Cowboys were the thing when I was a child; we didn’t have a TV but we sometimes watched ‘The Lone Ranger’ at a friend’s, or ‘Champion the Wonder Horse’, and every year I got a Roy Rogers’ annual for either birthday or Christmas. Our games were often playing cowboys and we would gallop round on our imaginary horses, maybe it was Trigger, or Silver, or Scout if I was being Tonto when we were playing Lone Ranger!
One of my aunty’s was very keen on riding and horses, and so my cousins were too; my mum had no interest in it whatsoever, but by saving up my paper-round money I was able to go with a friend to a local stable and for about six weeks we went riding. The lady whose stable it was, didn’t teach us, we just sat on the horses and trekked round the countryside, a whole gaggle of girls, the lady, and me and my friend who sat like sacks of potatoes.
The next time I went riding was much later; I was about twenty, working in the summer holidays in a hotel, and a gang of us waiters and waitresses went out together and did things; one of the things we did on this occasion was to hire some horses and go through some woods… well, what a terrifying experience! I didn’t fall off but racing among the trees with every sticky out branch wanting to knock me off my steed, I was lucky to remain in the saddle.
The last couple of times I was on a horse was when I was teaching; I worked with young people who were disengaged from school and education, and we were trying to re-engage them in school in the last year of their statutory education. It was all about building relationships, and we did lots of things out of the classroom, team building exercises for example. On two occasions we went riding… and strangely enough, on these two occasions, I was fine… not only was I not in danger of falling off, I was actually able to cope with the giant beast which I was riding. The second of these experiences was with a horse called, Harry, who was very naughty, determined to tip me into any ditches we went by, or to go into the woodland and eat leaves, or to plunge into brambles… but I was firm with Harry, I hadn’t been teaching difficult kids for years and years without learning to show who was boss, and on this occasion, Harry, I was boss.
The horse in my featured image, by the way, belongs to our friends, and I have no intention of riding him, but am quite happy to stand and admire what a fine fellow he is!
Lois Elsden 