risk" means dangerous, sometimes it just means outside your "comfort level". My husband is afraid to trot. Some would say that's not a very risky thing to do on a horse. With knowledge and training and encouragement, puddles and poles don't seem so scary- to people or horses.
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