I Love Horse Riding

I recently started horse riding. Before starting, I had only done horse riding once before in Hawaii at Kualoa Ranch on my tenth birthday. I rode western then. I recently learned there are two types of riding: English, which has walk, trot and canter and Western, which has walk,  jog, lope and gallop. Also, the saddles are different. Western has a horn and English doesn’t. I would like to ride Western and focus on trail riding. The horses are my friend, Belle’s. She teaches me how to ride and takes me on trail rides on her farm. My friend Chris also does this thing called Natural Horsemanship there with Belle’s horses. You really get to learn how to bond with the horses and you learn how to keep them calm and communicate with them, sort of like horse whispering. When I am with horses, I am also calmer. I have to be responsible for my energy around horses.

Me riding Dusty, Belle riding Lincoln

Me riding Dusty, Jovi following

Lessons with Belle

My favorite horse there is Mira. Shh, don’t tell the other horses. Mira is a rescue horse. She was abused and then sent to a slaughter house to be made into dog food or glue but Belle rescued her and took her in. Her full name is Miracle because, well, she is a miracle horse. I love Dusty so much as well. He is a great horse. He is so calm and gentle, like a big teddy bear. Lincoln is a fun horse, but he’s young and Belle calls him a toddler, which is kind of funny. There is a mini horse called Jovi because he has hair like Bon Jovi. He’s the size of a dog. He always follows Jezzi, the donkey, around. I really like all of the horses (and donkey and cats) at Canaan Valley Farm, which is Belle’s farm. They are all very special and unique. They love to eat peppermints, so I always take them peppermints as treats. I really want to continue horse riding for many years. For me, it is the most fun thing ever.

This is Mira, short for Miracle

This is Jezzi, the donkey