Most everything is unpacked but let’s face it, some may never get unpacked! The important stuff is put away so it’s time for a play day. I’ve been planning on horseback riding since we made an offer on this house. One of the perks of living here is the equestrian center is just up the road and I have been planning for months on taking advantage of that. I am not an experienced rider by any means. In fact, on a scale of 1-10, my comfort level is right around a 6. They’re so pretty, so graceful, and so BIG!

My granddaughter joined me and when we arrived, our horses were all saddled up and ready for us. They were fabulous! I was really feeling this! I was wearing my jeans and my “not afraid to get muddy” boots – I was ready to hop on that horse and feel the wind in my hair. I was picturing this classic western scene where I come riding into town with 3 days worth of trail dust on me, just in time to save the town folk from the bad guys.

“Do you want a helmet?” “Ma’am, do you want a helmet?” What? Oh, uh, a helmet? Don’t you mean a cowboy hat? A helmet is going to really kill the cool factor of my daydream. I was quickly jolted ack to reality – I opted out of the helmet and figured I’d better start paying attention. My horse’s name was Gus. Wow. Will you just look at how tall Gus is. And will you just look at how high that stirrup is. I know that I’m going to be expected to put my foot in that stirrup and get myself up on ol’ Gus because I sure don’t see any stepstool around, and it’s not likely the nice young man is going to stoop over so I can step on his back.

After a quick but thorough briefing, we walked our horses into the ring so we could let the horses know who’s boss. (yeah…right). There it was…the step! Hallelujah! And no, I was not too proud to use it! Step, step, and there I was sitting atop ol’ Gus. Now I  know very little about horses, but I do know that they are smart enough to know when they have an inexperienced rider aboard. Gus was a good horse but he was not about to let me be the boss. As we headed out on the trail, he made it a point to purposely walk under the low hanging branches of every tree we passed. I was dodging, bending, twigs broke off in my hair – yes Gus, you are the boss.

I was sorry our ride had come to an end, I really was having fun and was feeling more comfortable, but I guess that just means I’ll be going back – and I’ll keep going back until Gus understands that in fact, I am the boss!

Side Note: When the ride was over, the step was nowhere in sight. That meant only one thing. you got it, I was on my own for the dismount – and I did fine.

Another side note: I did not take any pictures as I was too busy dodging tree limbs, but the picture I posted is the barn – super cute! Er, uh, I mean super rustic!