Horse Riding

At Vegetarium, we have two horses, Pepi and Rada (probably the wrong spelling). I’ve become really used to being around them and taking care of them. But last time, it was my first time ever riding a horse on my own.

I’ve never felt very confident around horses, but the more time I spend with them, the more fascinated I become. Since I was little, I’ve always seen horses as huge animals that could easily crush you if they wanted to. But Pepi and Rada are really calm and kind, even though Rada is a bit more bitchy, as Joanna says, haha.

The first time I rode them, we had to go to Zhelen with Joanna to get some cow’s milk and then to Ray Dass’ place to water the plants. When we agreed to go there on horseback, I was actually really excited. I had been waiting for an opportunity like this. But I never imagined that, at some point, I might have to run with the horse. That was when I started to get scared. How was I supposed to run with a horse when I had never ridden one before ? Even just walking with them was already impressive to me, so imagine running ! Riding a horse can already be difficult when you have to learn how to control it, find the right position, and understand how to stop it if necessary. So the idea of running was completely unimaginable to me.

On our way there, I just refused to do it. I wanted to feel really comfortable with Pepi before taking the next step. We had some “obstacles” with Joanna along the way, but we got there safely.

The watering lasted for around two hours (the garden is huge), and both our headlamps died while we were preparing the horses to go back, so we had to use our phones (not really the best way to see at night). At some point, I really started to trust Pepi, but I was physically too tired to run on the way back. And Pepi was too (he and Rada are quite old horses, they’re 18).

Then, he got startled by something in the bushes, and surprisingly, I didn’t fall off Pepi. Just after that, I understood that I could trust him. So, we ran with the horses, and it was so much fun! It felt really liberating. I could feel the freedom that comes with horse riding. It didn’t last long because Pepi was getting tired, but I was so proud of myself. And even though this night was so tiring, it was also so amazing.

After this night, I don’t see horse riding the same way anymore. I understand a lot more about it. It’s really based on a relationship of trust. If you trust your horse, he will feel it, but if you’re nervous around him, he will feel it as well. And I really feel that my relationship with Pepi is different now than it was in the beginning.

Sometimes he uses my body to scratch his head because of the flies, and I find this really cute and funny. Also, the new volunteers told me that Pepi and Rada were calmer and better behaved when I was the one taking care of them. It’s a big compliment for me, especially when you know that they’re used to seeing new people frequently.

Zoé