I finally got to use my Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend from last Christmas due to a very busy year! It was a trip to Dorset to have a private horse riding lesson / Trek along Studland Beach.
We both used to ride a lot when we were children but not so much as adults. I was very nervous as the last time I went riding was about 6 years ago with my friend Anita. She booked us an experience riding ex racehorses which looking back was perhaps for the more experienced rider as my horse just took off as if he was trying to win the 3.30 at Newmarket and I had no control over him!
So I was nervous and asked Daniel to tell the stables I wanted a slow small pony, We got to the stables at 8.30 in the morning and I was shown to a horse that still am unsure of his name, (I’d been calling him one name all morning and when we returned to the stables the groom called him something completely different to which I can’t remember either of these two names). But anyway he seemed a nice horse, not too big which was very good just in case I do fall off, Daniel was given a very big horse called Boris (That was an easy name to remember due to Boris Johnson)
So off we go to the beach which took about 20 minutes all the while I felt very anxious and the instructor was in front of me trying to have a conversation but I could not really hear her and Daniel was behind me asking what the instructor was saying, all I wanted to do was concentrate on staying on.
We got to the road that ran along the beach and we started trotting, this was when I knew I no longer fitted into the category of someone that looks like a horse rider, I had lost all my skills. When we got to the beach it was so beautiful, it was cold so the beach was empty apart from a few people walking their dogs, you could see a few miles down the coast with the perfect white sand.
The instructor asked if we wanted to canter along the beach which I was not too sure about but thought I would give it a go. We trotted then (with me at the back) Daniel and the instructor where off cantering away from me. I don’t think my horse was enjoying the trip out as he did not want to canter and after some time of asking this of him he gave a massive buck and we were cantering, such a wonderful feeling, like being free.
After that I got over my anxiety and started really enjoying it all, we rode for about a mile down the beach and then turned to head home, again we all went to canter but this time my horse knew we had turned and were on our way home so he skipped the canter and went straight into a gallop, his head straight up. No more lazy horse. I should have been frightened but I loved it so much. Brought back some lovely memories of being young and spending all my weekends horse riding.
The trip was made even better as Daniel said it was one of his dreams to ride on the beach, so dreams really do come true.
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