Horsin' Around

I got invited by the boy scouts Venture Crew to participate in horse back riding at a farm near where i'm staying in Tennessee! For those of you who know me, you are aware at how exciting this is! We were scheduled to meet around 11am but, brimming with anticipation, I walked up the hill to my friends house 40 minutes early. Once at the stables I walked from stall to stall talking to the horses and petting them, trying to control my heart rate so as not to get them all anxious. After the other 4 or so people showed up the farmer took out one of his trustiest mares haha! We learned how to put on a saddle, tighten the saddle, put on the reigns and bit, and also how to properly ride the horse. Most fascinating to me, though, was the bag. He told us a story about how he used to break horses, and how he wanted to learn a new way because the physical problems that come with breaking in a horse. Now, obviously they still need to be broken but one of the best ways to train the horse, according to the farmer, was to use a plastic bag. You tie the plastic bag to the end of a stick and rattle it around the horse - rubbing it on the horse and the ground, up in the air, and in the horses face. 
At first the horse is going to go crazy with fear and excitement, but eventually it calms down. He uses this trick for building trust in the horse and rider, as well as building confidence and minimizing fear for the horse. I just found this amazing. Oh yes, and I have decided I love cutting horses. He uses his mare for cutting cattle around Tennessee and she is QUICK. We'd be backing up and i'd drop the reins and she would stop so quick i'd have fallen off if I weren't positioned correctly. She also turns in tight little turns, not wide ones. I know a lot of this is her training and not all cutting horses are alike but I loved the motions associated with cutting. Needless to say we didn't get to ride a lot but what we did learn was invaluable. I wish I could ride and learn these kinds of lessons daily!