I took my ass to the Old Town Road ...In Egypt

First off, whenever I’m outside of America — and even some places within the country — people can assume that as a Texan I have an intimate relationship with horses, own a pair of cowboy boots and a hat to boot. But I don’t. And I did not ride my very first horse until 2019 in Brooklyn New York, in the middle of the city.

Last summer I wrote a list of all the things I wanted to try. One activity on the list was in fact, ride a horse. It was pretty high on that list too.

And so I went for it. Kensington Stables offered a basic riding session around Prospect Park. I was a little sketched out about riding in the city—mainly the horses’ conditions—but looked into the place and decided to do it. I am so glad I did! The class lasted an hour and a half. I was so nervous. It’s said and I believe that animals can feel your energy and react accordingly. What if the horse didn’t like me? Or it could feel the nervousness? What if it thought I just had shitty energy? On top of that, I didn’t know how I would feel trying to control the horse. Pulling and tugging on it to execute my will felt wrong and unnatural. Our species have utilized these animals for thousands of years so my curiosity got the better of me. I loved every second of it.

Today those basic skills came in handy alright. I rode 5 miles around the #pyramids and let me tell you, it’s ideal to know wtf ya doing around here! I felt like Emilio Estevez in “Young Guns” in that bia! From the looks of it, everyone here rides... and hard. I haven’t gotten down how to properly gallop at higher speeds or moving in complete unison with the horse while moving so fast but I can stay on and feel comfortable trying. I’ll call that a win. Yeehaw!