An old love....found again!

Wow, I'm still on a "high" from yesterday I just wanted to post about it. It's probably the most exciting thing that has happened to me lately :)

So, I tried really hard to save up some money for Hailey to ride this week and since I started my new waitressing job I was able to pull some extra money together. It's a good thing, because she's been dieing to ride! We went yesterday for the first time in a month. For a while now, Hailey has been asking her instructor if I could ride too. While I would LOVE to, I just wasn't sure if the instructor wanted money if I rode, or if I was just going to be able to hop on a horse for free? I surely didn't want to pay for myself to have a lesson to the tune of an additional $40! So, we never really pushed it. Although, Hailey did. She must not have believed me that I could ride a horse :) After all, I am a "mom" and being a mom is I "do" in her eyes. There's no way your mother can have any talents :-P

Well, it turned out that her instructor (Elizabeth) said that if I wanted to hop on Sassy (the horse Hailey rides) I could, after Hailey was done. So, of course, the whole lesson Hailey wanted to be done with her lesson so she could see me ride! AFter she was finally done, it was my turn. I was excited, but nervous too. I haven't been on a horse in over 7 years. Since I was pregnant with Hailey! As a kid, I spent most of my waking hours either on my horse or with my horse. I was horse-crazy, much like Hailey is. I honestly think that the love for horses is in your blood. It's funny how Hailey loves horses like I did as a kid and I CERTAINLY did not push it on her (it's an expensive sport/hobby!). I had to give up my horse life when I got pregnant in high school. I couldn't afford and didn't have time for newborn twins and my horse. I was even going to go to College at UNH with a major in Equine Science. My dream for as long as I can remember, has been to own a breeding farm and that's what I was going to go to college for. Needless to say, life doesn't always pan out the way you expect. Once the twins were born, horses were put on the back-burner for me. When they were young, I did have various horse jobs. I worked at and then managed the riding at Castle in the Clouds for years. I loved that job! I also was a barn-girl at a huge barn in Tuftonboro when I got pregnant with Hailey. That was the last time I rode.

You know, turns out that riding a horse is much like riding a bike. You never really "forget" how to do it. Once I was up there, something inside me just turned on again. Something I haven't felt in a very, VERY long time. I don't really know how to explain it, but it's so powerful that I'm sitting here typing with teary-eyes. It was truly amazing, and awakening!! What a feeling to find passion again! I got up there on that pony (she's a big pony)and rode around that ring like I had never even stopped riding. I think I was pretty good too!! For someone that hasn't been on a horse in over 7 yrs. I trotted a little, and Hailey was begging me to canter. Which, if you don't know, is faster that a trot and a LOT harder and bouncier. I did it and it felt great! Even the instructor was impressed on how well I could still ride. Hailey got a kick out of seeing me ride, and I felt really proud to show one of my kids that I, too, can have talents.

However, now there is only one problem. Now I want to get back up there!!!! I feel like such a giddy, excited kid again!!