Horseback Riding

I have grown up on a farm my whole entire life. Born and raised in the country, on pasture lands. Having lived on a farm I have been subjected to many opportunities that many others have not. I had a big open yard that was my playground, hale bales that I could jump on and around, and many animals such as cattle, cats, and horses that I could play with and go out and see whenever I wanted. One of my favorite things to do when I was a kid was to ride my horse Bob. He was a beautiful white horse with little gray spots all over and was very calm and sweet. I remember always getting very excited when my dad said that we had to work cattle, because that meant that I got to ride Bob. My dad would always saddle him up and then put me in the saddle since I was too small to do so. Bob ended up passing away when I was around 12 or 13. We then only had one horse, so I did not ride hardly anymore. As I got older and entered high school, my dad finally allowed me to ride his horse Sorrely. It felt great getting to ride again. However, since then Sorrely has become old and un-rideable.

My dad purchased another horse named Bill when I was in my senior year of high school. I had thought ‘Yes I can finally ride again!’. This was not the case though, because Bill had to be retrained by my dad, so he told me I was not allowed to ride him. The disappoint that I had in hearing this was immense. I have been waiting forever to ride our horses once again. During Labor Day weekend this year the wait finally ended. I was at home for the 4-day weekend and we were clipping my cattle for the Kansas State Fair. I asked my dad if I could ride Bill as the weather was very nice. He finally said yes, and I was ecstatic. We saddled him up in the early evening and I took him out to the pasture, hoped and rode him for about an hour. After waiting so many years to get on one of horses, finally getting to ride just felt amazing. For me riding horses is very relaxing and calming. The fact the you are a team and one with each other riding is just a mesmerizing feeling. You get to control how fast or slow you go, so it can be an adrenaline rush if you want it to be.

I’m not quite sure if there is anywhere for people to go horseback riding in Manhattan, but I do know that there is a place called Rock Springs Ranch where you can ride horses. I went there for 4-H camp when I was younger, and it was always my favorite activity during camp. I am a little sad, because the next time I will probably get to ride our horses will be either in the Spring or Summer, since it is cold out right now. I am looking forward to riding again soon.