English or Western...

Long ago in a different life I grew up in an environment where riding lessons were a part of what was "expected" along with knowing how to plan a dinner or cocktail party and the art of making vegetables into pretty decorations to adorn your buffet platters. I don't miss most of that country club type existence nor the elitist mindset that used to irk me. I do miss riding horses though, it was something I always enjoyed though my rebellion at that time was still in evidence since "all" of the young ladies were encouraged to learn to ride with a english saddles and I preferred western.

They would all be nicely attired in an English riding outfit, I'd be wearing my jeans, my flannel shirt and my boots, it's probably then that I gained my love of red boots, that I still have today. It's also when my parents decided that private riding lessons were the easiest way for them to avoid embarrassment...It's both funny and sad to look back on those days when so much time was spent worrying about how you appeared to others, and so much time wasted on gossiping about the behavior of a pre-teen or teenage girl as opposed to real life issues that were much more important.