This week’s “A View From My Horse” is from one of our readers, Kate, as she tells us about the role horses have played in her life, and more recently her husband’s life. Thanks to Kate for submitting, and as always thank you for reading.
From Kate:
I love these columns and seeing what other people’s daily life with horses is like. I thought I’d share with you a recent “view” I had. I grew up in Pony Club and have a long-standing love for horses and eventing. There’s nothing I love more than being on the farm so it was no surprise to anyone when my husband and I chose to get married on my parents’ farm in Birmingham, Alabama, just this last May. My husband’s a wonderful man who humors me in all my horsey fantasies by agreeing to things like getting married in the horse barn, and shortly thereafter by signing us up for a horseback ride on our honeymoon in Italy. Keep in mind that this is a guy who grew up in the suburbs playing soccer. I’m not sure he had ever touched a horse before meeting me, and in his several attempts to try out the sport has decided to keep to his road bike – something that doesn’t eat and has no opinion of its own. So when he told me we were going riding in Bellagio, a town off of Lake Como in northern Italy, I was completely floored and very pleasantly surprised. When we arrived we found a set-up which was a far cry from the high-end shops of the lake-side town below us, but the fellow who took us out was at the very least entertaining and his horses were easy-going and in great shape (good enough to haul up the rock face mountain-side without skipping a beat). The photo is taken by me from the back of Lady, a quick-footed white mare that had a healthy fear of tractors, but was otherwise intrepid. Chris is ahead of me trying to maintain his composure as his horse (the old man, leader-of-the-pack, former endurance competitor) took him for a ride. The horse definitely knew his way around. This photo doesn’t capture the views off the mountain (hard to get that AND ears in the same shot), but it was a breathtaking adventure and one we certainly won’t forget.
Next goal: foxhunting in Ireland! Maybe give the husband an out on that.
