Reader Story of the Week: Back in the Saddle

You've heard this story before. Everyone has, haven't they? So I'll skip past the childhood of loving horses and the injury that frightened me away for several years and fast forward right up to the day when I--Gulp!--decided to get back up in the saddle.

I was living in southwestern Washington, new to the area, and didn't have any connections to recommend a good trainer or lesson barn. I took my life in my hands and picked a number at random from the phone book and set up a lesson. It could have been a disaster...but from the moment I ment Chili, it wasn't.

For an intact stallion with a spicy name, Chili was the steadiest horse I'd ever encountered. His owner was just as patient and thorough. She did everything from giving me ground tips to gain and maintain the horse's respect to keeping a close eye on how I was interacting with him throughout the session and giving clear, precise pointers to improve the connection. I didn't realize until I was driving away that I hadn't thought about that old broken collarbone since the moment I settled into the saddle.

I'm honeslty not sure where this will take me at this point, but the confidence I gained will surely carry on.

Thanks for letting me share my story,
Linda P.