Riding the Four Winds

I'm not real sure exactly what I'm getting into here but I'm feeling it.  "It" isn't just a philosophical discourse on the  free thinking exercise of being horseback.  That's a no brainer.  Isn't that one big reason why we ride?  Being horseback opens up so much inside of me.  And I gather that it's no different for most of us.  There's a lady I sold a couple horses to years ago.  She renamed them Zooloft and Prozac.  Doesn't that tell you a whole lot right there.  And that was a lady who is pretty grounded.  But that's one of the big reason we ride.  We get in touch with ourselves a little better being on the back of a horse.  Oh yeah, running, bicycling, skiing, working out, they all get us going real good and it feels better during and after a good workout.  But there's something special about horse back riding that "starts me up" and keeps my mental engine going long after I stop.  However, the best is the ride getting there.  That's why we ride.

There's something about that combination of having a real strong compadre under that saddle and travelling through good country at the same time that makes it work.  I've never been a good sighteeing fan.  When you're in a car with glass in front of you and oftentime the window closed you just don't feel it.  I don't in any case.  But, horseback is a different deal.  We're out there.  The wind is blowing, the sun is shining, and there's horsepower between your legs.  You can keep it in the middle or hit the gas.  It's your call.  I like to keep it in the middle horseback.  It's good for the horse, a walk or an easy trot.  Out in the wide open when I need to cover some country I'll hit an easy trot for a period of time and then shut 'er down a bit so me and the horse underneath me can enjoy the day.  Horses like to daydream too, you know.  In any case, a horse in any kind of decent shape can be on a trot for miles, particularly in relatively flat country, across the badlands east of the mountains, or out in the open prairie grass even further east.  Up on the mountains and foothills a rider has to manage their horses' energy and probably keep it at a walk for the most part.  That's when we're able to get in touch with ourselves.  That's when I do my best thinking.  You could call my thinking daydreaming.  A lot of it is.  I didn't go to an Ivy League school so don't overestimate my intelligence.  But I do know that when I need to get things right and feel good about it in the process getting horseback puts me half way there.

That's why we ride.  It isn't sitting in the front seat of a fancy new car touring the Going-to-the-Sun road with a combustion engine whining while we're looking through a glass window and sharing that experience with a thousand other sightseers on the same asphalt rode we're on that does it.  No, when you're mounted and breathing real air and seeing real country you're not cheating.  I haven't been on the world famous "Going-to-the-Sun Road for years and have no plans to do so anytime soon.

You think about what I've just written and correct me if I'm wrong.  Or better yet, come on out here in late May and we'll ride "the Four Winds together."  You can look me in the eye at the end of the week and if you think you didn't "get it" I'll give you all your money back.  How's that?  I won't sweat that wager however, cause you'll have the time of your life.  You see, we're going to ride horseback in four different directions over the course of a week beginning on May 27th.  We're going to cover some country, some of the most awesome country you'll ever see in your life.  From the mountains to the foothills, to the high plains, and out to the tall grass prairie.  All day rides, horseback.  Lunch on the trail in the sun, a nap, and that back in the saddle and more adventure.  Quiet adventure.  Oh, we'll have our moments.  Maybe we'll see a grizzly, a herd of elk.  Who knows, a horse might blow up, bust in half, go to buckin'.  But for the most part, we're going to get in sync with our ponies and put on the miles, alone with our thoughts and when we choose, together with our riding partners and our horses.  You're going to ride four different directions with the Four Winds at your back or in your face and you might go through two, or perhaps even three different horses over the course of that week.

If you're interested in the adventure of a lifetime and at the very least a very sore butt, give me a call.  I'm going to tell you you're very welcome here and I'm also going to tell you to get in good shape.  You're gonna need to be.

See you in May!

Bill

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