Horse Riding in the Morning

This morning was really special, because we went horse riding for the first time.

We met before breakfast to go to Peppi and Rada, the two horses. Both are white but we can distinguish them by the fact that Peppi, the male, has a few grey dots on his forehead.

For me, it was the first time since years to ride a horse so I was really excited. None of us volunteers is really experienced with horse riding, but this wasn’t a problem. We were given explanations right from the beginning.

First, we got the headcollars, our helmets and the saddles from the horse stable so that we could prepare the horses. Joanna and a friend of her explained and showed us how to do put the saddle on correctly. Furthermore, we learned where we have to be careful and what to pay attention to. For example, it’s important that the protection-blanket for their back lies in the same direction as their hair grows. Like this it doesn’t hurt them while riding.

Luckily, Peppi and Rada were pretty calm this morning so we didn’t have any problems. After they were ready for riding, we walked up the hill to find a place to practise. Joanna showed us how to tighten the saddle and how to get on the horse. Now, it was our turn and one by one we rode a little.

Just as we started riding, the morning sun came over the mountain which was really nice.

Due to the fact, that this was our first riding lesson we didn’t ride a long distance but for the beginning it was still a perfect way to get used to the horses.

It was beautiful to spend the morning with the horses and to learn something new.

AR