My first time on horseback was embarrassing. I had never been on a horse in my life, but I was afraid to admit it. That’s probably where my trouble started. When I lifted my foot to put it into the stirrup, my friend Sally laughed. “Use the other foot, silly,” she said. Blushing beet red, I laughed too. I used the other foot. Then it took me about 10 minutes to swing up into the saddle. The horse kept moving and I scampered along on one foot while Sally giggled. Finally mounted, I looked down. I felt as if I were sitting on a mountain! Fortunately, Sally had chosen a gentle mare for me. I realize now she wasn’t fooled. She knew I didn’t know the first thing about riding. She really is a good friend. After a while, I learned to relax a little. I was actually riding a horse and it was fun. I even learned how to use the reins to guide the horse to the left and to the right.