Being the offspring of two working parents and an aversion to sports, the only way I could satisfy my mother's never ending request to go outside "and play" (as if outside were fun!) was by offering that local legend to help with her pony.
In return for the cleaning and walking and dog-poo-up-picking, she would allow me to every now and again sit on the pony whilst she led it on a lead.
I knew then that the only sport I could ever enjoy would be one where someone else did all the heavy lifting, so that I could enjoy the view from up high. I LOVED it.
Unfortunately, in terms of easy access, affordability and convenience, horse riding isn't exactly fighting for the top spot. That doesn't mean that a girl can't dream - and a dream is all it has been for the past 25 years.
But one cloud-heavy morning Amy agreed to go on a horse-back trek with me. A quick phone-call confirmed that all would go ahead as planned, and that the drizzle wouldn't stop the horses from carrying us through the beautiful wild meadows of the flat Suffolk country side. Upon arriving at the stables however, it was clear that the flooding rain-waters had other plans...
The Manager suggested that we might be more comfortable riding in the hall, and seen as we had come all this way (and he reduced the price for the session), we couldn't see the harm in agreeing to that.
Little did we know that all the children running around in helmets weren't just there for decoration, but were actually preparing to start a riding lesson. In the hall. That's right, when he said "ride in the hall", he meant "join the kids' riding lesson." What could possibly go wrong.
Within minutes we found ourselves trying to climb the gigantic horses whilst the infants gracefully floated up on to ponies that matched their breeches. A stern looking pre-teen pointed out that my way of holding the reigns was not in line with the correct technique, and that my toes should really "point to the sky".
Whilst allowing my horse to follow the one in front around the circle, I tried to maintain a semblance of dignity when coming within sight of the proud parents filming their offspring - a quarter of my age, but allowed to ride independently whereas I had to be guided by a kid.
Instructions of "keep your back straight / shorten the reigns / angle your knees / don't allow him to cut corners" kept raining down on us, and I tried my best to keep up. But when the horse fell into a slow-motion trot, all my attempts at technique made way to desperately hanging on to "Oscar", the bumpy giant.
The only time I felt confident was when I was instructed to come off the horses, as I thought I would have gravity on my side. I'll remember next time that thigh muscles have their own way in getting you back when you overwork them for an hour...
Is this a sport worth taking up? Here is what I think:
1. compared to the other sports I've tried so far, it's definitely the most expensive and least convenient with regards to accessibility.
2. If you are looking to see a visible improvement in your levels of fitness within a short time, I don't think you'd get that from riding - although I do know that experienced, regular riders tend to have good core strength and leg muscles.
3. Whilst we did not need to buy any equipment but borrowed hats from the stables, I would imagine that regular riders would prefer to own their own which would be a considerable additional cost.
4. Depending on what you are looking for, it is a fun activity and I enjoyed being on a horse just as much as I remembered from my childhood. So if you've never ridden a horse and cost is not an issue, booking a trek would definitely be a lovely way of spending a sunny Saturday. If you are looking to learn how to ride in a technically strong way, I'd suggest booking a private lesson. Or pretend you're 7, if you can get away with it.
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