by Kathy Stranberg

Created on: September 16, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

I know how to ride, I really do. Even though I didn't have my own horse as a child, I had a friend who would invite me out to her place and we would ride. I still remember setting up the barrels on her spacious front lawn. Then she would get on her Appaloosa and I would get on her Paint and we would race. She always won, but at least I never fell off. I knew all about the way to sit in the saddle and the importance of not underestimating the horse.

At least that is the way it was thirty years ago. Recently a friend mentioned that she had purchased a horse and asked if I wanted to come out for a ride. I was all excited. I hadn't ridden in several years. In fact the last time I rode a horse was when I paid to trail ride. Finally I was going to have the opportunity to relive some of my past. I eagerly got my cowboy boots out of my closet and tried them on. I guess it had been some time since I tried on my boots they didn't fit. So I put on my tennis shoes, my jeans and headed off to my friend's house.

I got there and looked up at her horse. It was big - bigger than I remembered a horse to be. She had the horse all saddled and even had a folding chair for me to stand on so I could get up into the saddle. I told my friend that I didn't need a chair to boost me up onto the horse. After all I was an experienced rider, even though I hadn't ridden for thirty some years. I put my foot in the stirrup and grabbed the saddle horn to pull myself up. While I was attempting to pull myself up the horse decided that it had had enough and she decided to wander toward the fence line, dragging me along. My foot was stuck in the stirrup.

My friend hurried over and grabbed the horse's bridle and stopped her. My friend helped me untangle my foot from the stirrup and then we walked back over to where the folding chair was waiting. This time I stepped on the folding chair, put my foot in the stirrup and struggled to lift my other leg over the other side of the saddle. Finally I was in the saddle. I had just had a minor setback, now I was ready to go.

I held the reins and told my friend not to worry; after all I was an experienced horsewoman. I gently nudged the horse in the side and urged the horse to go a little faster. My friend had told me that her horse was old but still had some spirit. I was anxious to recapture some of my experiences of my youth. The horse didn't move. After a few minutes my friend came over and led the horse past the gate and shut the gate. My friend walked in front

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