English edition

Riding after a long time.

Today was the day for my private lesson with Mr. R.

Having not seen them for a while, it seemed the horses had managed to get through the summer without suffering from the heat

exhaustion.

The horse assigned to me was a female Thoroughbred, capable of participating in competitive events.

Her name was Mint. She was a bit temperamental and would react to even the slightest stimuli. Riding a horse for the first time after a long break, and the fact that she was a mare, might have made me a bit nervous. She did not respond easily to my commands.

I had been forewarned by the instructor that she might behave this way.

When riding a horse that competes, it becomes necessary to have a sensitive grip on the reins, holding them lightly.

Even if the outer rein is tight, the hand holding the inner rein should be extended forward just enough.

A few years ago, I rode a horse at a visitor's riding club that behaved similarly. I learned that competitive horses, once accustomed to,

will move with light commands. I once had an experience of being taken on a wild gallop for a third of the arena's circumference.

Fortunately, I didn’t fall off and managed to bring the horse to a stop.

Mint was just like that.

The instructor suggested that it might be time for me to move on to a higher level lesson.

When the rider is calm and rides with composure, the horse naturally accepts the bit and moves gracefully.

However, I wonder if I have the skill to get Mint to that point. Perhaps I just have to trust the instructor's judgment?

Such were my thoughts on my riding day.

Can I really do it?

-English edition