Why Ride?

  I am back with another post for all of you to read. I apologise for not publishing a post last week. I had meant to post, but since I was off on a mini vacation, there wasn't much time for me to sit down and write.

  Anyway, I've gotten a lot of questions from friends, family and strangers over the years about why I chose to start horseback riding and why I chose one discipline over another. I figured my response to these questions would make a good post that will allow you to get to know me a bit more.

  I had written a blog hop post related to this topic which you can read about by clicking here. In that post, I talked about why I still have my passion to ride and why I am so loyal to the sport. I explained that it's more than just a sport, but a special partnership too. What I didn't talk about in that post is what drew me to the sport to begin with.

  Every little girl would love to have their own pony and I was no different. I met my first horse at the age of three and begged my parents to ride until my first lesson at the age of seven. I couldn't tell you exactly what sparked my desire to ride because I can't remember.

  I was never a sporty person. Before I started riding, my parents signed me up for soccer, swimming and figure skating. None of these sports clicked with me like riding did. It didn't come naturally to me and I never had a desire to improve myself. In school, I was usually picked last when it came to physical activities. I was just never any good at playing volleyball, floor hockey or football. I always wanted to find a sport of my own. I liked the idea of being sporty, but I was never any good.

  Riding, however, came naturally to me. Even to this day, I'm a little surprised I ever did find a sport that worked for me. As I started to learn how to walk, trot and canter, I discovered the uniqueness of the sport and I was hooked.

  Where I lived, English riding (especially hunter/jumper) was generally the discipline of choice. So in some ways, my discipline was kind of chosen for me. I grasped the basics of riding at a hunter/jumper barn and learnt that I love jumping and didn't like the flat. My parents then enrolled me in a summer riding camp for a few years where they focused on eventing. This was where my views of the flat and dressage changed and I gained more respect and admiration for the discipline. This was also where I was introduced to cross-country.

  I am now at a point where I have to choose which discipline I would like to keep training in. I've decided to train in hunter/jumper simply because I've always had the goal of being like the show jumpers I've watched on tv for so many years.

  I have so much respect for riders of all disciplines and I believe there is no such thing as one discipline being better than another. Not one discipline is easier than another; they all have their challenges. If you love the partnership of riding, but you know that hunter/jumper or eventing is not right for you, there are so many other disciplines to try. I think that vaulting is amazing and that barrel racing is exciting. Maybe you'll find your spot in the horse world by training through natural horsemanship. You'll never know until you try.

  So I hope that you have learnt a little bit more about me through this post. I'd love to know why you chose to ride and why you chose your discipline over another. Please let me know in the comments or in a blog post response. I wish you all a wonderful weekend and thank you for reading.

  Until next time, happy riding!