06/26/2023
People don’t understand what it means to be a horse rider. They especially don’t understand what it is to be a middle-aged woman who rides horses. Many middle-aged galloping housewives themselves don’t recognise the attributes, abilities and transferable skills that they have acquired.
They have patience, learned from years of two steps forwards, one step back training. They have hope, from looking at the bum high youngster with a face only a mother could love and knowing that one day he’ll be your magnificent partner in the arena. They have courage, from leaving any start box at any event, ever. They have optimism, that their horse will learn his changes, one day. They have creativity as they jury rig a system to keep Trigger from knocking over the water bucket for the 11th time. They have time management skills from… well, surviving any single day with horses, family and work. They have commitment from feeding in winter and showing in summer and making sure the first thing that gets organised for a weekend off is who will look after the horses. They have perspective from the days when everything goes wrong, and they realise just how bloody privileged they are to have horses and have the chance for everything to go wrong. They have humour from hearing the alarm go off at 3 in the morning to find Misty, the rescue sh*tland they just had to take on, neck deep in the race mix. They have leadership skills from keeping the yard in order. Even if they are the only human there, they have leadership skills. They have humility because they know that as soon as they get cocky about the podium finish, they are likely to end up sat in the water jump at the next show. They have forgiveness as they know that Ginger didn’t mean to spook and leave the arena just before trotting down the centreline at the end of their best. test. ever. They have cleanliness from keeping the yard immaculate and the boxes spotless (just don’t look at their car or their house!) They have flexibility from years of making plans with their horses and none of them, not a single one, following said plan. They have trust from everyday swinging their leg over a 500kg animal with a mind of its own.
Most of all, they have resilience. They know that whatever life throws at them they will get by. And generally, they’ll find a way of having fun while they do.
