April 20, 2017
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Looking a Horse in the Mouth
I once was riding a horse
The saddle was hard of course
I bumped along
Humming a song
And was bucked off into the gorseAs promised here is a familiar type of cinquain, the Limerick. As per the usual content of a limerick this is frivolous. Most limericks tend to silly or in many cases raunchy in theme. The limerick is composed of a rhyme scheme of a-a-b-b-a where lines 1,2,5 have 3 stressed syllables and lines 3 and 4 have 2 stressed syllables.
This poem sums up my equestrian experiences. I have been on horses exactly 5 times and none of them has been enjoyable for either me or the horse. There was Tarzan, a pony, who tried to knock me out of the saddle by running into the barn which was really just a shed. Then there was Sputnik who was a riding stable horse (barely - probably a pinkie finger taller than a pony) who decided that going back to the stable was more desirable than a trot through the woods. He made a beeline to the stable at his top speed and decided to do a little dance on the way. I held on but nearly severed my tongue when I landed back in the saddle. My friend was riding a big bay horse and suggested we switch. He was very antsy and decided to try to dislodge me by dislocating my hips going between some trees and when that didn't work he reared and nearly went over backwards - not fun. When I was in vet tech school I had an experience with a pretty palomino. The vet wanted to see his "action" when ridden. Because I was the lightest weight live body available I was hoisted into the saddle. No sooner did my backside make contact with the leather, the horse (a real live tall muscular beast with a bad attitude) bolted. The vet student was not expecting it and the lead was jerked from his hands. I was only saved (no reins, no feet in stirrups) by the fact that they got the doors closed before the horse made it to the end of the causeway. And my last ride on a horse (that wasn't tethered to a carousel) was Star, owned by another friend. I had gone to visit her for her wedding (as a bride's maid) and while the guys went out carousing the girls took turns riding her horse, Star. Being as I was the last to get a ride I'm pretty sure Star was tired of the whole business. That is my rationalization for why he decided to canter and them gallop after he had walked and maybe did a little trotting for the other 4 riders. With my teeth rattled and my spine compressed he finally wore himself out. My friend complimented me on being able to keep him in the yard since when he gets "frisky" he likes to take off down the street! It was at that point that I swore off riding horses. It has been at least 36 years since I was last horseback riding - it is no longer on my bucket list...
Comments (12)
I would agree with you on the horses. I am more than a little scared. Honey broke his ankle once, falling from a run away horse. I used to have a pony that was smaller but it was a bumpy ride!
So sorry your husband was injured - I guess I'm lucky to have escaped all my equine encounters with only a few bruises!
Horses just know. Your experiences are similar to mine. A Shetland pony that threw me and stepped on my hand when I was a very young child, a large horse that took off at a gallop down a dirt road, and a Mackinac Island trail horse that decided to detour into every grassy space we passed in order to graze. It's been about 25 years for me.
Horses - seems that every child is enthralled but the reality is not near the fantasy. I prefer my horses at a great distance.
My mother believed that riding horses is the girls' equivalent of boys driving trucks -- she invested in riding lessons (on trail horses, but some also rode in shows). When on vacation one time, we all, as a family, went on a trail ride -- she held on so tightly that the poor horse thought she wanted him to go backwards! Fortunately, none of us ever was thrown.
Your mother sounds like fun. Probably always wanted to ride herself as a girl and decided to make sure her daughters had the chance!! Glad you had fun and no bad experiences!!
Caught up on all your interesting posts and poems....loved all. Call me sometime and I'll see what would be a good month to travel to Indiana again before winter.
OK. I'll call soon. Lots happening at work so there is lots to talk about... Glad you are enjoying National Poetry Month!!
I love to look at horses but I have a healthy respect for them (otherwise known as fear.) They're so big! I only rode a couple of times. The last time was on a trail horse in the Sierras more than 50 years ago.
Yep - from a distance is better. I can't say I'm a big advocate of getting on an animal that can kill me. I much prefer the little ones - mice, rats, dogs and cats...
It's been many years for me as well.
I think that as we get older the attraction to the horse is greatly reduced - probably because good sense and an abundance of caution take over!