"If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride!"

     The same day my cast was off, after breaking my leg this summer, I was immediately back to riding my horse and spending hours out at the farm! I love to enjoy quiet time out in the barn, just lavishing time with my horse, Shilar, listening to the horses munch on hay, and relaxing after working or maybe a stressful school day.
     "Riding horses is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion, it seizes a person whole and once it has done so they will have to accept that their life will be radically changed." This quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson pretty much sums up how I feel about horses. I was introduced into horses when I was 13 by a friend, and I've never been the same since! It's been the most wonderful change in my life and I will never be able to forget the innumerable times of pure bliss that I've experienced riding horses or just being at the farm, in that atmosphere, smelling the scents that float through a farm, enjoying the outdoors and the farm life!
     I believe that everyone should get a chance to experience that thrill that I do every time I climb on the back of one of those amazing animals! It's like riding on the wind when you give them their head and let them consume the ground with their powerful strides! Adrenaline starts pumping and you start to breath fast but at the same time, everything slows down. The world around you is flying by but you feel as if the only thing on the earth is you and the horse underneath you. You are one and the same.
     Being an Equestrian has not only made me a different person, but every aspect of being at the farm has changed a part of my life. Grooming and caring for my horse has taught me to appreciate something and work for a love between me and an animal. I wouldn't give up my horse for the world and I know he loves me as well! I've also learned responsibility in so many different ways. Cleaning stalls every day isn't exactly desirable but it has taught me that having fun requires some work. I can't leave the stall dirty or my horse could get sick or have hoof problems, so I must clean it. I also need to constantly be watching for broken fences or any other hazard  that could potentially hurt my horse. So I've learned to be alert and careful whenever I'm doing something.
     It's a lot of work owning a horse, but time well spent and with bountiful rewards! Everyone should have a chance to try it at least once. You never know, it may change your life too!!