Wyoming Mama: October 2011

JD and I have had many discussions over the past couple of years about the path we are taking with our horses. We both came from similar backgrounds and grew up riding similar types of horses. Both of us didn't want to be anything but a cowboy. We really thought we could ride and after taking a step back these past few years, what we learned was, we could "stay on" just about anything but learning to "ride" is still a work in progress.

Our goal has changed over the years from wanting to be a cowboy, to wanting to become horsemen. To us, a horseman is many things. Like...that guy that steps on your horse and makes the bugger look better than you ever did. He turns around better, backs up faster, and "Hey, I didn't know he could do that." Then that same guy has the nerve to step on some other guy's horse later in the day and do the same thing to him. A horseman is capable of getting the best out of every horse he throws a leg over.

My dad always used to tell me that the more horses I rode, the better mine would feel. At the time, I was pretty sure that was an old horse traders trick to get me to ride a corral-full a day. Only recently have I come to realize that riding a pile of horses really does teach you more than you can ever teach them. The variety makes you comfortable with the rough ones, lazy, hyper, one that is better to the left, the stubborn lead changer, the fancy spinner, the rope shy, etc. Riding lots of critters also makes you more at ease in a variety of situations. I used to get very nervous before I showed, but in the past couple of years, I have spent enough butt time in the saddle that I have become more comfortable with whatever is thrown my direction. "Hey I've seen this before on a cow... I know what to do when my horse does this."

So...this weekend the family spent the rainy weekend riding in an indoor arena doing a little ranch roping. We traded our trusty steeds around amongst us and took another baby step closer to becoming horsemen.