Saddle Up!

I thought this morning DH and I were going out to gather information about riding lessons from the two stables by our home.


About 30 minutes after we left the house, we had gone to one stable (the one where I thought I'd likely wind up taking lessons), had met Kelly, the riding instructor who works with "most of the ladies," as she phrased it, and scheduled my first riding lesson for tomorrow, which happens to be our 24th wedding anniversary. 


Of course, one cannot go riding without the proper attire. Well, of course not! Next stop was The Boot Barn in Rocklin. I have to say that a month ago I probably would never have envisioned myself shopping at this store. We found some cute riding boots at a great sale price. But wait, what about the riding breeches? Off we went to a riding supply store in our little town of Loomis. Twenty minutes later, we emerged with a very chic pair of black Kerritts (this is what Kelly was wearing, we happened to notice). They are quite cute and flatter the figure. They are NOT jodhpurs, but are more like skating pants, flared a little at the bottom so you can wear them inside or outside your boots. Alright, the wardrobe is taken care of. Check that off the list.


Kelly is as nice as can be. I explained my riding history. She asked if I felt confident around horses or was I more timid. I responded, "Well, when I was 8 I was pretty confident, but since I'm well past that now, I'd say. . .er. . .TIMID!" She seemed to understand completely. I'm sure I'm not the first mature woman who wanted to take riding lessons later in life. DH and I really liked Kelly the minute we met her (DH probably because she is young and beautiful). 


I like the stable's teaching approach. They teach you from the ground up, meaning, you get your horse from the pasture, you groom him or her, you get the horse saddled up, etc., etc. They assume that most students will some day want their own horse so they want people to learn how to do these things themselves. Smart idea. 


Tomorrow at 11:00 am I'll be at the Knicker Knob Stables in Loomis launching a new adventure in my life. All of this is complements of DH, who has given me the lessons, the boots, the breeches and the emotional support as an anniversary gift. Isn't that too sweet and amazing for words? He is the best husband in the world.


Onward we go, in keeping with my motto about most things - "It doesn't matter how you ride, it's how you look when you ride that really counts!" More to follow after tomorrow's lesson.