I have ridden a (zoo) elephant, and pony rides as a kid.
In my early twenties, I was dating a “farm girl”. She grew up around horses all her life. She invited me to go riding with her.
I managed to get on without falling off, and enjoyed walking around the corral for a while. She lead, and we rode at a slow walk to start on the path. I was slowly getting the hang of it while she gave instructions.
About 5 minutes into the ride, she says “let’s have some fun” and takes off at full speed. For some stupid horse reason, my horse started sprinting after her horse. I was scared as all get out, but I still didn’t fall off. It was fun, but I prefer to speed with a seat belt.
When I was about 9, I stole my grandmother’s clothesline rope, snuck through the fence and rode the ponies that had been moved into the field next door. I did it every day for about a month before I was caught. The horse owner was horrified and amused, so he asked my family if it would be ok to teach me so I wdidn’t kill myself.
You traded it for an iron horse, I see.
I used to ride horses as often as I could, as a kid. There was a riding stables close enough that my mom would take us out there on the weekends.
Not really, just pony rides as a small child. Oh, and an elephant once. I’m kind of wary of horses, so I don’t mind not have more experience with them.
When I was a horse-maddened 12 year old (do girls still go through a horse phase? Collect the models, go see the horse shows at the fair, read horse books - King of the Wind, anyone?) - my uncle took us for a trail ride on nice slow old nags. I say with all seriousness, this was one of the high points of my life - a dream come true!!! (My first words after mounting up? "Hey, this thing’s moving!)
Well, I voted yes, but it is pretty equivocal. My two experiences riding horses were…dicey and brief. I like horses just fine, but am not experienced with them at all. Last time was in my mid or late teens on one of my cousin’s and I ended up on my ass in the grass.
I’m going to answer no, but I have been on a horse once. I was visiting somewhere with my dad when I was young and I had the opportunity to get on a horse. I remember sitting way up there and tenatively messing with the reins a little, but the horse just wandered around whereever it wanted to.
I was on a horse on a tourist trail ride in Muskoka once when I was a teenager. That’s the only time. I don’t know any horse people or anything, so it’s something I’d have to make an effort to do now.
Yes, I have sat a gee. I haven’t in a long time, though.
My family spent a week at a horse ranch outside of Yellowstone. Later I went to two summer camps in Washington riding horses every day for a week each.
Since then, not so much.
It’s possible that I went on a pony ride or something as a kid, but I don’t remember it. And never as an adult. So no. I have a mild form of MD, and climbing onto the horse would be hard and embarrassing.
