Why Do I Ride?

By Community Correspondent Louise Saul

I am a dedicated horse rider, and like many other people with other hobbies, I am stubbornly single minded in the fact that mine is the best. For some inexplicable reason though, my friends don’t seem able to see this. This could be something to do with the constant excuses of ‘Sorry I can’t, I’ve got to turn the horse out,’ or the faint yet lingering aroma of horse.

However as the child who won’t lift a finger in the house, but has no problem with mucking out stables in the rain, none of the down sides are an issue to me. Sure, the horse may tread on my toes, be messier than me, and get through more pairs of shoes than I do; but this is nothing compared to the thrill and adrenaline rush of riding.

Horse riding is a sport like few others, where you are not in complete control and the situation can change in the blink of an eye, but this is what makes it so exciting. Horses are huge animals, far heavier and stronger than their riders, so although we may like to think we are the boss; this is far from the truth. There is no feeling like sitting on a horse and knowing that although this animal could have you on the floor at any moment he fancies, he is choosing to respect you and work with you.

There is no other sport in the world where your teammate has such an independent mind of their own. Although many people think riding is just sitting and letting the horse do all the work, this is a complete myth, you will only get out of a horse what you put in.

So, to me there is nothing else in the world that compares to riding. It may not look as dramatic as bungee jumping or parachuting; but the thrill of flying over a jump or galloping so fast the world around you is a blur, is just beyond words.