My own Mr. Darcy

On Saturday, Andy and I went on a date together.  We got coupons for two English style horseback riding lessons each.  We went for our first lesson.  A few observations about the English and their style riding.  It is hard.  Okay not just hard, but really hard.  I have ridden horses before and I guess I rode "western" style as the saddle was like a lazyboy recliner in the way it molded nicely to my backside and there was a horn to hold on to.  With English style there is nearly nothing to the saddle.  No horn either.  If you wish to remain upright on the horse - and indeed on the horse at all - you have to use quite a bit of your leg strength to hold you there.  It takes a combination of leg presses into the stirrups, thigh squeezes and good old fashioned British-stick-up-your-ladedah posture. Is that why they call it English style?  My back and abs got a major workout has I held myself in the right posture to stay balanced on the horse.  About halfway through the lesson (after teaching us how to start and stop and steer thankfully) they proceeded to make us learn to "trot" the horse. 

Now a moment for trotting.  Apparently if you do not trot right you will kill your bum.  For a goodly amount of time, we did not trot right.  My bum feels like a rode a bike to Alaska without one of those lovely padded bum bike shorts.  It wasn't until close to the end that I think I got the hang of it and therefore the right rhythm.  However with English style riding you don't just bounce naturally on the horse; you have to do little squats up and down - engaging your thighs in a battle of "I hate your guts" and your bum muscles in a workout that could make the creators of "buns of steel" cry.  Don't forget to keep your posture straight too and as the 2000 pound moving mound of death increases its speed, you must not allow yourself to pull up on the reigns in fright.  This makes them slow down (what? sounds good to me) or gets them confused and agitated (that doesn't sound good to me). 

I will never scoff at horseback riding when it is labeled as exercise again.  Before this experience I would have told you "What exercise? The horse does all the work."  Not so at least with English style riding.  It was a good workout.  Despite my daunting descriptions above we actually had a really fun time.  It was a challenge, something new and actually kind of romantic if you can get past the poop smell.  I loved seeing Andrew on the horse.  I could easily redress him in regency clothes with my eyes and kazaam! he was my very own Mr. Darcy.  I just wish I had a top hat for him.  I'll have to find one before our next lesson.  That's all for now.  Enjoy the pictures, I'm going to go ice my bum.