Good Rider vs Good Driver.

A rider, is basically a person who ride horses.

A driver, is a person who drive vehicles.

There are few things in common about these two.

• We sit on a moving thing. Whether it is four-legged or four-wheeled.
• Take control. Stay focus but in the same time, enjoy the ride.
• You need to take special courses/workshop to know how to drive/ride them. You don’t just know how to.
• We just not ride them, we actually need to take care of them; bath them, feed/fuel them, keep their legs/tires out of holes, rock, nails etc..
• The higher price you bought them, the higher cost of maintenance it will take.
• We love them more when we ride/drive them. Trust me on this one. Especially if the perform as you pleased.
• Both driving and riding field have competitions, which need synchronization between Horse & Rider, Cars & Driver. Naah, cars doesn’t need to be suited

And few major difference ;

• Riders need to be gentle. Horses does have feelings, but cars don’t. Except cute little blue Volkswagen Herbie 69.
• Riders also need to know the right working time & length for horses. Cars are basically engine operated but a horse is obviously living creatures. Not a machine.
• If a car’s tires punctured, it can be replaced. But for horse; No legs, No horse.
• Cars go right when you bring the steering right. Sometimes, horses have their own choices of path to go. And they never tell you until it’s to late.

People say, if we want to be a good driver/rider we need to assure that we can handle various type of vehicles and horses. Since my first riding lesson back in 2005, I think I have been ridden many-many kind of horses and they all varies in size & most importantly different temperament. Size doesn’t matter, right?. From local ponies to imported ponies, from anglo-arabian & Arabian, Thoroughbred ; from many-many athletics history like Polo and X-races. and I rode them for many-many purposes, dressage, jumping, bare-back racing, bare-back horseball, a little bit of Polo trial, and last but not least, my favorite discipline ; endurance.

The thing is, I almost fell off a horse this evening!! She rears many times and I went total pale and after a few attempts bringing her to the gate, I gave up and dismounted.

I feel less confidence and helpless. It had been 3 months since my outdoor riding. So, I’m losing my confidence again.

Am I not a good rider yet?

Maybe.

Good rider is not achieved when you can stay on horse back while galloping along the beachside or when you ride large horses, with your small size. And also doesn’t matter you ride for how long daily, or you a beginner with a gut, doing advanced rider stuff and etc…

It takes forever to be a good rider. And the accreditation is from others. No one should claim themselves good.

Even psycho-path doesn’t admit they are mentally unstable.