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Sunday, January 4, 2015

It's been at least 25 years since I've done this!

When I was a kid, I always loved horses. Actually, when I was very small I wanted to be a horse, and would pretend I was galloping across the West when I ran around the back yard. 


I remember making what I thought was a splendid horse out of a large box. Much like this picture I found on the Internet. 

Mine probably didn't look as nice as this because I had made it without adult help. 




BigStock From Web
But in my imagination it was a magnificent stallion and I would gallop at a breakneck speed around the neighborhood.  My heart was broken when I discovered that after leaving it at my friends house one afternoon, her dad had put it out with the trash, and it was gone the next morning.  Looking back I realize he did not see what I did, and was just picking up after the kids. 

As a teenager I would save my baby-sitting money and go to the riding stable as often as I could.  That pretty much ended when I met Craig.  He said if I could get him one with wheels, he would ride.  I did go without him once as an adult, but life led me in many other directions.

When we were checking out the activities here at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, we saw that they had guided trail rides, and they only charged $25 per hour.  Sign me up!


I was glad to see they had stairs! Just about the only way a fat old lady like me could get onto a horse these days.

Craig did not ride. He stayed at the stable so he could take pictures.


My horse's name was King. I think he was the biggest one they had. He was a sweet fellow. When I first got mounted up my hips screamed out in pain, but I quickly got comfortable and was ready to go. King had an easy gait, and I remembered to post a bit when we trotted. 


The ride was about three miles and took an hour. The sun was shining and the temperatures were no more than the high 70's. 


As I looked at my shadow I let my mind play with thoughts of crossing the country in a wagon train. Would it have been more comfortable to be on a horse all day, or in a bumpy wagon sitting on a hard bench seat?  I felt I understood why cowboys are depicted as bow legged. I wasn't sure I would be able to walk later in the day.


Craig took this picture of the second half of our group. The wrangler and several children had already passed where he was standing.


Craig said I looked like the horse and I had come to terms by the time we got back. At this point I was waiting to dismount and wondering just how I was going to be able to do that.


The answer, was with some help! Once again I was very grateful for the raised platform and the helpful wrangler. It was either that or a crane. 

So what's next?  
            Zip Line? 
            Sky Diving?
            Para-sailing?
            Rock Wall Climbing? 
                          
Answer: 
None of the above, at least not in this life. 

[From Craig] We'll see what the next park specializes in...  :-)

14 comments:

  1. Very sweet post....Zip lining is pretty easy! :)

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  2. I am so enjoying your blog! Jer and I have just started our journey this past September and are looking forward to having as much fun as the two of you! I pretended I was a horse as a child also and used to whinny back and forth with the horses in the pasture behind us! I was the 'Black Stallion' from the books! Keep on!!

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  3. You make my day! I love it when folks do what they've always dreamed of doing. I "talked" Bill into doing a trail ride once when we were in Montana... we weren't allowed to take cameras (photos).... but we survived... I mean it when I say... this made my day!

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  4. I loved this Merikay, you are game for anything! I can attest to that after a day kayaking with you. I used to pretend my bike was a horse and rode all over the old cement washes of southern California with a blanket on the bike seat for a saddle, and two ropes hooked to the handle bars for reigns!

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  5. I too have always loved horses and dream of riding them. It wasn't easy growing up in Chicago finding a way to ride, but I did it. I even checked off a bucket list item by riding on the beach of South Padre Island about five years ago. Not sure I should do that now with a new hip. Good for you Merikay!

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  6. Good for you Merikay, you made a wonderful memory. I was always playing cowboys with my cousin when we were kids and we rode our pretend horses all over. Try parasailing if you ever get a chance. I'm not a big adventurer but I loved doing that and it was so easy. Not scary at all.

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  7. I love riding too, but it's been years. Good for you for going!

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  8. Good for you! Looked like you had lots of fun.

    arlonHboozer.com

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  9. Your post triggered many happy childhood memories and some from adult life as well. King looked like a real prince and you looked like quite the cowgirl perched on top of him. I hope you didn't have too much trouble walking :-)

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  10. You are such a good sport....it's wonderful hearing about you living your dreams.

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  11. I love that you're living your dream and taking us along for the ride. Really, though, I hope you reconsider ziplining!

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  12. Been more than 40 years since Bob rode a horse, this took him back.

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