A friend on facebook shared a cute picture with me. The picture instantly took me back to an old homestead house turned tack shed.
With six girls, some ranchers might have mistakenly suspected that our Dad saddled our horses and coddled us but you would be wrong. His seeming goal for all of us...was to be independent and able to take care of ourselves. So at a certain point in our lives, he would tell us that if we wanted to go we had to saddle our own horse.
He checked our cinches and off we would go. The process was ugly but we were very proud.
We learned these things:
Tie the horse so he is still.
Have everything ready before (cinches over the saddle etc.)
The blankets went first up the horse. (might need a five gallon bucket to stand on)
Finally with the styrup over the saddle, we would slide the saddle up on the horse's back using our individual strengths. Usually pushing the blanket off to the other side.
Try to adjust the blanket and the saddle.
Go around the horse and back about a dozen times to get all of the leather in place.
Untie the horse and lead out of the tack shed with head held high!
What it means for me today:
Be still and focus. I can't do everything at once.
Get ready first.
Use my own strengths to get the job done.
I will have to adjust, adjust and adjust.
It will not be perfect at first.
Ask for some help AFTER giving it a good try.
Celebrate the success.
My life is up to me and if I'm going to have to learn to saddle my own horse.
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