And More (I am pleading for your help)

Why I Ride
I ride because it's challenging. The common misconception about riding is that it only involves pulling on the reins to control where the horse is going and at what pace. In reality if you spent your entire ride pulling on your horses face you would get nowhere, if you were riding my horse you would either get bucked off or run away with. To actually control the horse while you ride you must use subtle signals in the form of muscle contractions from your legs, hands and abs. The best riders crunch their abs 100% of the time while they ride. Different levels of muscle contractions mean different things. The challenge is found in figuring out how to control your horse without using your hands. It is not only an athletic challenge, but a mental one.

I ride because it's enthralling. The sheer power of a horse moving beneath you as you ride is a thrilling feeling. Not only that, but being in complete control of that power is an amazing sensation. (I think I might leave this snippet out or find a way to add it to the empowering section.)

I ride because I love it. Ever since I was a little girl I have been in love with horses. I suppose that every little girl is in love with horses, but the thing that separates me from all the other girls in the world is that I am willing to put up with the good and the bad for the love of my sport. I am willing to drive out to the Barn in subzero temperatures and stand around while my horse eats. I am willing to put up with her moodiness in order to keep riding. I am willing to get ride again after nearly being killed by a horse because I know that quitting will not make me any happier. I am willing to wade through knee-deep 'horse mud' to retreive my horse from the pasture in the Spring. I am willing to do all of these things because learning to ride was quite possibly the best thing that ever happened to me. I am willing to do anything because I truly and deeply love to ride.