Do you ride?

Thought For The Day

It was an early Fall day in Michigan. I was going to a Rotary lunch meeting. It was a speaker meeting.

When I arrived I made the rounds then sat down next to Chris, a friend I had gotten to know through Rotary. The meeting started quickly and the speaker was introduced. I kept looking out at the bright Fall colors, the brilliant sunshine and was thinking about horseback riding in a quiet country setting. The speaker was not holding my attention.

I leaned over toward Chris and said, "Great day for horseback riding."

He looked back almost too quickly and said, "Do you ride?"

I didn't think about it before I answered him but that question can mean a lot of different things.

I answered in the affirmative and he said, "Let's go."

I looked at him quizzically and he said, "Now!"

When we got outside he told me to follow him to his farm. I had no idea he had a farm but followed him to a beautiful country setting with white fences and manicured lawns, barns and even a silo.

We parked near the barns and went inside. Without a moments hesitation he went to the tack room and got the saddles, English, should have been a clue. I was accustomed to western but didn't say anything. The horses were beautiful, black Arabians. Should have been another clue. He saddled my horse and told me to take him outside. I did as instructed and adjusted the stirrups and mounted the horse.

My riding was made up of rented horses, a PE course I took in college, and utility farm animals I had used. The only thing I knew about horses was told me by a farmer friend who said that to successfully manage a horse you had to make it easy for them to do what you wanted and very difficult for them to do what they wanted. He also said the horse knew your skill level the minute your butt hit the saddle.

With that in mind I did what I always did when I got on a horse. I neck reined it left, then right, and backed it up. The horse was not terribly responsive and a bit disagreeable. So I pushed on with my superior attitude toward the horse. That's when the trouble began.

The horse reared and set off at a gallop into the woods. I was completely off guard and nearly lost my seat. Once I upright, I began seeking control of the situation. It seemed the more I directed, the less progress. I should mention here that Chris had not missed the theater occurring in his back yard. He was following me and screaming at the top of his lungs for me to stop, which I would have happily done if my mount had been more cooperative.

After a brisk romp through the woods and over the countryside on a recalcitrant horse and a screaming owner following, the horse tired, my reining prevailed and the horse stopped.

Chris pulled up beside me and with a look of terror in his eyes said, "I thought you could ride."

"After all that and I'm still on the horse, what kind of question is that?", I barked.

"That's a $150,000 worth of horse, an Arabian, dressage, Herb, dressage." He pleaded.

Well, what can I say? I knew the meaning of the word, dressage in a limited way. I did not know how to accomplish it or apply it.

When we got the horses back to the barn there was no more interest in riding. We put the horses away and Chris and I never went riding again. We did remain friends and that's a mark of Chris' character and largesse. We both learned that day that "Can you ride?" needs a bit more qualification to be useful.

©Herb Ratliff, June 20, 2012, All Rights Reserved