Zen With A Quarter Horse: I Have Arrived, But Its Not By Saddle
Older But Wiser
Image from taylor linse
I rode bareback the other day for the first time in, ummm, oh, about 20 years. I am a little embarrassed to admit this. When my horse’s veterinarian first suggested it, I was also a bit fearful.
Who rides bareback except foolhardy kids with young bones and ground-hugging ponies? When I think of bareback riding, images of children trotting around, sliding across or off of their horses, come into my head. Sometimes those kids are hitting the dirt.
Sometimes the movie reel runs through my head and I see Indians blazing across the prairie, shooting arrows while dangling sideways off their flashy painted ponies, one foot hugging the croup.
When I got back into horses after a 12 year drought, the thought of riding bareback only popped into my brain fleetingly. Besides, even if its heavy, isn’t it cool to have a nice, fancy saddle as an adult to show that you have “arrived”? Aren’t you wiser when you are older, not doing those risky things you did as a youngster?
When I was a teenager, I didn’t have a pony but a speed-lovin’ Quarter Horse instead. I knew no different than to ride her with a simple bareback pad and hackamore any time I was not practicing for the next show. It was way faster to get to the riding part if I didn’t mess with the whole bridle, pad and heavy saddle part.
Maybe the wisdom comes later when you do things that take courage – but you do them with just a little more finesse.
Zen And A Quarter Horse
Image from Sage By Nature
I never fell off that speed demon horse, and I do not remember worrying about it, not even when I turned the corner to the home stretch back to the barn. I leaned over her neck and let her fly. That was frowned upon by some folks since I was showing her in Western pleasure classes where the emphasis was on slow…
I was too addicted to the speed, the breath, the wind, and the muscles beneath me to resist it. It was meditation by horseback, and it was both relaxing and exhilarating.
The ride that was to be my last, before heading off to college, I remember well. I burned the memory into my brain because I told myself during the whole ride to remember it. I wanted it recorded in my brain from the time we turned the corner and pounded the earth towards home. I breathed in every hoof beat.
I didn’t know that it would be twenty three years later before I would hop back up without a saddle as the middle-man.
Balance Is Key
Image from amandine299
The first ride bareback on my current Quarter Horse was thrilling; there is nothing like feeling the mass of muscles beneath you, the movement, the warmth, and the smell of pure, sweet horse sweat unadulterated by leather. Even though I was a bit giddy, I didn’t cue my horse into anything faster than a trot that day.
After all, I am supposed to be wiser now, right?
I was pleasantly surprised at my balance. It must come from riding a bike every day attached by leash to an 80 pound dog – a dog mellow and peaceful as a dove until he sees a squirrel.
Baring Your Fear And Becoming A Better Partner
When I came back to earth at the end of that first ride, I felt the muscles of my legs begin to protest. You will never know what kind of riding shape you are in until you ride bareback! I thought that I was pretty relaxed and not squeezing my legs during the ride, but still I was sore.
Image from James Jordon
I had told my horse I was a little intimidated before I got on; I think releasing that fear was important, and it actually helped me to relax when I was up on her back. The ground looked kind of far, but we were in a quiet outdoor arena with deep dirt to land on.
Everything I have read lately about riding bareback reinforces my thoughts that I will be a much better rider by being more adept at bareback riding. If I am a better rider, then I am a better partner for my horse.
And isn’t that what its all about?
Links For More Information
- Zen And The Horse: the influence of posture, breath, and the psoas muscle
- Article on bareback riding from a trainer’s perspective
- Bareback pad comparison
- The Fountain of Youth: Your Horse’s Saddle-less Back – A recent post on the Sage by Nature blog
About Eleanor
Eleanor Van Natta is a wife, a mother of two little girls, and a caretaker to one dog, one cat, and one horse. She has a Zoology degree from the University of CA, Davis, and prior to becoming a stay at home mom she had a career in environmental and pharmaceutical sales. Eleanor is currently writing a book on horses and healing. You can find more of her writing on her website: Sage By Nature.