What's At The Core Of Your Love Of Riding?

And is it what it used to be?

- Farryn Day

Do you remember the feeling of arriving at a yard for your first ever riding lesson? The excited energy and nervous bubbles rising in your belly? Do you remember getting on and riding independently for the first time? Feeling tall and brave as you got into the saddle and walked alone without a lead. Do you remember why you started riding in the first place?

MY JOURNEY

My first encounter with horses was on my grandfather’s farm. Although I was only knee-heigh at the time, I remember that sweet, dusty smell of the barn like it was yesterday. This inexplicable, uniquely horsey smell should come with a warning label – ‘addiction is instant and long-lasting’.

After what felt like eons in the confines of my house and garden, returning to the yard after lockdown felt like the ultimate freedom. The familiar sights, sounds and smells were food for my soul. Entering the stable yard, with the horses unchanged and unfazed by the fear and upheaval we as humans have felt, was incredibly soothing. As I sat in the yard on the first morning we could return to our horses, I pondered the changes in our world and lives. I particularly considered what lockdown has meant for horse owners and riders. The upheaval caused to trainers, coaches, show venues, etc., has been immense and, yet, I wonder if it has also given us time to reflect on what our horses really mean to us.

THE EFFECTS OF LOCKDOWN