The Joy of Horse riding
Cartoon by Norman Thelwell
As I clamber out of a muddy ditch in the pouring rain, only to see my faithful pony disappearing at the gallop over the far horizon, and discover that my right leg no longer seems to have any feeling in it, I admit I wonder why I didn’t take up a gentler, safer sport. Such as mixed martial arts for instance.
It’s too late now though, the strange dependency that is horses has a firm hold on me, and there can be no escape. This, may I add is a common phenomenon - take your average horse lover and keep them away from the animals for three days. You’ll notice a certain twitchiness setting in.
Extend the period by a week and you’ll have them clawing at the walls. It’s a normal and involuntary response. And there’s good reason for it. Horses are freedom.
On returning from college with a head full of the banalities of city life, with ears wearied by the clatter of buses, and a certain amount of stress setting in about that exam, I’ll take the horse out. For a gallop across the hills with the rain whipping on the wind and snipe shrieking into the air will soon sweep the stale cares of college to one side. In these times when we hear so much about stress and work-life balance, riding is a pass-time which clears the head and also, essentially, re- introduces one to the real, natural world.
Certainly many sports will do to clear your head and keep you in shape. However, be it rugby or tennis, hurling or dance, the focus is firmly on the person. Your diet. Your fitness. Your health. In the case of riding however, this focus is placed on the horse, to whom the rider has a great duty of care. As such it brings the person out of themselves, and shifts their preoccupation from their own desires to those of another living creature. I’ve seen riders take the most bone-crushing falls, only to scramble back up and have no concern other than: ‘Is my horse alright?’ Similarly, you may come home from an event cold, disappointed, sore and ravenous with the hunger, but there will be no looking to your own comfort until your pony is stabled, fed, rugged and thoroughly comfortable for the night. I maintain that there is no sport quite like it for teaching patience, fortitude and kindness, and for keeping one firmly grounded in reality.
To answer the annoying question which springs from the above paragraph and drives horse riders up the wall: yes, it is a sport. Involving, like any other, physical exertion, discipline and skill.
I would also add that is is an art, as it has a significant challenge you won’t find in other sports: your team mate does not speak any human language, nor do they have even remotely similar thought processes. Everything must be communicated by slight touches of legs and hands. All fine and handy when your aims are limited to stop-go, but becoming a little bit more tricky when it comes to performing complicated dressage. Don’t believe me? Have a try explaining to your horse how to do a demi-pirouette!
But with patience and time, the bond developed between horse and rider is deep and true, and the results simply stunning. I recommend googling Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin to watch an exquisite example of the levels of harmony attainable between horse and human.
On a less exalted level, there is the relationship between my own own Sadie and myself. I provide food at regular intervals, clean out her stable, pick the muck out of her feet, brush her, hug her, monitor her health and fitness, struggle about under the weight of water buckets and wheelbarrows filled with dung...while Sadie looks on benignly. Often I think that C S Lewis was right with the book title ‘The Horse and His Boy’, for there is no doubting who the boss is!
Aside from riding, there is something soothing even in the more mundane tasks of horse care - mucking out, grooming, cleaning tack. Simply being around the animals in stable or field has a significant calming effect - that is of course, if the darling creatures haven’t recently trodden on your toes... Hence, though I don’t often see eye-to-eye with Winston Churchill, I’m obliged to agree with his remark that: “There is something about the outside of a horse which is good for the inside of a man.” To which I might also add children and hassled students.
Horses are four legged barometers, sensitive to the moods and emotions of the people around them, and exerting a wonderful ability to calm and cheer us poor frazzled humans. ‘Keep calm and hug a pony’ is my life motto. These are the qualities which make them such excellent and commonly used therapy animals. For hundreds of Irish people suffering from health problems both physical and mental, horses are literally a life-saver, bringing peace, quality and independence to life.
Have I convinced you yet of the necessity of immediately commandeering your nearest nag and going for a gallop? If so, you couldn’t be in a better country. In all modesty, us Irish are recognised as being among the best horsemen and women in the world, and the country is famous for consistently breeding and training the top horses, particularly in racing to showjumping. In fact, I believe there was some talk of renaming the Tipperary-Kildare area ‘Rohan’, though unfortunately nothing seems to have come of it.
Should you wish to have a go, you’ll be spoilt for riding schools and trekking centers, and there’s a good chance that already a neighbour or relative is or knows someone ‘into horses’, who’d be happy to get you involved. Unlike in many other countries, horse riding in Ireland is not an exclusive hobby for the wealthy, but rather an exciting and rewarding way of life for a substantial portion of the population.