I grew up in a rural setting. It was in the 70's, things were still slow and quiet. Even though we lived very close to a major airport the roads were single lanes and there were plenty of wide open spaces with trees and streams and hillsides. To me it was "country", I spent my time running around barefooted. Playtime meant using your imagination and objects found lying around. Not game boys, or high tech toys. Lunch usually consisted of vegetables grabbed out of the garden. Nothing better than a big fresh vine ripe tomato. Just wipe it off on your shirt and bite into it.
My older cousin lived next to us. My cousin T is the one that got me interested in riding horses. She would have mom put me on her horse's back and ride me around. I loved it. I was only about 3 years old. As soon as I was old enough I asked for a horse of my own and got it. I was around 6 years old. That is where all the adventures began. I was definately a morning person, and I still am today. I would wake at the crack of dawn and go outside to start my day of play. My cousin, on the other hand, would often times sleep in. I know she was sick of me banging on the window to get her up in the mornings. She would eventually get up. First thing I wanted to do was to go riding. Mostly we rode bare back. Bareback means with out a saddle. I never did like a saddle under me. I felt more close to the horse when I rode bareback. We called it indian style. A few times we would go all out with the saddle and all the gear, but I really loved riding indian style.
We would pack a lunch, and some snacks for the horses, a blanket to sit on, and a few various other things, and off we would go on a great adventure. We would escape from reality while on our horses. You can be anything you want to be. We would explore all over the area where we lived. We saw so many awesome sights and creatures. There is nothing like wondering through the woods on the back of a horse. All you hear is the footsteps of your horse walking along. Of course you have to look out for low limbs and trees. There is also the occasional spider web between two trees with the huge spider on it. I can not tell you how many times I had a fit because I realized I had just rode into a spider web. Then you look down and see that huge spider on your shirt front. Can you imagine the convulsive dancing and arm slapping and flailing, while trying to slap that spider off of you? Other then those crazy moments everything else was peaceful. Moving along at such a relaxed pace you can see nature at it's finest. We climbed hills, we crossed creeks, we followed the railroad tracks. We found an old abandoned burial site one time. That was exciting. The headstones were so old they were mostly crumbled and gone, except for the very bottom piece. There were two that were still barely readable. The one of the lamb, that was witherd and worn from time, was for a male child. It was dated from the 1800's. From the dates it appeared that the child had only managed to live for a few months. There in the middle of these woods up a hillside under some large oak trees stood the small plot of a family from the late 1700's to 1800's. That is something I will always remember. There were no digital cameras then, there was no way to really capture that moment except in my mind. Now as I share it, it is as if I am back there sitting on my horse's back looking at that headstone of the lamb with the ear missing and the edges all rounded off with the effects of time and weather.
This is just one of many memories of the times I rode horses as a child. Most of my early memories of childhood involve horse back riding. I did other things as well, as most kids do. I played ball with the neighborhood kids. I fished in the nearby pond. (I also would ride my horse there and tie her with a long rope to a tree so she could eat grass while I fished for a while.) I rode my bike. I mostly stayed outside all day until it was time to eat dinner. I would also go back outside after eating and play until dark. Sometimes when the moon was full my cousin and I would just go get the horses and get on them with no bridal or saddle and just walk around the pasture in the light of the full moon. That too is peaceful. The horses would just amble along through the pasture while we sat on their backs looking up at the stars and moon. Funny how it seems that back then there were billions of bright stars and the moon was so big it looked like you could reach out and touch it.
To this day I still love horses and everything that having one as a child has brought to my life. I love my childhood memories of horsback riding. I wish sometimes today, as an adult, that I could just lie back on my horse's back as she munched on the grass, and gaze up at the sky and the passing clouds. Those were the days when things were much simpler. Hope you enjoyed this story.
My older cousin lived next to us. My cousin T is the one that got me interested in riding horses. She would have mom put me on her horse's back and ride me around. I loved it. I was only about 3 years old. As soon as I was old enough I asked for a horse of my own and got it. I was around 6 years old. That is where all the adventures began. I was definately a morning person, and I still am today. I would wake at the crack of dawn and go outside to start my day of play. My cousin, on the other hand, would often times sleep in. I know she was sick of me banging on the window to get her up in the mornings. She would eventually get up. First thing I wanted to do was to go riding. Mostly we rode bare back. Bareback means with out a saddle. I never did like a saddle under me. I felt more close to the horse when I rode bareback. We called it indian style. A few times we would go all out with the saddle and all the gear, but I really loved riding indian style.
We would pack a lunch, and some snacks for the horses, a blanket to sit on, and a few various other things, and off we would go on a great adventure. We would escape from reality while on our horses. You can be anything you want to be. We would explore all over the area where we lived. We saw so many awesome sights and creatures. There is nothing like wondering through the woods on the back of a horse. All you hear is the footsteps of your horse walking along. Of course you have to look out for low limbs and trees. There is also the occasional spider web between two trees with the huge spider on it. I can not tell you how many times I had a fit because I realized I had just rode into a spider web. Then you look down and see that huge spider on your shirt front. Can you imagine the convulsive dancing and arm slapping and flailing, while trying to slap that spider off of you? Other then those crazy moments everything else was peaceful. Moving along at such a relaxed pace you can see nature at it's finest. We climbed hills, we crossed creeks, we followed the railroad tracks. We found an old abandoned burial site one time. That was exciting. The headstones were so old they were mostly crumbled and gone, except for the very bottom piece. There were two that were still barely readable. The one of the lamb, that was witherd and worn from time, was for a male child. It was dated from the 1800's. From the dates it appeared that the child had only managed to live for a few months. There in the middle of these woods up a hillside under some large oak trees stood the small plot of a family from the late 1700's to 1800's. That is something I will always remember. There were no digital cameras then, there was no way to really capture that moment except in my mind. Now as I share it, it is as if I am back there sitting on my horse's back looking at that headstone of the lamb with the ear missing and the edges all rounded off with the effects of time and weather.
This is just one of many memories of the times I rode horses as a child. Most of my early memories of childhood involve horse back riding. I did other things as well, as most kids do. I played ball with the neighborhood kids. I fished in the nearby pond. (I also would ride my horse there and tie her with a long rope to a tree so she could eat grass while I fished for a while.) I rode my bike. I mostly stayed outside all day until it was time to eat dinner. I would also go back outside after eating and play until dark. Sometimes when the moon was full my cousin and I would just go get the horses and get on them with no bridal or saddle and just walk around the pasture in the light of the full moon. That too is peaceful. The horses would just amble along through the pasture while we sat on their backs looking up at the stars and moon. Funny how it seems that back then there were billions of bright stars and the moon was so big it looked like you could reach out and touch it.
To this day I still love horses and everything that having one as a child has brought to my life. I love my childhood memories of horsback riding. I wish sometimes today, as an adult, that I could just lie back on my horse's back as she munched on the grass, and gaze up at the sky and the passing clouds. Those were the days when things were much simpler. Hope you enjoyed this story.
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