When I was younger I used to wish I owned a horse like my cowboy heroes did and thought my parents were ridiculous for not considering the fun we could have in our suburban Atlanta neighborhood.

That was before I actually rode a horse. My parents decided to start freeing up their summers by sending my brother and I to camp for six weeks each summer. Actually we both loved it, but I digress.

At our camp horseback riding was one of the main attractions so I was giddy (up) with excitement to finally ride one of those majestic creatures. I saddled up and began navigating around the corral according to the instructions. However, the girl behind me did follow instructions and her horse got to close to the back of mine. My horse started bucking and kicking the other horse. After holding on what seemed like minutes but was actually probably .02 seconds, I was thrown off my horse. Wonderful first experience.

Like a good cowboy, I dusted myself off and the next day rode again. However, I have now ridden horses six separate times and I have been thrown from the horse three of those times. 50-percent of my riding experience has been met with horse hostility.

After several years of seeing horses as nothing but future glue and not saddling up for well over a decade, I am ready to forgive and try again. My goal is to ride through an open field or along a trail (anywhere outside of a corral) without getting tossed off.