Horseback riding

“At this point, I would like to reflect on a new disease: arseitis. Yes, arseitis, sister disease to arthritis, but affecting only a very specific portion of the body. It’s caused by sitting on the back of a trotting horse when you don’t know how. I learned about this ailment, unforgettably, during lesson two. The symptoms include extreme pain that radiates from the deepest recesses of bone to the tiniest nerve endings of skin. It lasts for days. It produces fervent vows about horseback riding of the sort you make about drinking when you have a hangover: “Please, God, I’ll never do it again. Just make it go away.”

“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? overall, i had a nice experience and, when I got off him, Trigger came towards me and lowered his head at me (which i assumed was an invitation for me to pet him) and i touches his head. he was a very beautiful animal”

“Last Sunday I rode a horse for the first time and I had SUCH A GOOD TIME it’s unbelievable. I was so so happy riding that horse and I felt like a sense of freedom and joy I haven’t felt in years! God it was such a magical experience! [...] it was like a spell! It was a really calming and sweet experience.”