Ride Every Stride | Horsemanship And Personal Growth With Van Hargis

In 43 years of riding I’ve won plenty of awards, trophies, and belt buckles. But my proudest accomplishment is the safety record I maintained in 42 of those years. This episode covers the two injuries I’ve sustained during that period and the lessons they taught me. When I was nine I was kicked in the face by a horse. As an only child, my closest companions were the dogs and horses I was raised with. Crawling between their legs and climbing up bare horse backs was how I played with them. I learned a hard lesson in startling the horse that kicked me. The time it took to rebuild my cheek and jaw bones let me reflect on my relationship with these animals. It led to an awareness and understanding of my responsibility to keep both myself and the horses I ride safe. Actively evaluating every stride and behavior let me ride safely and confidently for the next 42 years. However, sometimes there is little or nothing that can be done to prevent an accident—which is a lesson I learned recently when a young horse rolled