Editor's Note: In the December 2006 issue, Jim Wofford offered his short list of things that, in his opinion, distinguish a horseman--er, horseperson--from just a rider (Are You a Horseman--or Just a Rider?). Five subscriptions to Practical Horseman were up for grabs for our readers who took a guess at which three things on his list Jim has yet to do.
Out of over 500 entries, only three readers guessed the correct answers. (They are: Have you ever: held the pommel while your horse cut a cow out of a herd?; thrown a diamond hitch on a pack horse?; held the reins of a four-in-hand?) The three readers who guessed correctly were Larisa Tjepkema of Snohomish, Wash., Dawn Hill of Vancouver, Wash., and Janet Hunt of Dale, N.Y. Read on for more items you think should be added to Jim's list.
I answered "yes" to 18 of the 28 questions from Jim Wofford's "Are You a Horseman, or Just a Rider?" column in the December 2006 issue, I have some to add: Have you ever brought up your first baby, from birth to sale, before your 13th birthday? Have you ever taught yourself at age 12 to harness and drive your horse in a sleigh, only to discover the next spring when you hitched him to a sulky for the first time that you hadn't known what the hold-back straps were for? Have you ever had your out-of-control part-Arab pony stand stock still while you mounted and slowly walk home because somehow he knew you were hurt? Have you ever had your horse, down because of an injury, lay his head in your lap with a sigh?
I have always kept my horses at home, and it is something I am thankful for every day. I think the primary reason that there are more riders and fewer horseman is that people don't keep their own horses. I spend literally hours every day with my horses. We know each other. It is very hard to truly know your horse if your relationship consists of an hour lesson or training session once or twice a week. I realize how fortunate I am.
Rebecca Hunter
Salisbury, N.H.
Sadly, I cannot call myself a horseman. I am a rider, and a beginning adult rider at that. My love for horses goes back as long as I can remember. My sister, 9 years older than me, got the riding lessons when we were kids. I got ballet lessons and settled for making "horses" out of oil drums that my father stored in our lower yard. I happily "rode" for hours by myself, making saddles out of blankets and bridles out of rope. Every year at our church fair, I signed up to help with the pony rides. I led my charge for the day around the parking lot with little kids holding on to the pommel for dear life while their moms and dads watched with big smiles. That was more than 40 years ago.
During my life, I managed to take riding lessons here and there as the opportunity arose. After all, I lived in Connecticut, and went to the University of Connecticut when it came time to go to college. I never did ride there, but fondly remember a day when my roommate and I, stark crazy from studying for finals, went to the horse barn in the pouring rain just to visit the horses. You could do those kinds of things then--or at least we thought you could.
I moved to central Pennsylvania seven years ago. A few years ago I noticed that our local school district offered a Beginning Adult Rider Program one night a week for eight weeks. "Why not?" I thought, and off I went to join Joanne Hocker and the Total Equine Learning Center in Mechanicsburg, Pa. I quickly recognized that riding was a great way to get my mind off of work. If you don't pay attention to what you're doing on the horse, you can get hurt. At the very least, a school horse decides he will do whatever he wants to, despite what you think you're telling him to do! That being said, I enjoyed every minute of my eight weeks, and the next several eight-week sessions after that.
A year ago, I decided I wanted to ride more seriously and train to compete on the local rated show circuit. A lofty goal for a 50-plus-year-old woman who travels constantly for business, but goal oriented as I am, and in fairly good shape, I saw no reason why I shouldn't be able to achieve this one too! I purchased what I believed was a lovely "show" horse, only to find he spooked at every jump and still thought he was a thoroughbred on the track. Lesson learned and words to the wise: It's probably not a good idea to buy a show horse out of the newspaper. That horse has since found a home at a barn with lots of kids who play with him all the time (he had a great personality), and he is happy running around in the pasture all day. This leads me to Simon.
