Valkyrie

We had a big warmblood mare that could be a nightmare to ride. She was very spooky and didn't like to yield to the rider's aids. She was the one I fell off of four times... lol Well I fell off her a lot more than four times... She was a good jumper, though as long as she didn't spook at the fence and stop. Anyway, she was also very cranky and was known to bite and kick. Well, in the therapeutic program we had a group of autistic men come for lessons and I was short horses, so decided to use her. One of the guys started grooming her and pretty soon her head was just about on the floor, she was so contented. Anytime me or a volunteer came near her, her head would raise and her ears would go back. lol So we let them be and she was an absolute angel. Once he was mounted, this mare who was so unyeilding to our best riders took every step very deliberately, bent around the corners, and held herself in a perfect frame. All in a halter and reins. No bit. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see the change in this horse. My boss was watching from the lounge and I could see by the look on her face I was going to be in trouble for using this horse, but once she saw the transformation in the mare, I was applauded for using her. She turned out to be one of my best therapeutic riding horses. It's amazing how they just 'know'.

Long distance riding is called either endurance riding or competitive trail riding. There are different regulations for each. I did a 25 mile competitive trail ride in college. It was so much fun! Isn't teaching therapeutic riding amazing? It's what led me to pursue my degree in speech pathology. I'd love to do it again sometime.

Yes, I'd say so! I wasn't expecting this level of response! I think it's great

I started out in hunter/jumper, then went to college and earned a bachelor's degree in Equine Studies and gained experience in lot of other disciplines, including dressage, western, competitive trail riding, and combined driving. I spent a year in Arizona working for a team roper, exercising the horses, taking care of all the barn chores, and horn-wrapping the calves and operating the roping chute. From there I moved back to New York state and worked at a world-class eventing barn, where I learned a lot more about dressage, cross country jumping, and show jumping. Then I moved back to my hometown and worked for five years as the assistant riding director of a hunter/jumper barn and also taught therapeutic horseback riding. So I have experience in quite a few different disciplines. Right now I would say my main passion would be dressage, even though I'm not currently riding. I have a bad back and have put on a few pounds since quitting the industry, so I'm not physically capable of riding right now, although I hope that changes in the future. What discipline do you ride, Lyssa?

I was riding a horse once at a fast canter around the ring and I ended up turning her too abruptly when she wasn't balanced enough. She fell, and I landed on top of my head and she landed on my feet. I heard a horrible snapping noise and felt my head jerk to the side. I thought my neck was broken. I was so terrified that my screams brought our riding director running up the hill from her cabin to the ring. It turned out that the crack I heard was my helmet. I came away from the fall with only a jammed up foot. I'd be dead if I hadn't been wearing that helmet. They save lives, no doubt. @Lyssa, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I've seen some pretty terrifying accidents, but nothing compared to that.

I'm sorry for your man-bits Gary.. but Your story reminds me of a friend's boyfriend in college... he used to do that to her horse, but at least it was bareback, so no horn to run into

Like others have said, it varies. I would guess the $30-60 range, but do your research on the instructor and stable first. And wear a helmet. Even if you are riding western. It's too easy to get a head injury. I had a helmet save my life once, and that was after I'd been riding for about ten years. We don't want anything to happen to our Pi-boy!

It depends on the discipline. They break thoroughbreds in as yearlings and race them at two. Hunter/jumpers break them in at the three-four year old range, but don't jump until they are four/five and up. Not sure about western disciplines.

I had a student who was ready for a bit more of a challenge, so I put her on a nice, but could-be-cranky pony. This pony usually needed a bit of encouragement to go, so students needed to carry a crop when riding her, but she would buck if they used it. I told the student this. So what does she do? Smacks the pony when it won't trot and promptly gets bucked over the arena fence. It was her first fall, too. lol She was fine, just surprised. I said 'maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to use the stick'. Lesson learned.

I was riding a horse in a flat class to warm him up for a student of mine once... it had rained for days prior so the ring was one giant mud puddle. I got bucked off and there no avoiding puddles since the entire ring was a puddle. I was so furious at first, but then took one look at myself covered head to toe in mud and then couldn't stop laughing. We went home after that. lol

I have seen this happen many times... usually with the person landing on the other side of the horse... lol

I have learned all of these lessons the hard way. My right hand has never been same since I got a lead rope wrapped around my thumb and the horse I was turning out pulled away before I unhooked the lead rope and wrenched it backwards.

Wow! My record is four! lol He's right... I bet you are a hell of a rider. That kind of tenacity can't be taught. I have to laugh at your comment about keeping their heads up. I schooled a known bucker over a cross country course once, and was absolutely terrified of being dumped the entire time. That fear made me ride impeccably... until we got to the bank. The horse had to lower his head to get down the bank - it was about a three foot drop - and he had been trying to buck after every single jump. Well, it took me a while to trust him enough to finally give him the rein he needed to get down the bank, and he promptly grabbed the bit in his teeth and took off across the field doing his best bronco imitation. To my credit, I stayed on! The rest of the group just stared at me in shock when I finally got him under control and back with the pack. I'm still pretty proud of how I stuck on.

Lucky! lol My record is four. It was a jumping lesson and we were jumping a grid. To this day, grids give me nightmares... lol It had four jumps and the warmblood mare I was riding kept spooking and stopping at the final jump, causing me to sail over it without her. After I hit the dirt the fourth time, I finally got mad enough to get her over the damn jump. It wasn't pretty, but she didn't refuse after that! lol

Thanks, Reader Sorry your lessons didn't go well. I taught lessons for many years and learned that horseback riding isn't for everybody. Sometimes it's best to enjoy them from the ground. Hopefully voluntarily. lol

Since there's so many horse people on the site, I thought it might be nice to have a place where we can share stories/memories/experiences we've had with our four-legged friends. I'd love to see pics and hear about others' equine companions. I'll start off with a question: What's the most times you've fallen off in a single lesson/day?

The only reason I got a new one was because I lost the charger to the old one. Well... I technically didn't 'lose' it... I put it in a drawer so the cats wouldn't destroy it and ended up forgetting I put it there. When I went the store to replace it, they couldn't even charge it in the store because it was so old... lol The Tracphone suits my needs just fine. I can call and text on it and buy minutes as I need them. I get teased all the time for forgetting to charge it, though. lol I'm one of the few who still has a land line, so that's usually a better bet to get a hold of me. lol

LOL I'm a dinosaur when it comes to cell phones. I was so proud when I upgraded my phone a couple of years ago to a Tracphone I can text on! LOL

Mine lives about five hours away, but we chat on the computer every day. I wish we lived closer, but it makes our visits more special and gives me an excuse to get away when I need to.

Yes, it's my gift to myself. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than spending time with my best friends.

Thanks! I'll be going to Hudson Valley for half of it and then back to my BFFs for the second half. She's planning on making me a Butterfinger cake and a surprise dinner, plus we'll go spend a day in Saratoga at a nice restaurant and will go to see "Wonder Woman".

Sounds like something my cats would do. Mine would definitely not eat it, though.

I'll be on vacation from June 9th-18th I can't wait. I'll be visiting lots of friends and celebrating my birthday.

Another story to add to the list. Hopefully I'll have time to read it before the discussion day.

I thought you did a great job with difficult words. I love how you incorporated 'laughter'. Nicely done!