Go horseback riding

“We stood waiting for the others in the shade of a tree, the flies dancing around us in the shadows. His tail and ears twitched impatiently as they buzzed quickly by, occasionally landing on me. I was in my glory. [...] My horse shifted weight as he dozed and I panicked. [...] I had never ridden independently and did not know my “whoa” from my “go”. My fears fed my self-doubt and became crippling. So here we were, two little girls sobbing on our ponies in the middle of the Arizona desert. I can only imagine what the other riders were thinking. I’m pretty sure my pony did not budge the entire time despite the wailing.”

“Nagatsuki was much taller than I expected. Once I was on his back, I was shocked by how high up I was — and how much movement there was! Even being led at a slow walk, I felt like I might fall off at any moment. [...] At the end, I got to experience a light trot — and wow, it felt like bouncing right out of the saddle! I could tell that if I got used to it, it would feel incredibly freeing and fun.”

“i was terrified at first and very vigilant of the horses' behavior because i kept hearing huffs from the horses around me. my number one concern was getting kicked or bit. [...] throughout the entire ride, Trigger would stop the most. either to interact with other horses, eat from the bushes, or drink from the muddy puddles. my brothers, who were just as inexperienced as i was, had no trouble maneuvering their horses, what was i doing wrong? do horses really not feel it when kicked that hard? how hard should i be pulling on the rope to move the horse right or left?”