Put Power Between Your Legs (Horse Riding in General)

Member Name: cbpotts

Product:	Horse Riding in General
Date:	21/08/01 (309 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An exhilarating, thrilling experience of power and performance (no, it's not a car).

Disadvantages: You WILL fall off. The best riders always do.

I love power. I get an adrenaline rush whenever I'm faced with something that oozes and is made up of it. That's mainly why I enjoy watching NASCAR so much. Face it, you watch a race on television and you watch cars go round and round in circles. True, the skill that's required to drive a vehicle 200 mph with others doing the same thing less than 6 inches from your sides, front and rear is pretty commendable, but they're still just going round and round. However, I remember the day I went to my first car race. I sat there and looked around at all the beer swilling, chicken-wing gnawing rednecks with their race apparel declaring boldy for whom they were cheering and wondered why I was there.

Then the famous words, "Start your engines," echoed over the noise of the crowd and within seconds I went from a skeptic to a lover of NASCAR racing. As the cars came around the track the revving of the engines thudded in my chest. I could smell the fumes and physically feel the power those vehicles were putting off. As they sped up and began their dance on the racetrack, I was hooked. So much speed; so much power.

**A side note: The term horsepower comes from a discovery by James Watt (yes, the same man from whom we get wattage in light bulbs as well as kilowatts). The story goes that Watt was working with ponies and wanted a way to talk about the power available from one of these animals. He found that a pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work per minute. He simply increased that number by 50% and used 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute as the measure of horsepower. It is that strange, arbitrary unit of measure that determines the amount power in our cars even today.**

However, this isn't about car racing. It's actually not about cars at all. So, let's move to another track experience. The race track is oval so once again they go straight, than turn left. Except this track isn't paved in
concrete, it's covered with a rich, dark soil. I hadn't placed a bet. I didn't know the names of any of the contestants that were about to run by me so I wasn't even sure why I was there. Even now, some fifteen years after that experience, I can't tell you how they began the race, or who I saw, but the moment those horses came around the corner and raced to the finish in front of me, I was in awe and still am. The power of their muscles pumping, the thud of their hooves on the dirt and the sound of them blowing snot as they ran around the track was incredible.

As one of the oldest and most watched sports, horse racing, or the sport of kings as it is called because horse ownership at one time was limited to the wealthiest in society, has been around since before 1500 BC. Our modern-day horse races were established in England by King Charles II, a fan of the sport himself. While the average horse can reach speeds of up to 30 mph (thoroughbreds can easily maintain such a speed), quarter horses have been known run in excess of 40 mph.

**A side note: The world's largest horse was a purebred Belgian stallion by the name of Brooklyn Supreme. He stood 19.2 hands (6'6") at his withers, weighed over 3,200 pounds and is entered in the Guiness Book of World Records. He was foaled in 1928, died in 1948 and lived in Iowa.**

However, this isn't about horse racing. It's actually not about racing at all. It's about horses. I've loved them since I was big enough not to be scared of them. Charlie was my horse. He was your basic kids' camp gelding but to me he was Secretariat. Every time I sat on his back I was a jockey getting ready for the biggest race of my life. The smallest trot felt like breakneck speeds and when he'd get up into a run, I was in heaven. I could feel his muscles working under my legs and the wind pushed my hair back until I was such that I was about to break into mach sp
eed.

**A side note: Secretariat is the only non-human to be listed as one of the greatest athletes in history. He lived from 1970-1989 and during the course of his life won 16 of 21 races. He became the first horse since 1948 to win the Triple Crown with victories in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. After retirement in 1973, Secretariat was put to stud and sired 663 foals (wow) in his 16 years at pasture.**

I was able to ride Charlie for 17 years before I moved to North Carolina. Since moving down here, I haven't had the chance to ride a horse, but the dream of owning a farm and having two horses has continued. My husband has obliged me and listened patiently, but has never shared the love or excitement that I have for the speed, power and beauty of these tremendous animals.

Last week Doug and I took a vacation back to that camp in northern Wisconsin to spend some time relaxing in the northwoods. In addition to a lot of canoeing and hiking, we were able to take a horseback ride, his first since his pre-teen years. I was given the opportunity to ride a horse that had been named after me, CB, since Charlie had died, so I asked Doug to ride the horse behind mine. Unfortunately, while Phantom was said to be a gentle gelding, he was easily the tallest horse in the group. Of course, Doug stands pretty tall himself so I wasn't concerned, however, he was, just a tad. I won't try to relate his experience of horseback riding for him since it will need to come from him and will provide him with a perfect op opportunity (as well as another crown probably).

While there are many official rules of riding, as well as styles (I prefer Western), there are, for the novice rider at least, I believe three basic rules. The first and most important is to follow the proper instruction for holding the reins; both in one hand, allowing about 2 inches of slack, with the hand at the base of the horse'
s neck (just above the saddle horn). Since this works as the brake, the less one has to pull back, the sooner the horse can be stopped. The second rule is, don’t listen to what "professional" riders say about not touching the saddle horn. If you need to clutch it, well then by golly clutch it. Riding with a hand on the horn beats falling off and splitting one's britches upon landing. Third, don't slap flies off your horses' backside for him. Trust me on this one.

I love power. But most of all, I love being able to feel the power working underneath me as I ride a horse. It's easily the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had.

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