3. Your Best Riding
This is a hard one. I’ve shown maybe 3 times ever so I certainly have no ribbon proof of ability. Some of my best riding was probably in college when I owned my own horse for a few years.
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| Lack of helmet annoys future me too. |
While I actually owned 2 saddles, I rarely ever rode in them. I also rarely used an actual bridle. The getup seen above is about how it went:
- Bareback pad
- halter with lead rope
- mini backpack (popular with pre-teens) filled with snacks and a cell-phone (to call for help when I broke my skull)
- baggy jeans
- sneakers or hiking shoes
And it’s not like I was just riding around the ring like this. I was riding out for 3-6 hour trail rides. The route from the barn to the park alone followed a mix of power-line trails, quiet country roads, and 50 mph windy back roads with little/no visibility. Once I got to the park, I was riding for miles through creeks, up and down hills, and on paved paths.
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| I do miss this in the summer |
I could jump on from the ground without a mounting block. I could stay on through w/t/c, jumping, sliding down hills, spooking, riding on ice… pretty much everything. I can only wish I was still this good.