Our Riding Experiences Issue 7 Home Page

Learning to Ride Horses Rachel Alvarez from Brazil shares her childhood riding experiences. Photo: Thomas Peters I have always loved animals, and horses are my passion.   I have always loved animals, and horses are my passion. I started taking riding lessons when I was five years old. My father and I used to ride at my uncle's farm. When I was eleven years old, I started riding at a place in my town, practicing it not just as a hobby, but also as a sport. Every Saturday and Sunday, I went riding at a place quite far from my house, so I had to wake up at 6:00 a.m. to get there on time at 8:00 a.m. It was stressful, but I was sure that was what I wanted to do. My grades at school weren't good because I was always too tired to study. I couldn't buy a champion horse, but I made a deal with my instructor to have the horse I always rode as my own horse. I agreed to take care of it myself, and it was to be mine until I could buy one. Then I would pass that horse to another student who would take care of it. That horse and I got to know each other very well. The first day I rode him, he threw me. That wasn't the first time I had fallen from a horse, and I have fallen many times since then, but my teachers joked about how good I was about at falling! But, fortunately, I have never had a bad accident. With that horse, I tasted my first victories, but I wasn't always a champion. Many times I was disqualified because I fell from the horse or the horse refused to jump. When I got better at riding, my parents decided to give me a horse. I was very proud of that horse. As a birthday present, my father and my uncle gave me a saddle. But, my horse was unlucky. A snake bit it and it died. I was really upset. More riding experiences: The Rider and the Horse | Our School Riding Club Return to: Our Riding Experiences | Issue 7 | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine ©1997-2008 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com