Unlike large cities, there are no huge parks with stables and riding trails and the suburbs don’t have the open spaces of the country. —Many folks live in a vast sea of houses with small yards (too small for horses at least) and no town edges where stables might exist.
Instead, to pursue the horse experience, it is necessary to drive quite some distance to get to the stables. Before young horse enthusiasts have a drivers’ license, mothers are charged with the duty of getting their children back and forth for lessons and pleasure riding. If you are fortunate, you may have a good friend who was also horse crazy so both mothers can take turns with chauffeur duties. Otherwise those youthful passions for horse riding might be severely curtailed! Metro buses just don’t seem to go where you want to go in the suburbs.
As soon as the driver’s license was obtained by one or the other, we would be with the horses as often as possible. Arriving at sun up and not leaving until we were kicked out because it was getting dark! These were some of the best days of our youth.
Some of our friends let the distance to the stable discourage them. It required a deep level of commitment to get there on a regular basis. Distance and easy of transportation is definitely something to consider, especially if you are looking to buy a horse as opposed to riding the trails now and then. Taking all things into consideration, it was just a few making the regular trek to the stables from the challenging distance of the suburbs.
This experience satisfied dreams of youth -riding bareback, western and English. Urban cowgirls spent most long Saturdays on the trails… sometimes just hanging out in the upper pastures, or in “secret” spots found off the beaten path. With lunches and water packed for the day it was easy to pretend that these were our horses and we were “real” cowgirls.
Living in the "burbs" and horses can work—you just have to decide that you want it enough and be a good negotiator with parents about transportation. Whether you own a horse or ride by the hour, keep in mind the time it takes to get to the stable. There seems nothing sadder than to see horses in stalls who only get to see their people on weekends.
Like anyone with a time consuming passion, you may be separated from friends because they don’t get “the horse thing”. Your friends will become those who love horses as well. And one last thing - be prepared for - laundry…loads and loads of laundry!
Terry
Himalayan Horse Salt
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