At one time, outdoor sports were essential – or rather, some of what are now considered sports were once essential – or maybe it was essential to play a sport…  Anyway, some of the things we do today as sports or for enjoyment were necessary parts of everyday life in the past.  As an example, it was, for some cultures, a part of life to hunt for food.  Hunting, with rifle or bow and arrow or even a spear, was a job; a way to survive, to pay off your credit card or make next months utility payment.  Many a person who today would be an avid hunter found it difficult to get out of the recliner, grab the old spear and head for the woods for a day of wooly mammoth hunting.  Today things have changed.  Today it’s illegal to hunt wooly mammoths because, if they were not extinct, they would likely be on the endangered species list due to our encroachment upon their habitat, thereby handicapping large numbers of them by breaking their ankles while smashing our Prius’s into them at high speeds as they try to cross our nation’s highways.

          Many more of our outdoor leisure activities were anything but leisurely.  Fishing was much the same as hunting since food was a necessity.  People couldn’t go to the marketplace to buy fresh fish.  This was largely because there was no refrigeration and after a couple of hours in the hot sun you no longer had fresh fish, not to mention you couldn’t even get close to the place because of the smell.  Work or not, it was definitely preferable to catch your own fish.

          Camping, too, was not considered camping as much as it was considered, well, just living.  While a dank (writers’ digression:  I love this word, which I believe to be a combination of the words damp and rank…maybe some dark in there, too.  It’s not pleasant, but it certainly is descriptive, don’t you think?)  cave or an elaborate lean-to would have made a wonderful home for the average Cro-Magnon, it is somewhat below today’s’ real-estate expectations…unless, of course, it has a view.

          One of the more recent developments in the history of mankind, and the subject of today’s essay, is the art of horseback riding.  This pastime is pursued by people all over the world.  A very few, mostly in Montana and west Texas, still ride horseback to make their jobs easier.

          Some people use horseback riding as a competition in the form of horse racing.  This sport began thousands of years ago.  I believe it was initiated by an early French tribe called the “Jacquies”, a people very small in stature.  They lived on a little island in the river Seine and raised very large horses.  For sport, they would challenge to run their horses against each other (the horses, that is), and then race around the island on the beach.  Passers-by on the shores of the river would bet dried fish or cheese or even goats while drinking wine and mead and viewing the festivities.  While we have traded the island beach for a horse track, this sport has remained the same to this day…except today they can bet fresh fish.

          One group of thrill-seeking, extreme riders has made another equestrian profession popular.  We call this “rodeo”, which I believe is Spanish for “uninsurable”.  Again, many aspects of rodeo riding were necessary skills at one time.  With the possible exception of the over-talkative, western-babbling rodeo announcer, this sport is the same event it was over 100 years ago.  Also, rodeo, perhaps because it was invented prior to the advent of modern governmental interference, is the only bone-breaking, joint-dislocating, brain-damaging sport which requires no pads, harnesses, helmets or safety wear of any kind.  This may have something to do with the technical difficulty of molding a protective, shock absorbing helmet in the shape of a cowboy hat.

          Most horseback riders take up the hobby to take their minds off of everyday stress, to return to a time when life was much easier – when that ten minute drive to work was an hour walk.  When that computer filing system was a quill and ink well and stacks and stacks of parchment.  When the damn workday was sunup to sunset.  When…  Well, anyway, people no longer need to ride horses for transportation.  The need for faster conveyance of people and freight has made the use of the horse obsolete.  Convenience was also a factor since an automobile or truck may be parked in hot sun or freezing sleet and it doesn’t need to be brushed out and fed after use.  Air conditioning and heat options didn’t hurt the shift to mechanical transportation, either.

          Horseback riding as a leisure activity may bring to mind a western trail ride, an English fox hunt or some other equestrian event.  To the untrained seat like mine, these sound much the same…like getting on, bouncing around and falling off.  There are, however, many different aspects of riding to learn and master.

          One of the first things to learn, once you have horse identification down, is the tack.  English tack would be similar to:

“Excuse me, sir.  I believe you are progressing quite nicely, though you will surely benefit from a few more lessons and a bit more practice.”

          Western tack is somewhat different, as:

“Hell, greenhorn, if you cain’t quit fallin’ off the horse, you ain’t gonna be able to ride the range with the other cow-doggies.”

          Actually, I guess that would be tact, not tack.  But as you can see, the western style requires much less tact than does the English.

          Knowing the gear necessary is also important.  THIS is what is known as tack.  There are, as previously alluded to, two main styles of riding, each having its respective tack (read:  “gear”)…English and western.  Most tack is common to both schools; as with the saddle it is, in most cases, only the form that differs.

The flat saddle is used in the English style of, uh, equestrianistic endeavor (read:  “horseback riding”).  This saddle gets its name because it’s…well, flat, mostly.  It has virtually no cantle (read:  “back rest”) and no pommel (read:…um “dashboard”).  Riding with this type of saddle is much like sitting on the hood of a highly polished ’76 Chrysler.  Any change in velocity can cause what is known as the “slingshot effect”.  This can indirectly cause injury due to what is known as the “landing effect”.

          The western saddle, on the other hand, is heavier and built more for utility.  It has a higher cantle, a higher pommel, usually with a horn, and rings with rawhide thongs in order to fasten equipment to the saddle – a first aid kit is a good start.  The riding position in the western seat is much more upright than the English, placing the rider in a near standing position.  This position can often make it easier for the novice rider to retain balance.  It also aids in controlling the slingshot effect, which can be devastating in a saddle with a high pommel and horn, particularly for the male rider.

          Whatever the advantages of either saddle, balance, not gear, is what keeps the rider on the horses’ back.  While some people are more “balanced” than others, stability on horseback can only be learned by repeated practice and occasional negative feedback (falling off).

          “Operating” the horse is executed by both natural and artificial aids.  Natural aids include the riders voice.  A well trained horse can know much of what the rider wants by his voice commands.  I should mention that, to the horses in my experience, the statement “EEYAAAAAAAH!”, has the same basic meaning as “There’s an extra fifty in it if you get me to the airport in ten minutes.””  

          Other natural aids to riding can be the use of the reins, the pressure of the heels and legs and the distribution of the riders weight …or the sudden lack thereof.  Most of these aids are especially helpful when riding bareback.  I suggest, however, that when you ride bareback you should use a quality sunblock since repeated, prolonged skin exposure to sunlight can cause some type of ozone damage or something.

          Aids which fall into the artificial category include whips, spurs and riding crops.  My favorite artificial aid is the lead shank.  When the rope of the lead shank is held by an experienced wrangler, my control of the mount can be achieved with relative ignorance.

          We have covered enough material in our discussion of horseback riding to only touch the tip of the pommel horn, so to speak.  This does, however, give you an idea of how complex riding is.  The skills required certainly place this activity in the realm of sports rather than a mere pastime.  Besides, it’s much more gratifying to the ego to explain how you dislocated your shoulder during an actual sport rather than a simple leisure activity.

          Happy trails.