Best Horse Experience Ever
Many of you know that my inspiration for the middle grade horse book series comes from my life as a former show groom, rider, and riding instructor for two hunter/jumper show stables. Some of my favorite memories are from when I taught lessons. I know many riding teachers prefer the more advanced riders, those with years of experience under their braided leather belts, but I loved teaching the beginners. There was something special, wonderful about helping someone who was courageous (and curious) enough to come to the stable regularly, swing up onto the back of a school horse, and learn how to ride, whether they were 5 or 65. But my favorite memory of being around young riders was when I wasn’t even their instructor.
After I left horses professionally in my mid-twenties (or I thought I did), I lived in St. Louis as a nanny. The wife of the couple I worked for had a sister who lived in the house adjacent to their subdivision property. Her sister and her husband had 7-year-old twin girls and employed Michelle, a young nanny from England. The twin girls had regular riding lessons at their elite country club, and I was invited to go along with Michelle and the twins one Saturday morning to watch.
As Michelle and I waited by the white, wooden fence of the indoor arena for the twins to come in, a young boy, maybe 8 or so, led a small Appaloosa mare into the ring. He glanced around the mostly-empty ring, looking confused and uncertain of what he was supposed to do next. The Appaloosa was such a good horse. The bridle couldn’t have been put on more incorrectly (what was actually on the horse’s head) and the saddle was tightened at a very odd angle - one that wasn’t the least bit safe to ride in. The Appaloosa stood patiently, chewing her snaffle bit while she waited for further instructions. The boy held the reins and stood squarely in the middle of the ring, frozen and wide-eyed. I did what any riding teacher would do - without hesitating, I climbed over the fence and went to help him.
I asked him if he had tacked up his horse by himself. He nodded yes. I talked quietly to him and the Appaloosa mare while I adjusted the bridle and standing martingale to their appropriate lengths. I let him know that he had done a great job but that things would be easier for him as he practiced more (and grew taller!). Next, I unbuckled the girth, re-positioned the saddle, and re-tightened the girth. When he was ready, I gave him a leg up and helped him learn how to adjust his stirrup irons correctly and tighten the girth from up the saddle. He picked up his reins, wobbled his feet against the Appaloosa’s sides, and walked off to ride along the rail with the other students who were now starting to enter the ring. I went back by Michelle, climbed over the fence, and was ready to watch the lesson.
An older man in a white cowboy hat, Western shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots approached us from across the ring. He walked up to Michelle and me and stood in front of us from on the other side of the white fence. I thought I’d done something wrong, and he had come over to tell me to mind my own business. I was ready to defend myself by saying I had only reacted because I cared about the young boy’s safety.
The man’s first words to me were something like, “That wasn’t your first time tacking up a horse.” I said I had some experience around them. He then went on to say that not everyone would have climbed the fence and gone to help someone like that. He was sure I had far more experience than what I let on to. I told him about my former background around hunter/jumper show stables. He was so impressed by my behavior toward the young boy that he offered me a job on the spot as a riding instructor. He’d seen all he needed to. I told him I would consider it and get back to him. Sadly, I chose not to work for him. Instead, I ended up returning to Wisconsin to create a new life.
I’m still not sure what it was about that day that made it so memorable. Maybe it was because my actions came from my heart, spirit and not from thinking things through before I decided it was “okay” to go and help him. There was something extraordinary about being able to help him at that exact moment when he looked so frightened and unsure of what to do next. I saw the opportunity to lend a hand and took it to get him safely on his horse so he could enjoy his lesson. I never considered that I had never set foot in that ring before. I was satisfied being in the right place at the right time for someone in need, even if that meant a small boy holding a small horse in an indoor riding ring.
