RuthM
Well-Known Member
Just wondering if there are any others on here that don't ride? Also how come and how do they feel being on here?
I stopped riding about 5 years ago. Stopping was a slow process that spanned about a decade. I went from riding 5 or so challenging horses per day to doing that at weekends and having my own during the week. Then I sold the last horse and it was weekends. I understood, could feel and genuinely grasped that riding less reduced my ability. Not having the benefit of scorching talent, just being someone that worked hard at it, my ability had always been tied to the doing and as the doing reduced so did ability.
Five years down the track and, introducing my daughter to horses I am back thinking and reading here, back somewhere I haven't been except as a visitor for a long time. "I don't ride anymore" has flowed off my tongue so easily and so often it doesn't make me feel anything - it's just a simple statement of fact. Recently I've asked myself what would I do if someone asked me to sit on a horse, or if I knew a fix for someone would I want a sit to feel first if it was right? What would my riding be like now?
I have zero interest in hiring hacks, none whatsoever in lessons on hirelings, (not lack of interest being taught, if ever I rode that would always be a top interest - always was). I will not be able to afford to buy for at least another 2 years, but that's half irrelevant as I've never paid to ride, never felt I should have the right to without the skill which makes riding for free or getting paid easy.
I'm like a non drinking alcoholic getting wafts of beer. I sense a wanting but still respect my original decision to stop rather than witness more fading because I loved it, real, hardcore, passionate love. I PTS my riding, put it out it's suffering! Still, I smell the beer and wonder if with a little dusting off a pleasure could be found outside of jobbing riding, I have to this point ruled out ever hobby riding but... (that's the waft of beer).
I stopped riding about 5 years ago. Stopping was a slow process that spanned about a decade. I went from riding 5 or so challenging horses per day to doing that at weekends and having my own during the week. Then I sold the last horse and it was weekends. I understood, could feel and genuinely grasped that riding less reduced my ability. Not having the benefit of scorching talent, just being someone that worked hard at it, my ability had always been tied to the doing and as the doing reduced so did ability.
Five years down the track and, introducing my daughter to horses I am back thinking and reading here, back somewhere I haven't been except as a visitor for a long time. "I don't ride anymore" has flowed off my tongue so easily and so often it doesn't make me feel anything - it's just a simple statement of fact. Recently I've asked myself what would I do if someone asked me to sit on a horse, or if I knew a fix for someone would I want a sit to feel first if it was right? What would my riding be like now?
I have zero interest in hiring hacks, none whatsoever in lessons on hirelings, (not lack of interest being taught, if ever I rode that would always be a top interest - always was). I will not be able to afford to buy for at least another 2 years, but that's half irrelevant as I've never paid to ride, never felt I should have the right to without the skill which makes riding for free or getting paid easy.
I'm like a non drinking alcoholic getting wafts of beer. I sense a wanting but still respect my original decision to stop rather than witness more fading because I loved it, real, hardcore, passionate love. I PTS my riding, put it out it's suffering! Still, I smell the beer and wonder if with a little dusting off a pleasure could be found outside of jobbing riding, I have to this point ruled out ever hobby riding but... (that's the waft of beer).