Taos New Mexico bareback riding
The Life Science Top Ten Unexplained Phenomenon article on the Taos Hum brought back memories of a phenomenal horseback riding experience I had there.
The Beautiful Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico, Photo Credit: Dreamstime
While visiting Taos, New Mexico, a number of years ago, the children and I also received unique riding lessons. During my first visit prior to the visit with my children, I had seen a sign saying that a certain Taos resident, a pueblo Indian, could teach a person to overcome horseback riding problems. Among the list of riding problems enumerated, I saw fear in mountainous regions alongside cliffs.
My riding problems were banal in comparison to mountain-riding fears. I usually fall off or the horse refuses to move while I’m sitting on it. I also knew that my children, who have an innate ability to ride, would enjoy the experience of learning from a skilled Native American horseback riding instructor, we signed up for the class.
It turned out to last 4 hours long, during which my three children and I rode bareback through ravines, pinon forests, and open fields. Our Indian riding instructor kept coming over to me and reminding me that when I fell, I should keep my elbows close to the body so I wouldn’t hurt myself or break an arm. He said that I was bouncing all over the back of the horse … and we were only walking!
At one point, our instructor who was wearing a cowboy hat and had long raven-colored hair, made me get off the horse and walk it, the seat of my jeans wet with the horse’s sweat because we had been riding bareback.
I had been afraid of the horse moving at a faster pace than walking because I, too, felt I would surely fall off. Nonetheless, when our instructor helped me back on the horse, the horses all began to trot.
Even though I had no saddle or stirrups, I after 4 hours of being either on the horse or walking it, I was too tired to care. Amazingly, my body simply knew how to ride in harmony with the horse’s bouncing. I stayed on the horse as if I knew how to ride!
For me, it was a phenomenal experience. I wish I could have lived nearby and received on-going lessons from this amazing teacher. Although Taos is small, it brought me some amazing experiences.
