horseback riding article

Back in the Saddle

first published in the Everett (Washington) Herald, August 30, 2003

When I first looked at the website for Academy of Horsemanship, I got the distinct impression that their lessons were only for children. The photos of all the happy smiling faces - - little bodies on big horses - ranged in age from 5 to 10 or 12.

It wasn't until I called and talked to Barbara Olson, the stable's owner, that I found they do indeed offer lessons for adults. They've taught ages 3 to 70, so I fell right in between.

I'd been on horses sporadically since attending a day camp when I was 10, but I'd always felt that the horses knew I had no idea what I was doing. I was definitely under their control while riding, not the other way around.

So this summer, I wanted to recapture those days when I felt I knew more than the horse. My husband and I have our sights set on an African horseback safari, and from what I’ve read, beginning riders need not apply.

Located a few miles north of Monroe, Academy of Horsemanship is home to 20 horses, an indoor and an outdoor arena.

Before we could start our first lesson, we had to learn how to groom our horses. Grooming, according to Olson, is an essential part of learning to ride, particularly if, as with many of her students, you plan to eventually own your own horse.

Even if you ride only horses that are prepped by others, it's important to know how to put on a bridle and a saddle. Mary Grevelle, the weekend barn manager, taught us the drill.

"You should have enough knowledge to know if something is not right," Grevelle pointed out, "plus, this way, our horses get to know their riders."
Mary Grevelle, the weekend barn manager, taught us the drill. To groom, you first use a curry comb, which is actually not a comb at all but a hard rubber disk with spikes. As I rubbed it over Archie, my horse for the day, he nodded his head in approval. Next you brush with a stiff brush and then a soft brush for that "just groomed" look. The brushing helps warm up the horse and stimulates its muscles.

It still wasn't time to ride, though. First I had to pick the dirt and stones out of Archie's hooves and get the bit into his mouth.

"Some horses," Grevelle said, "bow their heads down to accept the bridle. Archie, on the other hand, doesn't." In fact, he seemed to do everything he could not to take it. After numerous tries, which involved getting her fingers dangerously close to his big teeth, Grevelle finally succeeded. It was time to ride.

Our instructor, Amanda Verline, gave us a quick lesson in adjusting the stirrups and holding the reins. The correct way, I learned, was to hold one in each hand, which left no possibility of grabbing for the saddle while riding - - a terrible habit I'd picked up, and one which branded me, both to the horse and its trainer, as a complete novice.

Verline sat in the center of the ring where she could watch each of us, and started us out at a slow walk. Once we - and our horses - were warmed up, Verline taught us the "two-point," a maneuver that consists of pressing your heels down, sticking your butt back, and lifting your body slightly out of the saddle.

"If you feel the burning in your thighs," she said, "you're doing it right."

These are, coincidentally, the muscles one needs to develop in order to jump. They're also the ones I felt hurting the next day.

Finally, once we were all feeling comfortable in the ring, we progressed to trotting and posting. Posting, for those unfamiliar with horse-terms, is a way of lifting your posterior off the saddle in rhythm with the horse's gait. It's a bit more work for the rider, but it's definitely a backside-saver when trotting.

The following week, Verline let us ride in the school's outdoor arena, adjacent to the covered ring. The ring is surrounded by alder trees and has a llama farm next door, and it also contains a number of practice jumps in the center.

"Don't steer your horses toward the jumps," Verline warned us, since all the horses at the Academy are trained to walk, trot, canter and jump. "If you go there, they will jump," she continued, "and you won't like it."

Verline said learning to jump takes four to six months of training. "Mostly it's a matter of developing the muscles you need," she said. And I thought the horse was supposed to do all the work.

For the remainder of the hour, the three of us practiced in the ring, and the horses were all very good about following our instructions. We covered trotting and posting again, as well as crossing over the ring and performing "two-points" while trotting.

After just two lessons I already felt much more confident, and was far less sore the following day than I'd been the week before.

With my rapidly increasing knowledge of riding, I started to feel like maybe I was just a little bit smarter than the horses after all.