I don’t know about you, but horseback riding has never been my thing.
Maybe it’s because I’ve only ever done it once before, and let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a Black Beauty moment. Still, after three insanely active days, with even crazier adventures on the horizon, we desperately needed a little downtime. But the idea of lounging around at the tour base for an entire day? No thanks — that just felt like such a waste.
Enter Oksana, with her ever-so-casual suggestion: “How about a few hours of horseback riding through the forest, all the way to the lake?” She said it like it was the easiest, most natural thing in the world. Me? I hesitated for a moment, weighing my shaky horse-riding history against the chance to explore a stunning new spot. And then I thought, Why not? Worst case, I’ll have a funny story to tell later. Best case, I’ll love it.
Spoiler alert: It ended up being one of those experiences that reminds you why you say yes to things, even when they’re out of your comfort zone.
Meet Martin.
Martin is… well, let’s just say, not the easiest horse to bond with. Our relationship didn’t exactly start off on the right hoof. This was my first real attempt at horseback riding, and getting Martin to listen to me felt like trying to reason with a toddler in a toy store—challenging, to say the least.
Apparently, horses can eat almost nonstop, and Martin took this as a personal mission. He seemed perpetually hungry, stopping to snack on anything green within reach. At first, I was so scared to pull the reins — I didn’t want to hurt him. I’m such an animal lover that even the thought of being too firm felt like an inner moral crisis. But at some point, I realized Martin wasn’t exactly delicate either, and we had to find some kind of balance.
As we set off into the forest, my brain decided it was the perfect time to replay every bear encounter story I’d ever heard. This was prime bear season, after all. What would I do if a bear showed up? On foot, I know the basics—don’t run, make yourself big, blah blah blah. But on a horse? That’s a whole other level. What if Martin panicked? What if he bolted, leaving me hanging on for dear life? I’ll admit, my nerves were working overtime, and I felt so uncomfortable I could barely enjoy the moment.
But then we emerged from the forest and reached the lake, and I finally exhaled. The view was breathtaking, and for the first time, I tried to actually connect with Martin instead of just surviving the ride. And you know what? It worked. He calmed down, and so did I.
In hindsight, this little adventure in the middle of a crazy, packed schedule was exactly what I needed. Sure, it was nerve-wracking at first, but it added a bit of calm to all the chaos. It turns out, sometimes the most nerve-tickling experiences end up being the most memorable.
