I used to gallop horses. More than that, I used to do figure 8s bareback. One time, I rode a 17 hands midnight black stallion in a thunder and lightening storm. I used to ride two up. But that was then and now is now.

The mare I am ridding is young, 3years, and she has a mind of her own. This means that things can and do get dicey. 90% of the time, control is a negotiation. I need to mention that my saddle seems to be ever slipping. Yes, yes. Yes. We wait a while after saddling-on to allow the mare to deflate and then cinch up some more and then even after ridding some, we cinch more. But the saddle slips.

So, after many years of not riding and using a slipping saddle, I do not have the demeanor of a horseman. Although about six years ago things were pretty smooth galloping another horse. Likely, I never did have a good demeanor, so now I am given helpers from other horsemen/women. Everyone has a better way.

Today when trotting and galloping, I am not the picture of balance. Given the fact that I am untrained and the mare is a non-line-of-movement horse, likely, I look like I need a lot of help. One helpful idea was for me to keep my belly button over the center of the saddle. The idea was for me to be centered on the horse, to be balanced, to be able to accommodate the mare’s silly and often unanticipated moves of off-line trotting. If my Bianchi road bike ever did what this mare does, the frame would come un-welded. More than unwelding, the mare is organic, and she can almost turn herself inside out to do what she has in mind.

Okay, I was told to keep my belly button on top of the center of the saddle. (Intuitively, I behaved differently, but the idea was meant well.) The idea was good, but flawed. When the saddle begins to slip and then slip more and more, what the hey, if I keep my belly button on the center of the saddle, and the saddle goes topsy turvy, that is top of horse to bottom of horse, and I did what I was told, I would be scrapping my head on the ground. So the language was changed to keep my belly button in line with the mane of the mare. Much better. Now when the saddle begins to slip, I fight to keep top-side-up and that works better of course and was what I was doing before. Am I balanced? Likely not. It just takes time in the saddle. There are days on that mare that are not so much training her as preserving my life.

Bless those that own domestic horses. Those individuals are a breed of their own. They care about things I do not even know the name thereof. What a joy to be allowed on an 800 to 1,200 pound animal and have an agreement with the horse of its power and my guidance.

Good stuff. The epitome of life on a horse, to me, is to ride a cutting horse doing its job. Now that is union where the horse is both the power and intelligence while I go for a ride, a double EE ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Power and grace. A mighty combo. A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.