First lesson!

“Is it time yet?” I ask my husband quietly.

“It’s 3 a.m., go back to sleep.” he replies from his side of the bed. I am more excited than a kid on Christmas day. It’s the day of my intro lesson.

My husband and I arrive at the barn with plenty of time. My instructor shows me to a beautiful - and beautifully short - horse. I won’t be too far from the ground on Red.

“Am I really going to do this?” I ask no one in particular. “Can I actually do this?”

“Just climb up the mounting blocks and swing your leg over,” she reassures me. “Don’t worry - this horse is more whoa than go.” I like the sound of that. I climb on and put my feet in the stirrups.

My instructor has the horse on a lead line. When she’s sure I’m onboard, she starts walking Red slowly around the ring. I’m on a horse! I can’t believe it! My husband starts taking more photos than a parent on the first day of school.

For the first five minutes, I feel a deep sense that I am out of my element. Probably because I am. There’s really no similar activity to riding a horse. You are astride a large animal, it is plodding along, and you are…sitting on top of it. I spend my days answering emails and playing Wordle. This - this is like being on another planet. I don’t know if I’m meant to be on this planet.

I make a deal with myself to just enjoy the half hour, and if it’s not for me, I’ll thank this nice instructor and feed the horse a carrot, and never come back. Setting expectations aside, I settle in for the ride. My instructor leads me around the ring several times, shows me how to stop (very important!), and gives me some pointers on my leg position. By the end of the lesson, I’m hooked.

“I would never want to canter or jump,” I explain to my instructor. “I really just like walking.” I’m hot to not trot. She patiently agrees that is fine. Dismounting, I sign up immediately for weekly lessons. I’m so excited, when I’m filling out the forms I momentarily can’t recall my phone number.

My husband and I climb into the car to go home. I turn to him happily. “Only one week until my next lesson!”