Trust

There is a moment in any activity involving more than one entity, that defies all human logic. A moment when it is necessary to trust without question, to believe when you have every reason to doubt.
I have not ridden a horse in many years, and I was never an accomplished horseman at the best of times.In fact, my first boss still loves to ridicule me whenever we meet, reminding me how bad I was as a Jackaroo.

There is, however, one moment involved in riding horses that will never escape me. It will forever be burned into my memory. It did not happen often for me, because I was tall, and for some it happened so often that perhaps it became common-place and not memorable at all. For me, it remains a pivotal point in horsemanship.

You stand, ready to mount, reins in left hand and grasping the pommel. Your right hand grips the saddles' rear, and you are ready to lift yourself into the saddle. Normally, at this point, your left foot goes into the stirrup and with a little double jump, you push and pull yourself into the saddle.
Sometimes, however, it is a world of difference. Sometimes, as you stand there, left hand grasping reins, right hand on the saddle facing into the horses' side, you are approached from behind. You bend your left leg at the knee, backwards. Your bent leg is grasped at the ankle and you are BOOSTED into the saddle...swinging your right leg effortlessly over the horse and saddle and settled easily into your seat.

Now your trust has been transferred from Mother Earth, to horse, through the action of trust in another's grasp and strength, their power transferred to you by an act of generosity on their part.

Any team sport,  any business transaction, any relationship with a loved one, even buying a cup of coffee, all involve an act of trust, but the exhilaration happens when the trust involves you being "lifted" beyond your circumstances.

I have never forgotten the feeling of power from their grip, the lightness of being lifted, and the security of knowing that someone was below me, lifting me up, while my horse stood ready to take me and be a strength beneath me.

I never rode well, but I loved to ride.