Random Saturday #15: Let's talk about horses!

Hello my dear Readers,

Welcome ones again to my Random Saturday. Hope you have all been well this week and I'm glad to see you again, and if you're visiting Random Saturdays for the first time, nice to meet you.

This R.S. I would like to talk about an animal that I love and admire with all my heart and soul - horses! I've started working full time at the Santo Horse Riding ranch, and as a result I've been meeting more and more people, who either wish to go to a trail ride, take a picture on a horse, or impress their friends or girlfriend with how good riders they are.

Worth noting, that two out of two persons, who came to us just o impress their friends/girlfriend, did not know a thing about horses, and wouldn't listen to me, when I tried to tell them that they cannot just take a horse and run, without first learning how sit straight on a walking horse! Thankfully, we didn't have any bad incidents.

So, let's talk about horses.

The first and most important thing to remember about horses, is that they are live animals, they have their own brains, which means they have their own thoughts. Each horse has its own character, and just like you and me, they have their bad days and good days (yes, it's true!). Treat horses with respect, especially if you don't want to get hurt by them!

A lot of people think that riding a horse is the easiest activity in the world. Yes, it is not really hard when you are just going for a walk, on a well trained horse, that has been desensitized to everything that can scare it, accompanied by an experiences rider. But if you want to run on a horse, and you've never done it before, don't just assume that you will do fantastically great! If you really want to run on a beautiful white horse on a beach, invest time (and money) into horse riding lessons!

Don't use the horse, as a way to impress your friends and boyfriend/girlfriend… unless of course you are a great rider and can do amazing things on and with the horse. Don't just go to ranch, asking for the wildest horse there is, to ride it freely in an open field!! Do you even realize what will happen to the owner of the ranch if you fall down and get hit real bad? And I'm not talking about a broken hand… Just… don't do it…

You should also know, that the horse does not really care how cool you believe you are. If you cannot control the horse, if you hurt the horse too much, and if you don't do what your instructor is telling you do, you will most probably, like 70-90%, fall of the horse. Wanting to impress someone by riding a wild horse without having any riding experience in the past, is like wanting to impress someone by break-dancing without knowing how to do it! In both cases, you'll just end up making a fool of yourself…

Want to impress your girlfriend or boyfriend, with something that has to do with horses? Ask him or her to start horseback riding lessons together! After all, it is not bad admitting that you don't know how to do something…

I guess that has been bottling up…

Never go behind the horses hind legs, especially if you don't know the horse. All horses kick, some of them on purpose, because they don't trust people, some of them because a nasty fly has been bugging them, and you were standing too close to the back leg that was trying to get rid of the fly at the wrong moment.

Horses used for tourist rides, don't mind being pet… they might not enjoy it as much as we (want to) believe, but they don't mind it. Don't start pulling on the horses ears, nose, main though…. they will mind and will show it in a painful way.

Horses love treats, so if you plan visiting a ranch or horse riding center, you can bring an apple or a carrot with you. Before giving the horse a treat thought, ask its owner if he/she doesn't mind you doing so.

Horses feel everything!! I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Sometimes they know better what you feel, that yourself! I don't mean feelings like love, passion, hunger, but feelings that fear, insecurity, anger. You might be able to hide your panic from your trainer, but you will never hide it from the horse you are riding. Better inform you trainer that you don't feel really comfortable on the horse, so he or she could help you overcome that fear, before the horse bucks you of.

Horses are amazing, smart and beautiful animals. Be gentle with a horse, and it will reward you with all its trust. J

That's I felt I wanted to share with you about horses!

As always, thank you very much for reading! I wish you all the best!

And the song of the week will be:

Random Saturday #14

Random Saturday #14: The Random Saturday that unexpectedly came on Sunday!

Hello my dear Readers.

How have you been?

I did not forget to post the Random Saturday #14 yesterday. I got it ready, almost ready to upload, just to realize I have no internet. Taking internet connection from the phone didn't do the trick, so I postponed the R.S. 14 for today.

I also had another topic in mind for R.S.14, but today I got a sudden inspiration to write a short story. I used to love to write, and still write stories from time to time, but this will the first one the world will see. Enjoy J

The Girl and the Horse she never owned

There once lived a girl who fell in love with a horse she never owned. They met by accident, or by fate, and a strong friendship between them begun. They spent each morning together. The girl would come to the stable, say good morning to the horse, share her morning apple with the horse. She would groom the horse, while telling her news. She would ride the horse, where the horse would teach her to be patient, respectful and understand without words.

The girl didn't have a home she could call her own. She didn't have many human friends, didn't have any fancy clothes or habits. She didn't care about loud companies, flirting with boys or trying to find a husband and built a family. The girl didn't dream to become rich and powerful. All the girl needed was that white horse she really loved.

The girl shared with the horse her deepest secrets, her happy moments and her regrets. She would confess to the horse what she was really afraid of. When she didn't want to spend time with the humans, she would hide in the horse's stable and read her book, or just look at the beautiful white horse. The horse didn't mind having the girl around. Although the horse didn't understand much from what the girl would say, the horse was kind enough to make the girl feel like she had the best listener to talk to. The horse always let the girl cry on her shoulder, and never told anyone that the girl cried.

And while the girl's and the horse's bond grew stronger, the girl and the horse got separated. As unexpected as their meeting was, their separation was expected even less. The girl could not see the horse anymore. The girl could not groom the horse anymore, nor ride the horse. She didn't have her friend to tell her secrets, or a shoulder to cry on. The girl was devastated…

But there was nothing she could do, as she never owned the horse…

The girl decided not to love again someone that wasn't her. The girl decided to forget about horses all together. She got married, then she got divorced. She moved far away and got a good job. She would buy beautiful clothes and drink cocktails at a bar. She would laugh at stupid jokes and take selfies with her friends. But nothing filled the void.

She never could forget the horse completely. At nights, she would lay in her bed, in the dark, and think about the beautiful white horse. She would wonder if her friend would remember her, if they would ever met again. Would the horse still let her share all her secrets? Would the horse want to hear all the stories the girl had to tell?

So the girl decided to wait, the girl decided to hope, that one day she would be reunited with the horse, and she would once again have her best friend by her side. She went back to working with horses, and found some new good friends. She would tell to the other horse about her beautiful white horse she never owned.

When those really sad days would come, the girl would look through the pictures of her beloved white horse, and dream of the moment she would be able to see her again. That thought made her smile and she did.

The end.

That's all J

Thank you very much for reading! I wish you a great beginning of the week.  

Random Saturday #13

Random Saturday 8: Animals are great!

Hello my dear Readers!

In today's Random Saturday, I would like to talk about my furry little friends!

I have two dogs. Well… one and a half, as one of the dogs is taken care of by both me and my landlord. My black, beautiful, lovely dog is Noir. I know her since she was 3 weeks old. Back then she looked more like a small bear cub than a puppy. A real cutie! When she was finally old enough, I took her home and she has been making my life brighter ever since. She's a half breed, and has an amazing and loving character. We’ve been together for almost six years now, and I couldn't feel anything but proud of that.

The second dog, named Bobo, or Bobik, or Fountoukos, is an incredibly lucky dog. I've He was abandoned in my yard on May 22nd 2015. I remember getting back from a wedding, and seeing something small running to hide under my car. I showed him to my landlord, and we both fell in love with him. I believe he couldn't have asked for a better home, two homes to be more precise. Everyone loves him, he gets yummy treats all the time, lots of hugs and attention, and is in a company of three of other dogs and a cat. He is this energetic, crazy little mate!

I also have a cat, whose name is Lion - O. Ever since I came to Santorini, he has been living the cat's dream life! He has all the privileges of an indoor cat, but he can also roam all day in the fields, hunt, climb on trees, and get in cat-fights. I'm not particularly happy about the last one, as I've already had to visit the vet for wound treatments a couple of times. Yes, he is castrated, by remains a manly man of a cat, so there is nothing I can do to stop him proving his manliness to other cats. Thankfully, he has his two bodyguards, my dogs. He's also have had a broken tail since birth, so his tail looks like a question mark, which I find cute!

This amazing trio has been a great company for me, for some time now. They keep me warm during the cold, winter nights, they keep me entertained at all times, and they never keep me inside the house for too long, which is good thing. Admittedly, they are not the best companions with whom to engage in a philosophical conversation, but they are great listeners whenever I wish to share my bad day with someone.

They have taught me patience. All those little "accidents" that might happen, really teach you to control the anger emotions. In time, instead of bursting in anger on them for breaking something, I started dealing with it with humor. It is not their fault after all, I should've know to place my things better around the house. With cats and small dogs, you learn to mind you steps. You also become more responsible, which is really helpful in life. My pets made me a much better person.

I'm truly grateful for having this amazing trio in my life! However hard a day I could be having, they always manage to cheer me up!

This is all for today. Hope you enjoyed.

Thank you very much for reading and you have my best wishes! 

Random Saturday #7