The original reservation was for a 9:30 start, but due to rain in the morning, it was changed to a 1:30 start. As a result, we couldn't go to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, where we had already purchased tickets, but horseback riding took priority. Rain had been falling since the previous day, and the forecast called for rain all morning the next day. After emailing with the owner, Inga, we rescheduled for the afternoon of the next day, with the final decision to be made just before lunchtime. Light rain was falling around the Christchurch City Hotel, but upon learning that one enthusiastic rider would be participating, I decided to join them. I arranged an Uber, rode 16km for 23 minutes, and arrived at the location at 1:00 PM. Since I only needed to fill out a consent form, I had time to kill before the 1:30 PM start. The enthusiastic rider turned out to be a German woman, and another companion was a young Chinese woman. In the end, the horseback riding here exceeded my exp...
Practicing natural horsemanship techniques like leading the horse provided valuable experiences beyond riding itself. Though my horse Larry was calm and easy to ride, I struggled with the one-handed loose rein and never quite got used to the Western riding style. This time, I was particularly flustered by the requirement to stay on the horse's right side at all times, except when dismounting. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the horse trekking through magnificent natural landscapes, especially crossing rivers, which I loved. This time, the Advanced Wild River course had five participants scheduled to meet at 9:00 AM with a 9:30 AM start. The group consisted of a British couple, a German and French couple, and myself—all capable of cantering at a steady pace. Besides our group, there was a beginner group practicing in the arena and an intermediate group on The River Wild course.