I’m Just an 11-Year-Old Horse Lover
“I am confident that even at 60 I can match the unbridled enthusiasm (no pun intended) of any 11-year-old horse crazy girl. I may have a few more wrinkles than they do but my equine energy burns just as brightly as theirs!”
By Laura Emert
Photo by Laura Emert
Although I have recently turned 60 years old, I haven’t turned more than 11 when it comes to all things horse related. I think the medical community should investigate my equine fountain of youth — it bubbles up anytime I’m around horses or thinking of them.
I started earnestly taking riding lessons at just about the age of 59. My prior childhood lessons were at 11 years old while in fifth grade. I discovered I felt exactly as I did as a kid when I learned how to trot and post again. It was the best feeling ever to regain some semblance of my long-lost skill. Furthermore, it felt even cooler to re-learn these skills in a “private” lesson instead of the strictly group lessons I experienced 50 years earlier.
Just as exciting as learning how to trot again was the morning my trainer (the barn owner) told me at the conclusion of my lesson that I could walk my lesson horse Brown Pony on the trail that meanders around the indoor arena all by myself. I felt like an excited and proud 11-year-old. Wow, I was trusted to ride a few minutes by myself. This was unbelievable!! I wanted everyone in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Tri-State area to see me do this, but I had to settle for Pepper, the Labrador Retriever, eyeing me as I walked by her, and by the look on her face I could tell she was not too impressed.
Away from the stable, if I happen to see a horse trailer on the highway or drive past a horse farm, my youthful excitement never fails to respond. “Look, horses!” I shout to anyone traveling in the car with me. Guaranteed they are rolling their eyes at me, even though they are accustomed to my horse related outbursts.
Even worse, I couldn’t pass-up the glitter horse float at the pool supply store last week; I just had to have a horse floating in my pool. It truly didn’t disappoint when inflated, and it’s my personal, awesome addition to 2021 summer fun. I don’t care that my young adult kids think I’m a bit eccentric.
I am confident that even at 60 I can match the unbridled enthusiasm (no pun intended) of any 11-year-old horse crazy girl. I may have a few more wrinkles than they do but my equine energy burns just as brightly as theirs!
About the Author:
Laura Emert is an enthusiastic beginner rider at Sundance Stables in Manorville, New York and is thrilled to finally immerse herself in her life- long passion for horses.
