Thoughts from the Saddle

While racing around the arena at a breakneck trot today, I decided that riding is a little bit like life.
First of all, in riding there’s a delicate balance between relaxing and staying on. You have to learn how to tighten and calm your muscles at the same time for the most pleasing effect. If you have a good seat and nice posture, you’ll be able to stay on if your horse takes a sudden turn or does something crazy.
It’s the same way with life, isn’t it? We don’t want to be uptight, but we also want to get stuff done and go with the flow.
Some riding days can be just really…amazing! But hey, let’s face it: it’s not like the movies. Neither is life. But life is better because its yours.
There’s one way I can think of that life and riding are (figuratively) different. In riding, you’ve got to be the one in control. If you’re not, you’re going to get thrown around like a rag doll. However, we tend to want to be in control in life, as well, and the rules are different there. We have to remember that God is the one who holds the reins.
“If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a terrible warning.” – Anon
February 6, 2010