All ive ever loved

A note to you from me:

Before we begin, what I write speaks for fellow equestrians. What you my encounter are personal opinions, and are there for the haters of riding. The people who think it isn't a sport. I hope by the end of this book you will change your mind. These first couple pages are here for that reason and to get you in a horse state of mind before we begin the book.
Thank you and enjoy
Please no hate or rude comments
Your author
Ps. To my friends- this story is partially true, there are some things I do not do daily in real life that are in this story

Ive always had a love for horses. As a toddler I would wobble up the long dirt road to a small barn that held beautiful bays and paints and many other breeds. I would pat their muzzle and whisper "good horsie" as I fed them carrots. The smell of hay and horse was my perfume. Ive always like being known as the horse girl.

One of the most common questions you will encounter in your childhood is, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I never hesitated to say a horseback rider. And I'm not talking about wimpy pony rides at fairs. Im talking about professional show jumping. 4ft towering walls and oxers with cleanly trimmed bushes in the middle. The thrill of soaring through the sky as one on a 1000 lb animal with its own mind. An animal that can throw you across the arena to the hospital, or even to your death. But as a true rider says, if you are not going to the hospital, you are getting back on. Riders are some of the bravest people you will meet.

It takes wit and intelligence to ride. To speak a language with a silent creature. To move as one without showing when you ask. To keep an animal more than 10x your size in your power as you steer through a memorized course as fast as you can without flaws, and to keep balance and remember the exact position of each body part as you fly 5ft in the air keeping flawless position every moment.

You think football is hard? It may be, but would you believe me when I say riding is harder? Would you believe me if I said riding is the most dangerous sport there is, and one of the hardest? Look it up for yourself. Would you rather get a little beat up by a guy bigger than you, maybe break something here or there, or face a horse. A huge animal with a mind of its own and the force to break your back with a tiny throw. But let me tell you, its all worth it. Every second of being in the saddle is worth it. Horses are nothing but gentle creatures, never mean any harm. Its us, humans that mess up. That can cause an angry horse. Yet with this in mind, still there is no place on Earth id rather be than in the saddle. As Winston Churchill quotes, "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle."

Riding isn't a sport? I like to laugh at the ignorant people who believe this. We work harder than you ever will. Heels down, back straight, head up, elbows tucked, arms forward, squeeze the belly, wrists thumb side up, check your diagonal, post higher, sit heavier, and the list just goes on. Everything I have listed and many more is your mental checklist for every second you are in the saddle. There is no rest, no outs, no stopping. Your thighs hurt so much you cant walk, your arms and back are sore, but you can stop thinking about the successful lesson.

But the biggest part of riding, the reason so many people have fallen in love with it, is the connection between horse and rider. The trust you share. Horses are a girls best friend. Horsemanship. An unbreakable bond. To know that your horse is always waiting for you to brush them and pat their thick necks and tack them up for the days lesson. The bond that when you mount your steed you become one, never two. You share every thought, every movement. You sweat, you get scared, you become happy. There is truly nothing better to have than the trust of a horse.

These are just a few ideas about riding. There is so much that goes into a sport. But my passion for riding urges me forward. After all, its all ive ever loved.