Equestrian Fun
Equestrian: My first love
I had the great pleasure of growing up around horses. And to be sure, there were a few things I did not like about these animals. Top of that list was cleaning their stalls! Another big dislike was having to painstakingly remove all the burrs from their mane and tale hair after they'd been out to pasture for awhile. Beyond that there's not much I don't absolutely love about these beautiful and powerful creatures!
APPLES & CARROTS ~ Yea, I know people like them. But our horses absolutely loved apples and carrots. It was a hoot playing games with them. I'd hide a carrot in one of my pockets after showing it off and then start walking. One of our horses would just get as close as he could and work on retrieving it right out of my pocket. Never mind if he managed to grab a bit of denim. He just wanted that carrot to chomp down.
Did you ever feel their whiskers when they nuzzle an apple from your hand. Mind you, I avoided the biters. The ones who were more on the gentle side were the ones I'd feed an apple to. If you've never done this, you'll want to keep your palm open and place the apple in your palm. The object is to avoid having your fingers as a part of their snack. As they go for the apple, unless they're really hungry or greedy, sometimes they'll use their lips to make sure they got it all.
Best buddies in equestrian
We had a horse that absolutely loved to roll in the mud and dirt! I think she (yes, girls like mud, too, I guess) did that so she'd get a bath. She totally enjoyed the water hose pouring water all over her back and being rubbed and scrubbed and brushed. She's just stand there for the longest time and allow you to do it. Of course, we'd all end up soaking wet. Think BIG HORSE SHAKING WATER off itself. Then she'd want more! Go figure.
One of our horses was just plain competitive with other horses. If several of us were riding and one of the group started trotting or galloping, this particular horse would take off like a rocket. I loved to be on horseback when they ran, so the best thing to do was just let him have his head and go. Talk about exhilaration. What a showoff that horse was.
These are just a few of my favorite memories of fun times and things about our horses. You know, they take a lot of care and attention. It's good to think about some of the fun and joy they bring, too.
Check out Wikipedia's article on EQUESTRIANISM for a good overview on riding horses.