AS SHE RIDES !

It’s been almost three months now since I started riding. I have by now completed some 20 classes. Last I wrote on this topic was when I had finished my 2 nd class. Everyday as I rode and new thoughts flowed through my mind, my new learning’s , I wanted to blog but at the end of the day was too tired to think or rather write .

Ever since I have started pursuing hobbies (some thing I did when I was a kid and a simple pleasure we forget as we grow up) I have realized that everything in life is interlinked and nothing can be dealt with in isolation. Everything teaches u something beyond what it’s supposed to and adds to one’s personality which resonates in every aspect of one’s life. A thing that came as a surprise to me or maybe I had never seen the significance of learning something new in this light before. Atop a horse so many thoughts kept flowing in and out and I have revisited so many simple truths which although we know but tend to forget as we progress in life.

Pace – When riding at least in the beginner’s level one is made to ride in a circle with other riders in front or behind you. You can either be at the beginning of the pack where u set the pace, middle where u restrict ur pace to the horse in front and behind you (you don’t want them either kicking each other or biting at the each other’s behinds – apparently horses love to do that) or and the end of the pack where u loose a bit of focus and lazily trotter around. As we moved round and round in a pack it suddenly hit me. Pace is so important in life. We always need to pace ourselves, constantly, whether work or play and maintaining this pace is the toughest and the trickiest part. Also knowing what pace to use and when to use it.


Fears – It is only when you face your demons can you exorcise them. We all have our own set of fears and ones we never try to face. It is only when we are driven to a corner that we take stock of the situation at hand. For me although I wasn’t afraid of the horse or of falling off it my fears stemmed from a more subconscious level. Since I was a kid I had this problem of nervousness and weak knees. My knees would just give way and start to shake and hence I never had the courage to participate in events as a kid. Although that got better as I grew up I hated myself for not being able to control the involuntary shaking that happened. This happened to me on the horse when the horse suddenly bolted. Although I immediately pulled the reigns and controlled the horse from going wild I just couldn’t stop the involuntary quivering of my body and especially the ways my knees were acting. The horse has a very great sense of judging your confidence level on it and was not giving me an easy time. But I didn’t get down and continued riding. Mentally I made up my mind to work out more on my legs in the GYM so that they never felt weak again (I so hate this feeling because it’s not under my control and is triggered by some sub conscious hidden reaction) and decided to keep at the riding. And as days have passed I feel this feeling reducing in its magnitude. That day I relearned another important lesson – we can master anything in life if we want to especially our weaknesses and fears !


(BTW just for the update. I have fallen 3 times since I started riding and somehow I notice I am the only one in my group who has fallen in the first place – what am I doing right he he …my latest fall was last Friday where Sir got over confident and made shruti strut her stuff and riding skills on the horse without reigns and with arms folded in front of her.. I managed to please him by maintaining my balance and was extremely proud of being able to show off in front of others; like a 2 year old kid when sir tried the advance stunt and made the horse canter. Shruti promptly decided to end his euphoria by completely loosing her balance and falling off...Only this time the fall was quicker as the horse was moving faster and more sudden and didn’t break...so she has a swollen tail bone and is resting at home missing her GYM, swimming and riding classes – need to avoid jerks till the pain goes.. What a mess!!!)


Passions – Another thing that I learnt and which I feel all the time in whatever I do – that passions in life are so important – whether it be work, play or a hobby. Only when Ur passionate about something are you truly alive. And passions breed restlessness and give way to a constant state of flux that seeks a greater tranquility and truth ( Okie okie I am getting a little inspired by this Tibetan philosophy I am currently reading about life and dying . The truths as seen and felt by the great masters . Will share some interesting thoughts on that later.)

Balance - That everything is in the balance. You can ride a horse without reign and saddle by just maintaining your balance atop it. And to get the balance right you need to maintain the correct posture. As I tried working on my balance I realized that with each passing class my confidence as well as balance on the horse got better and whatever I learnt in the previous class I carried forward to the next class. I didn’t forget the learning’s and they became a part of my posture and balance. One of the greatest truths hit me then – that practice and practice alone makes one perfect and that life is constantly about learning and imbibing those learning’s . That each day you carry forward something more as part of you, of your soul as you try to balance your existence in this journey called life.

Reigns – That reigns is the only means of contact with the horse other than the legs. That we need to use both of them with dexterity .That the harder we pull the reign or kick the horse the more stubborn it will become or it will not react to commands. Even the slightest tug at the reigns when they are held properly can make the horse obey. That in life one needs to skillfully maneuver the reigns with the right attitude and humbleness. Tugging at it just doesn’t work.

PS - will update abt fiza and me later .

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