Horse Riding

This past weekend i went to Karen to ride again. It is a new place to me, with new people and horses, to which I was introduced a couple of weeks ago. Since then I have been coming there, mostly on weekends, to ride the polo horses. Apart from exercise in the forest I have also got advise from several good polo players. It is a sport that I have earlier never understood nor appreciated. However this new style of riding is quite fascinating and also the horses are different and should e ridden in another way than what i am used to.

By starting to ride I hoped to gain further insight into this part of the horse world, learn new ways of controlling and enjoying time of horse back. Frankly I have got a lot more than that in return. Most of all I have had the possibility to not only develop my skill as a rider but also my confidence and leadership. Especially when riding in the forest all paces should be taken into consideration. A polo horse must be able to accelerate fast and then stop in a second without hesitation. This quick response of the horse is quite new and has made me try different speeds that I would never have dared to reach on other horses. But for this to work and the horse to listen is important, as the groom and experienced rider Abraham tells me, that the rider is absolute in what he wants and only after that the horse will trust the rider and  a good relationship can be established. Additionally I have taken the leader position of the group and this demands to look ahead and decide what way and pace is appropriate for the rest of the group as well as make others aware of possible obstacles.

By continuing the horses horses and myself I will hopefully learn even more about the game of Polo and that no one can be an expert the first time (I have a tendency to get frustrated when I have little knowledge in a certain area). I will of course also continue riding at my other stable and practice jumping and dressage so as not to forget that.