A couple of months ago, I started going to my friends barn that she and her fiance lease and board and train horses. I started riding with them and fell in love with it. My only horse experience I ever really had was once a year when we went to Canada to visit my grandma and grandpa on the farm, but it had still been about 11 years since I had been on a horse. I learned to trot and lope within my first day of riding with them, and I kept coming back. It was kind of fun to be a cowgirl and ride all those pretty horses.
This is my friends 4th year on the USU Equestrian team, and her fiance is the coach. So after a lot of bugging, and begging, and convincing, they finally got me to try out for the team. I thought that there was no way in the world I would actually make it. I mean, come on, I don't do things like this. But I beat out 4 other people and secured a spot on the team. CRAZY? YES! I really didn't think he would let me on... but he said I have a really good seat and am a natural rider. So after a bit of freaking out I called my mom and told her the news, she kept saying to me, "Rachel, its not April fools day". I decided what the heck, I am going to step out of my little box and do something different, when in my head I was thinking, who in their right mind at 25 years old and in their senior year of college who already works 40+ hours a week decides, hey I am going to join the equestrian team? Well, that would me, why not add one more thing to my insane life?
I wanted to go home and cry after the first practice, I have NEVER been on any kind of team or had any kind of coach, unless you count my choir teacher.... so It was a completely new experience for me, and unlike most of the people on the team, I didn't grow up around horses and competing in horse shows my whole life. But I decided, to give it a shot and keep on trying. the second practice went MUCH better and the next day we were on the road headed to our first show... YIKES!!!!!
We show for IHSA in Western showmanship riding. We are the only school in Utah with a team so our region is Idaho and Montana. We are judged on how we are sitting, where our legs, feet, and hands are, our posture and so on. And then on how well we can control the horse and do what we are told. I am not that competitive of a person, so this is so weird for me.
Our first show was just this last weekend at UMW (University of Montana Western) in Dillon. We left Logan on Friday afternoon and got there that evening. There were 2 English riding shows on Saturday, so we watched and supported them. Then on Sunday was the show for the western team.
So we have to be completely decked out. Bedazzled shirts, belt buckles, boots, hats, chaps and all. (by the way, I LOVE my boots, they are black and pink!) So these are some pictures of me before and during.... warning to all, I look like a hippo trying to disguise herself as a snake... it is bad, but oh well... I could barely walk the chaps were so tight, and getting on the horse, well, lets say it was a darn good thing they had mounting blocks cuz I could barely move my legs!
This is me with a couple of my teammates. Aren't our outfits um... interesting?
We have to have our hair pinned back so that nothing is moving, I think I would have looked a lot better if my hair was down. But this is me all decked out and ready to go. weird huh? Never thought I would be seen in something like this!!
These are a a couple pictures of me riding...
You can kind of see my boots in this picture! Here is a better picture. Aren't they beautiful??
So yeah, that is what is going on with me.... pretty crazy but really fun!
