I can't believe the first thing crossed off my list is the thing I've wanted the longest. I, like other girls, always wanted to ride horses when I was little. Alas, my mom was terrified I'd be mutilated and squashed. So, like any good, protective mother, she protected her (favorite!) child. And as men know, women truly have the final say, so my dad rolled with it. Once I was old enough to say "Hey, I make my own rules!" there was the money problem. As in, I didn't have any! And horse riding lessons are kind of pricey.

So, my dreams of riding horses continued.

I'd have friends who offered but never followed through. "Oh, so-and-so's parents own a ranch, next time she invites us all, you should come!" But so-and-so ended up moving away. "Man, I LOVE horses. When I buy one, you can ride mine!" Except horses cost money. A lot of money. You're looking at about $2,000-3,000 for a decent horse. You could always adopt one from a shelter for a couple hundred bucks. But then it's probably a problem horse. And my friends, like myself, don't exactly have enough money to fork over a few thousand for a horse.

And then one day my dad texted me asking what I was doing the next few days because he wanted me to help him pick out a Yorkie. The Yorkie, it turned out, was a beautiful Tennessee Walker that he and his girlfriend had already purchased and brought home. After meeting their new "Yorkie" my dad messaged me again later that night. In his texts he told me he'd never been able to afford riding lessons for me when I was a little girl, but he could now. And that my first lesson had already been scheduled.

I was so happy I went to bed grinning like an idiot.

This picture is at the end of my second lesson. I had three total. Learning to ride horses is actually quite hard. I'm used to training animals--really big animals--but not used to riding them while I do it. Horse riding is all about keeping your heels down and toes up, sitting straight, weight on your pockets, confidence, using this rein and that leg to turn a horse, etc. etc. I'm also not used to the negative reinforcement training. I don't like it at all. But since it wasn't my horse I did as I was told. The picture above is of me on my lesson horse. He's older than dirt and has an attitude of "But I'm old and I do what I want" in the gentlest way ever. His name's Willie.

Anyway, now I officially know how to ride horses.

I'm hoping someday my dad and his girlfriend let me ride their beautiful horse.