Families logo

Awakening Your Dreams

Horse-Back-Riding Lessons

By Irene MielkePublished 2 years ago 7 min read
1
My sister horseback riding!

Infancy is the year we build the most trust with the world around us. After being conceived in our mother's wombs, it's incredible that it takes approximately nine months to be born. Finally, we were born into what we refer to as an infant. Mommy and Daddy look at us for the first time with love. It's love at first sight.

They then count our ten tiny fingers and our ten tiny toes. Once they've named us and given us life, they start admiring their creation of us. They look into each other's eyes; they share their dreams for our future. Some of our parent's dreams for us is to go to medical school and become a doctor. Some of our parent's plans for us is to become famous in some art form.

They discuss all the things they want to prepare us for as adults at that moment. I'm not sure what my parent's dreams were for me; however, I think they succeeded in raising a daughter with a huge heart. I believe that colossal heart started with my love for horses.

My parent's friends used to drive us to the country on the highway, and as we went passed the fields. I remember always looking out the window during these car rides, and I kept seeing a bunch of horses. For as long as I can remember, it has been my dream to get on a horse one day and ride a horse by myself. I, however, was too young at the time to ride a horse. My mom took me to the library where we'd get books out on horses, and she'd take me to the shops where she'd buy me stuffed animal unicorns, and in my toddler years, that was the next best thing to a horse. I'd become a collector of these stuffed animals and books. I didn't watch television too much, so this was my cotton candy for me—my dreams. I think I started dreaming at a very young age. It started there. I created stories of all my stuffed animal horses and stuffed animal unicorns; that's all I wanted at this young toddler age.

The day came to go to my father's work picnic with my older siblings and me. At the picnic, there were many fair rides, a whole bunch of food, and horse riders. My older sister quickly brought me to the horse rides. Dreaming was one thing, but getting on my first horse for myself was another thing. I was so picky. I didn't want anyone to lead me. I tried to get on that horse all by myself and ride it knowing absolutely nothing about it, as they kept offering me choices.

Fear started to creep in; It wasn't a dream anymore. It was a reality. My mom and sister stood there wondering why what made me happy in my dreams suddenly became my fear. They tried to convince me to get on the brown horse and then the white horse as I watched my sister ride away with the person leading her horse. I didn't end up going. I was too stubborn or too scared. I'm not sure what was going on through my childlike mind. I went home wishing I had gone on that horse. I was probably afraid of getting lost because, although as an adult, the world looks smaller in these scenarios. As a child, the world seems enormous. I know we had someone leading the horse, but it wasn't somebody I knew. It was somebody who worked there.

My mom began to buy me books on drawing horses as I grew up. I learned about the different types. I began to attempt to learn from the books to become an artist through them, although I never actually succeeded. I learned so much about the Black Stallion Horse, and I began to read different types of children's books based on horses and had a series to go with it.

I began to envision myself as the characters in the books. Eventually, the time came for my parents to send me away to a Horse-Back-Riding camp where we were to be given lessons and ride horses by ourselves. It was time for me to ride my first horse named Tiffany. I took riding lessons at the camp. As I was on the horse in my riding classes, the instructor taught us how to trot. Fear crept over me again. My horse was supposed to be trotting.

In these lessons, the owner had trained the horse how to canter. I didn't know how to stop her from cantering, and then the instructor ran in to help me, and we slowed her back down to a trot. That experience was similar to the adrenaline rush that chasing dreams feels like; it feels like paradise. At least I was wearing my cowboy boots and my helmet.

Sometimes you might be anxious and afraid, like my childlike state of mind, and other times you might be on a roller-coaster ride like when I finally got on the horse for the first time. The experience tells a story that stays with you to inspire someone else. I kept on learning during my time at the camp.

I learned enough to do trail rides and put on a rodeo for all the parents. It was something I can look back proudly on as a milestone of one of my accomplishments. It's in the small things. It's a memory that stays with me. However, I didn't go on to be a successful horseback rider. My little sister followed in my footsteps. She started going to the same camp and picked up a love for horses, which she has carried on into her adult life. You will see a picture of my little sister and one of the many horses she has ridden in the above image.

It's the same thing in life sometimes when we fear a dream reaching out. We often need confidence in that dream. We often need a goal. Too many times, looking at the finishing line fills our heads with self-doubt before looking at the journey and giving ourselves a sticker for each staircase we climb.

I think the rewards system is terrific and something we should learn to continue in our adult life when that confidence isn't there. We begin to think somebody else can do it better. Somebody else is more talented than us. We start to quit because we believe we are incapable, and we think we will fail. We rather forget than let failures be our reason for education and new approaches.

In life, sometimes, we have to walk our paths and conquer these fears in front of us. We also have to remember that each part of the journey tells a tiny portion of the story, and we need all the small pieces so that people can relate and be inspired. What mark do you want to leave on others as you reach for your dreams? What skills do you need as you chase your success?

It's in the failures that we find the skills. In success, the losses become an aspiring aspect of who we are. You may not always start somewhere you want to go in the end. However, it's not the end that matters. It's the journey that does. In every hobby, you try to fulfill in search of your passion.

Just go for it! You will pick up an aura of energy you will send out into the world, and that's the energy you will get back, and it will fuel you as you move forwards in whatever you're reaching for - reach for the stars! If I didn't go to that camp. I may never have ridden my first horse, which I can always look back to whenever I'm overwhelmed as something I can be proud of - my horseback riding lessons.

values
1

About the Creator

Irene Mielke

Hi,

I am Irene. I am an aspiring blogger and writer looking to influence the next generation towards their dreams. I want the rest to know that age is just a #, and you're never too old to begin a new dream from scratch.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.