Eva is our family equestrian. She takes dressage lessons and has become quite a “horse person”. I’ve had the opportunity to see her in action, and she does very well. Her trainer is working with her so that someday she may be able to show horses on her own.
For those who may be unfamiliar, dressage is a French term, most commonly translated to mean “training”. It’s a form of riding performed in exhibition and competition. The horse and rider are expected to perform, from memory, a series of predetermined movements. Eva and the horse she rides are becoming a more accomplished pair with each lesson. Beyond the riding, Eva bridles, saddles, brushes, and washes down her horse. She’s shoveled her fair share of horse poop too.
While many may be surprised by her expertise, she comes by it naturally. I was an accomplished rider in my youth as well. I earned my horsemanship merit badge as a boy scout when I was about her age. In addition to riding, I spent the week learning to saddle, bridle, brush, clean his hooves and shoes, and measure his height with my hands. I had to get him to trot, canter and gallop during my final ride. My efforts were rewarded when I received my badge.
Ruth is an experienced rider as well. She’s not as accomplished as me, but she can ride. A few years ago we took a family trip to Montana. We stayed at a little ranch out in the country. We had the entire crew with us and we held our own mini Olympics on the site. We had several competitions. We tossed eggs, played badminton, had a water balloon fight, saw how long we could sit in a freezing creek, (Brady and Eva tied.), told ghost stories and jokes around a campfire, and went on a horseback ride. David, Michael and Sutton even prepared to go spelunking but couldn’t find a Montana cave.
Most of the crew went horseback riding. Eva’s legs were so short back then that they stood out in front of her. She sat in the saddle like an experienced rider, but her legs were too short to reach the stirrups. I followed close behind in case she needed to be swooped up from a fall like Roy Rogers, or Gene Autry, would have done.
We rode a wooded trail led by two cowboys. The two sported cowboy hats, so that’s how I knew they were the real deal. Our two hour ride went well. A couple of the horses had minds of their own, but our experienced posse quickly brought them back into line. You have to let your horse know who’s boss or he will meander willy-nilly as he pleases. Creek crossing was a challenge for some, but those who took control of their steed, crossed in fine fashion.
Everything went well until the end of the ride. As the day got hotter, Ruth removed her jean jacket and placed it across the saddle in front of her. As she was preparing to dismount, the jacket slid from the saddle, fell to the ground and spooked the horse. She was trying to stop the sliding jacket when the horse reared up on it’s hind-legs. Ruth was thrown from the horse, and just missed being trampled when the horse returned all four legs to the ground. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
She was more jostled than hurt, but I took her to the hospital just the same. They examined her, found no major injuries, but kept her over-night as a precaution. She checked out the next day and we continued our trip.
She didn’t ride again, until this past January. Eva was in Florida for a couple of weeks during a school shutdown. She, and Ruth, went riding. Both agreed that the Florida ride was not as exciting as dressage or riding in Montana. They enjoyed their ride together, but Eva is sticking to the more exciting dressage with an eye on formal competition someday. Ruth is simply calling it quits. Her best riding days are behind her.
