Friday, August 3, 2012

Day 45: Saddling Up for Rio 2016

Every girl dreams of Prince Charming riding in on his white horse to sweep her off her feet... or maybe it's just me?

I'm an animal lover... I take that back, I really love dogs. I tolerate most other animals, but have always found horses to be beautiful. I've probably daydreamed about Prince Charming and his white horse since I was 5... it's crazy, I know. Then, there's that scene I love in Titanic where Jack and Rose are out on the deck talking about riding horses on the beach like a cowboy (with legs on either side)... which also made me want to learn to ride a horse. It's also the summer Olympics... while I'm more of a gymnastics, swimming, and track/field fan, I can appreciate all the other sports that I don't typically watch.

So, in the spirit of the Olympics (and because I'm a dreamer), I decided to take a horseback riding lesson today because I wanted to 1) be an equestrian for the day, 2) see how Prince Charming lives, and 3) ride like a cowboy. I googled "horseback riding attire" and decided on a sleeveless polo, skinny jeans, and my riding boots for my lesson with Kelly at Hillside Stable in Glastonbury. I imagined that I would walk in, mount up, and ride off into the sunset... nope, not so fast. Kelly wanted me to enjoy the entire experience: she introduced me to DC, a Western horse; showed me how to groom him; let me set up the bridle/saddle; and had me walk him from his stable to our lesson area. I got up on DC, and Kelly taught me the basics: stopping, steering, and trotting. I went around the arena a few times, weaved in and out of cones, and made small circles with DC. It was a lot of fun! I hope to go back at least one more time, preferably not when it's 95 degrees outside, because I'm planning on prepping for the Olympics in Rio 2016.


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