Elisa Balabram and Gavião
I had no real experience going horseback riding. I remember that 21 years ago I had the opportunity to do so for the first time in a small field, just going once around that field, with someone else walking next to us. I don't think this qualifies as horseback riding, though.
Twenty one years later, my youngest sister and I went to a farm hotel and had the opportunity to horseback ride a few times. The first time I could sense the horse wasn't very comfortable as he only wanted to walk on grass. I told the team and they decided to let him rest, until they could fix his horseshoe. The second horse didn't want to leave the stable at all, but once we did, he was great. The third one walked slowly as we moved away from the stable and pretty fast when we turned around to go back.
Lessons learned:
- Trusting the horse is key. In the beginning, since I wasn't sure what to do, I was a little nervous, and so was the horse – once I stopped to breathe, relax, and connect my heart with his, I relaxed and so did he. This is an important life lesson to remember when interacting with anyone or in any situation that makes us feel uncomfortable. If we have a hard time demonstrating trust, we likely will not be trusted either.
- Trusting ourselves is also key. A few times I could sense that there wouldn't be enough space between my leg and a tree, but I figured it would be fine. I should have trusted my intuition and acted sooner, as one time my leg got caught between the horse and a wood poll and I got a knee bruise to prove it...
- Taking the time to speak to and to pet the horses was crucial. I could tell they enjoyed it. By showing appreciation to whomever is in our lives makes a huge difference.
- Leaving home may be hard at times, but once we are out we may as well enjoy it, and it makes it even more special to return home. Sometimes we resist doing what it takes to make things happen. Go ahead and find a fun incentive to encourage yourself to do it.
- Learning something new and taking the time to master it, although scary, it is always life changing. Even though at first I wasn't sure what I was doing, by the third time I was fully calm, willing to ride further, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
- Asking questions and listening to those more experienced helps us to feel more at ease, but it is still up to us to apply what we learned, to adapt to our own style, to discern what is true for us, and to make it happen.
It is never too late or too scary to take chances and to learn something new, by simply taking the time to ask questions, to be guided, to trust others and ourselves, to connect, and to breathe. What would you like to learn that scares you? Find someone you trust to go along for the ride, and go for it.
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