Back in the saddle again!

 September 25

Yesterday was a great day! I got to start horseback riding lessons. Pre Covid, I rode at Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center for two years. The pandemic made me stop and I really missed riding. At the center I get independence and nobody treats me differently because of my disability. I get to ride once a week with wonderful ladies who I have ridden with before. My horse is named Rambler and I just love him. There’s something very soothing about horses and their intuition is amazing. When my brother died I couldn’t talk about it but I remember telling Rambler.

A woman in our class can’t stand so she rides her scooter up the mounting ramp and then a lift, secured by the instructor, lifts her from her scooter onto the horse! I tried to take a picture to show you but I’m afraid I was too far away. Since I can stand, I mount with assistance from the instructor and volunteers. Once on the horse, volunteers called side walkers, walk along either side of the horse to make sure the rider doesn’t fall off. A horse leader, leads the horse if needed. As the rider learns to control their horse, the horse leader can unhook the lead rope, giving the rider full control.

Once on the horse we ride around the arena, learning how to control the horse while learning riding etiquette. On nice days we get to do trail rides outside on the center’s property.

We also do stretches on the horse and riding is a great all around workout! My core strength has greatly improved because of riding.

The center also offers hippo therapy. A horse gait is similar to a human gait and hippo therapy is used to help riders learn how to control their bodies. It’s not uncommon to see a 4 year old riding on a horse backwards as part of their therapy!

The center sits on beautiful land, just being there soothes my soul. I want to thank the instructors, volunteers and horses for making this place possible.