Today John and I took a motorcycle ride through Santiago and Trabuco Canyons–one of our favorite rides. We stopped at a horse stable and riding school in Silverado Canyon. John found this place yesterday on a bike ride and stopped there to take photographs. One of my goals in 2009 is to go horseback riding so I asked him if we could go back and check it out today.
Leave it to John–within 5 minutes we met two very nice women who were eager to help us. They gave me the name and number of a trainer who teaches western style riding and who they both like. (I’m going to call her tomorrow!) Then Ann, one of the women we met, introduced me to Ben, one of the horses the trainer uses for teaching her new students. I said hello to Ben and gave him lots of pats on the head and cheek. He was a sweet fella. I wondered if he was disappointed that I didn’t have any carrots in hand. I wondered, too, if he could tell that I was a little scared. I love animals and I think horses are particularly beautiful but I’ve always been a little afraid of them. I think that’s partly why I want to learn to ride, so I can face that fear . (One more fear I can tick off the list hopefully!) And riding combines two of my passions–animals and the outdoors–so it seems a natural thing for me to do. I loved being at the stables–touching the horses, smelling the earth and animals, seeing the beautiful mountains and countryside and feeling the breeze of the fresh air. I’m hoping Ben and I will get to know one another better in the near future.
Tags: 2009 goals, Animals, horses